为了吸引中国最杰出的人才归国。去年,北京发起了“千人计划”,为顶尖华人科学家提供100万元人民币的科研资金、丰厚的薪资和大笔实验室资金。
To lure China's brightest minds back home last year, Beijing launched the "Thousand Talents Program", offering top scientists grants of 1 million yuan (about $146,000), fat salaries, and generous lab funding.
其目标是要消除中国志在成为创新强国的最大障碍:有经验的科研人员的严重短缺。
The goal is to address the biggest roadblock to China's aspirations of becoming an innovation powerhouse: an acute shortage of seasoned research scientists.
薪酬待遇确实有帮助,但归国人员说,吸引他们回国的主要原因,还在于有机会从头开始建立一个科研项目。时当美国实验室苦于缺少资金,中国正在扩展。
Higher pay helps, but returnees say the main allure is the chance to build a science program from the ground up. While U.S. labs are struggling for funds, China is expanding.
但有的时候,归国人员享有的超高待遇,可能导致与国内教师关系紧张。
Sometimes the perks lavished on returnees can create tension with existing faculty.
魏佳,一位运用现代科学研究中国传统医学的专家说,他以前在上海交通大学的年薪仅相当于1万美元。“这真令人气不打一处来,高薪只留给那些还在美国的人。” 去年,魏离开上海到美国北卡罗来纳大学负责一个新研究中心,他在那里的年薪达6位数。
Wei Jia, an expert in using modern science to study traditional Chinese medicine, says his annual pay package at Shanghai's Jiatong University was worth about $10,000. "It really is irritating that the good pay is reserved for people who are still in the U.S.," Wei says. Last year, Wei left Shanghai to run a new research center at the University of North Carolina, where his package is in six figures.
不过仍有许多人不为所动。卡内基梅隆大学电子工程学教授吉米·朱的母校,以14万美元年薪、住房补贴和超过100万美元实验室启动资金,吸引他回武汉。但朱决定继续待在美国,部分原因在于他认为,中国国内“科研环境尚未成熟到能促进真正的创新”。而且认为,中国一些官员往往根据个人关系、而非科研成就审批科研拨款。
There are still many holdouts. Carnegie Mellon University electrical engineering professor Jimmy Zhu was tempted by his alma mater in Wuhan with a $140,000 salary, subsidized housing, and more than $1 million to start a lab. But Zhu decided to stay at CMU, in part because he doesn't think "the scientific environment has matured enough to promote real innovation." Also, Chinese officials tend to award grants based on personal connections rather than scientific merit.
归国人员试图改变这种状况。例如,清华大学现在为顶尖科学家提供较长期的拨款,给予他们更广的空间,允许他们进行真正的创新研究。新课程将更注重培养学生解决问题而非死记硬背的能力。随着这样的改变落到实处,中国应该会取得将理论研究转化为高科技产品的诀窍。
Returnees are trying to change that. Tsinghua, for instance, now makes longer-term grants to top scientists, allowing them wider latitude to conduct truly innovative research. And a new curriculum will focus more on problem-solving than rote learning. As such changes take root, China should acquire a knack for turning theoretical research into high-tech products.
BusinessWeek 11-19-2009


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