China revises law to encourage scientists for innovation

China's top legislature adopted an amendment to Law of Science and Technology Progress, which aims to create a better environment for making innovations and is to take effect on July 1, 2008.

The law, for the first time, allows scientists to report failures during the process of innovation without harming their records in future funding applications. Scientists and technicians, who can provide evidence that they have tried their best, will be tolerated if they fail to achieve their goals in high-risk researches.The law says scientists and technicians should observe academic regulations and ethics, improve their research capability and should not make fabrication in academic activities, or practice superstition or pseudo-science.

The revised law regulates that researchers should own the patent rights of government-sponsored scientific programs, except for those which concern major public interests, national security and benefits. In addition, the government will offer favorable policies on taxation and fund-raising to enterprises, especially high-tech ones, as a practice to underscore their "principal role in the country's science and technology innovation".

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