WUHAN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's share of global fundamental research papers rose to 32.6 percent in 2024 from 0.9 percent in 1985, according to a report released Tuesday.
The China Fundamental Research Report (2026) examined long-term changes in knowledge production, scientific influence and international cooperation across 24 major countries and regions over nearly four decades.
It found that China's global share of citations received, including domestic citations, increased from 0.6 percent in 2000 to 20.8 percent in 2024.
Global investment in fundamental research has grown, while the geographic distribution of research output has broadened, the report said. The United States and Europe remain important centers, while China, India, Brazil, the Republic of Korea and Singapore have increased their roles.
China's fundamental research expenditure rose from 16.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 to more than 30 billion dollars in 2023. Its researcher workforce across all R&D activities, measured in full-time equivalents, increased from 1.21 million in 2010 to 3 million in 2023.
The report was compiled by a strategic research center at Wuhan University with support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). This year marks the 40th anniversary of the NSFC, established in 1986. The foundation has maintained its focus on fundamental research while expanding support for researchers, scientific infrastructure and interdisciplinary studies.
Magdalena Skipper, editor-in-chief of the journal Nature, said China's contribution to research outcomes, the research community and the global knowledge system is growing, while the geography of knowledge production is broadening and becoming more diverse.
"I particularly appreciate the focus on fundamental science within China's research ecosystem, and the focus this report provides on fundamental science and its continued importance," she added.
James Wilsdon, executive director of the Research on Research Institute in the United Kingdom and chair of the report's international review committee, noted the NSFC's four decades of continuity and support for fundamental research "through cycles in which others have wavered up and down."
"I think China hasn't so much played a long game as kept a long promise," he said.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) aims for a marked strengthening of fundamental research and original innovation, faster breakthroughs in key technologies, and more major, pioneering scientific achievements. The plan also calls for stronger strategic, forward-looking and systematic planning of fundamental research. Enditem
