Top Chinese Academics Launch Country’s First Private Science Research Institute

(Beijing) — A group of top Chinese academics have launched the country’s first-ever private science research institute, at a time when government-funded research outfits have been rattled by charges of corruption.

The Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, launched on Saturday in the eastern city of Hangzhou, “is the first privately run institution dedicating to researching and teaching multiple scientific disciplines, including life sciences,” said Shi Yigong, a Tsinghua University vice president and institute co-founder who is heading it.