CHINA may be a leader in terms of the number of papers its scientists and academics publish in journals such as Science and Nature. Numbers, however, are not necessarily the best indicator of scholarly strength or innovative potential.

According to some experts, preoccupation with academia’s publish-or-perish mandate has stifled creativity within Shanghai’s scholarly community. If such is the case, then the implications are obvious for Shanghai’s long-running campaign to establish itself as a leader in innovation.

“A key point of Shanghai’s bid to build itself into a global innovation center is the reform of its R&D system,” said Chen Jianxun, senior researcher with the Institute of National Economy at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank.