The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will concentrate its efforts on 40 key research areas in the coming 15 years to help China's ambitious plan of becoming an "innovative nation."

The measures were revealed in the Medium- and Long-term Development Plan of CAS (2006-20), which was unveiled Monday during the group's annual meeting in Beijing.

According to the plan, its future research will focus on a range of key areas, including the development of the Internet, innovative drugs, biofuel development, nanotechnology, clean energies, carbon dioxide capture technologies, and sustainable agriculture.

"With the successful implementation of the plans, CAS will become among the world's top five research bodies in terms of innovative research output by 2010 and in the world's top three by 2020," said Lu Yongxiang, CAS president and the vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

In order to reach the goals, CAS will keep investment growing by 70 percent in the coming five years over those in the previous five-year term. Between 2011 and 2020, the annual investment in the research projects in CAS will grow by about 12 percent.

Shi Erwei, vice-president of CAS, said that with its innovative research meeting the social and economic demands of China, it hoped to receive investment from both the government and companies.

The National Middle and Long-term Science and Development Plan issued by the State Council in early February vowed to increase annual investment in research and development to 900 billion yuan (US$112 billion) by 2020.

This would boost the proportion of China's gross domestic product spent on research from today's 1.3 percent to 2.5 percent.

Besides the research programs, CAS also plans to develop 500 internationally leading scientists in the coming five years. "We are very likely to develop our own team of internationally leading scientists, as China enjoys the world's fastest economic development, which has created the golden chances for Chinese scientists to show their creativity," Lu said.

CAS will reform its management and rules to ensure the realization of its goals. It will increase research on science ethics, reform the election system of academicians to make them become the real scientific leaders instead of academic authorities, and increase the research autonomy of its 130 institutes and research centers.

On Sunday, CAS revealed its new constitution.

When it was established in 1950, CAS played a role as the science ministry of China. It had a constitution to reflect that status. But after 1955 when the State Commission of Science and Technology, now known as the Ministry of Science and Technology, replaced CAS' role as science administrator, CAS did not make a new constitution.

"With this new constitution, CAS will clarify its role as the basic and innovative research organ for the country, balance its administrative parts and research forces, properly regulate its research resources and better discipline researchers," said Bai Chunli, vice-president of CAS.

(China Daily March 21, 2006)