Universities fear researcher pipeline is under threat
With increasing global and regional competition for doctoral students to fuel expansion in technology-based industries, even top universities in Asia are beginning to worry about a continued pipeline of well-qualified students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas as countries expand research in key areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, genetics, nanotechnology, robotics and other areas.
Global competition has been enhanced by the rivalry between China and the United States in technology, with the US also pressuring Europe and Japan to curb research with China that is deemed sensitive.
For Asian countries attracting foreign STEM PhD students, the largest contingent has come from China. Countries such as Japan are already talking of more stringent vetting of PhD students from countries including China for more strategically sensitive PhD subjects, and having to rely on local stude
New and strengthened research priorities post-pandemic
COVID-19 has led to a realignment of research spending priorities as governments announce future research funding. The pandemic has underlined the importance of investing in research and development to prepare for pandemic shocks and for increasing health and economic resilience.
Adjustments in research priorities and future preparedness for pandemics and health emergencies have been the hallmark of budget planning in several Asian countries in recent months, alongside stepping up digitisation – spotlighted by a move to online teaching and online research collaboration.
South Korea, in a government announcement in January, said it would spend KRW41.9 billion (US$37 million) to develop treatments and vaccines against new infections as part of a KRW5.8 trillion (US$5.2 billion) science and ICT budget for this year – a 12% rise on 2020 with a focus on basic research, as well as new technologies such as artificial intellige
Universities to receive direct defence ministry funding
Taiwan’s defence ministry is to finance research and development of defence-related technologies at universities for the first time in a new programme which could see up to 150 graduate students funded over the next five years.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, together with the Ministry of Science and Technology, have been jointly allocated NT$5 billion (US$147 million) by the government over the next five years for the programme to focus on information security and robotics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things and quantum computing, which Wu Tsung-tsong, Taiwan’s minister of science and technology, said last month were key to defence technology development.