And in a few years time it might be. Recently the UK's national academy of science, The Royal Society, carried out a major study on the global scientific effort (Knowledge, Networks and Nations). The study notes the "striking" rise of Chinese science in terms of the number of scientific findings being published in recognised international scientific journals. At the time of the study, the number of publications orginating from the PRC stood at 184,080. This is a significant increase from the 25,474 papers being published in 1996. Compare this to the number of publications originating from the United States, the country that at present is number one in all areas of science. Here, 316,317 papers were published at the time of the study; a slight increase from the 292,513 papers being published in 1996. The study by the Royal Society suggests that after 2013 the PRC may overtake the US as the leading country in scientific research. The rise of scientific progress in India and Brazil, and the emergence of science in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and some smaller European nations also indicates a shift in the global scientific landscape where the likes of the US, Japan and Western Europe have been dominant.
So how did this change come about? As indicated in the study by the Royal Society the increase in collaboration between scientific communities has extended beyond international borders. The common interest of a particular field and the pursuit of a common goal has allowed the forming of specialised organisations and societies that convene on a regular basis to discuss and challenge ideas and to share knowledge and expertise. I myself have been to one such meeting (organised by the RNA Society in Berlin, 2008) and found the experience awesome, insightful and thought provoking. It is at these meetings that scientific collaborations are born, where ideas and solutions originate from a figure on a poster or the from the presentation and words a very nervous speaker (they don't call us labrats for nothing!). Furthermore, with international travel becoming the norm more and more scientists are taking the opportunity and travelling greater distances to present their work to a wider audience, to study and gain experience from a different lab or even moving and settling in a different location altogether; taking advantage of the expertise and technology available. A great number of scientific publications now contain the names of researchers from more than one institution.
So why in the PRC? The economy of the People's Republic of China is the second biggest in the world after the United States. It is also the world's fastest growing economy and one that emerged unscathed from the global recession that has had major effects on the US, the UK and Japan. The wealth and affluence in this emerging super power is attracting the interest of many scientific laboratories around the world. To be able to obtain financial backing is crucial to the life span of a research project. The PRC has the funds and wants in return the knowledge and know-how to further develope its own scientific base, in the form of institutes, technology centres and researchers.
The Royal Society recommends from the study that the support of international science should be maintained and strengthened and that international collbaoration be encouraged, supported and facilitated. This is true since it is scientific research and discovery, not nationalism, that is paramount for preserving the true quest for knowledge.
Having said that though, it wouldn't hurt to start learning some Chinese...
Story: Knowledge, Networks and Nations
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