Recently, MOST conducted discussions on prevention and control of academic corruption. SHANG Yong, spokesman and Vice Minister of Science and Technology, reported to major news media of the central authorities on preventing and controlling academic corruption at the headstream of system construction. Relevant leaders from MOST’s Discipline Inspection Team and Supervision Bureau, Executive Office, Department of Development Planning, Department of Facilities and Financial Support, and Department of Basic Research of MOST attended the conference.

Vice Minister SHANG pointed out that carrying out scientific and standardized management, bringing academic misconduct under permanent control at the headstream, purifying academic ethos and optimizing the innovation environment is crucial to the implementation of the national strategy of innovation. Since 2002, MOST has been coordinating closely with the Discipline Inspection Team and Supervision Bureau of the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection to deal with the problems of imperfect S&T evaluation and plan management system and non-standardized evaluation system and evaluation methods as well as the phenomena of academic flippancy and academic corruption existing in the scientific and technological communities. They started with the reformation and perfection of management of science and technology and worked out the "Decision Regarding the Improvement of S&T Evaluation Work" jointly with relevant departments. They successively publicized a series of policy documents to strengthen system construction from several aspects, eliminate factors that trigger corruption by looking into both the root cause and symptoms, tackle academic flippancy and optimize the innovation environment.

Vice Minister SHANG remarked that bringing academic corruption and misconduct under permanent control is a long-term and arduous task, therefore it is necessary to work along two lines, system construction and ideological and moral self-discipline of S&T personnel. In the future, MOST will make vigorous efforts to implement relevant systems, strengthen supervision and control, effectively curb academic misconduct, purify academic ethos and build a satisfactory innovation environment.