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MOTIVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

OF EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS IN

CHINA

10 SEPTEMBER 2018

LEAD FINAL CONFERENCE, VUB

Andrea Střelcová, ESSCA School of Management/Charles University in Prague

OUTLINE

1. Introduction2. EU-China academic landscape3. European Researchers in China: What‘s their story?- The Past: Motivation- The Present: Experience- The Future: Retention- Let's do deeper...4. Conclusion and Recommendations

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Introduction

Joseph Needham李约瑟

Matteo Ricci利玛窦

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Introduction

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Introduction

• China‘s R&D spending was 1.57 trillion RMB (around EUR 200 bill. EUR) 2.11% GDP (UNESCO Science Report 2015)

• 2596 HEIs in China, 13,062 R&D institutions; overall R&D personnel 852,000

(National Bureau of Statistics 2016)

• Ongoing internationalisation: 211/985 Project, C9 league and Double World-ClassInitiative (2017-)

• Roughly 58,000 researchers engaged in short & long-term mobility between EU and China in 2013 (Cao 2015)

• Some EU H2020, E+, EU Member States' funding + China‘s on the hunt for rencai(One-Thousand Talent Scheme, One-Hundred Talent Schemes, Changjiang Scholar, NSFC Outstanding Young Talent etc, replicated on the provincial and city level)

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EU-China academic migration landscape

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EU-China academic migration landscape

• Numbers:• 995,000 foreigners in China = 0,1 % (UN, 2017), 38,6% women; • 600 000 working permits• 10,000 Chinese Green card holders “top talents”

• European academics in China (estimates):• EURAXESS: 500-1000• EU Delegation: Around 1000 + PhDs• Diaspora networks

• Italy: 120 members of Italian Association of Researchers in China (AAIIC)• The Netherlands: Holland Science Network: 200 members, 26 full-time

and 71 part-time based Dutch researchers in China• France: 40 full-time based French researchers gather at annual meetings

EU-China academic migration landscape

• Difficulties in getting reliable data • „Under the radar“• Part-time vs. Full-time faculty members• Sino-foreign JVs; public institutions• Visiting scholars with or without affiliation• Scholars coming for short-term e.g. for research projects,

fieldwork, lectures etc.• Mobility vs. migration (1 year benchmark)

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What‘s their story? My research

• Sample: 46 in-depth, semi-structured interviews• 27 with EU researchers + 11 with EU experts + 8 with CN experts

• Researchers of 14 nationalities• Diff.erent career levels• Natural sciences, social sciences and humanities• Based in public institutions in 6 cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou,

Changsha, Suzhou, Hangzhou• Minimum 1 year in public institution in mainland China• Participant observation offline and online• 2 Focus groups; Ongoing WeChat group discussions• Policy reports (EU projects, Chinese CCG etc.)• Literature: Brain circulation, mobility and migration of expatriate

academics and capital conversion

What‘s their story? Motivation

PULL FACTORS

• China is a growing scientific powerhouse - becomes a destination• Special local conditions and unprecendented opportunities• Dynamic, changing environment• Desire to grow a network and lead a bigger team• Access to resources, data, facilities• Cultural attractiveness• Previous engagement and contact in China

• “I saw this opportunity to refresh my career and become independent, and I succeeded.”

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What‘s their story? Motivation

PUSH FACTORS

• Previous work experience not in the country of origin: UK/US• Economic stagnation and unemployment• Stagnating or shrinking research funding• Fierce competition in the job market in the US & Europe• Difficult for junior academics to establish themselves• Difficult for senior academics to fulfill themselves

• “The environment back at my home institution in Europe was just awful. I was treated as a cash machine, doing industrial research for people who had all fancy offices and here I was, wasting my life for them, without having any space to develop my own research. I was successful in getting funding but I felt like I was just totally useless“

What‘s their story? Experience

• Not monolithic but there is a certain hierarchy

• Seniority: Generational differences• Junior- Career risks are bigger (low visibility, low pay); but speaks

more Chinese• Senior – less need for language, networks already created, more

valued – brings specific skills to China, but staying long-term is hard

• Field• Natural sciences – healthy funding environment, state-of-the art

facilities, pool of talented students• Social sciences, humanities – access to data and collaboration is a

challenge

• Type of institution, City of residence (Beijing, Shanghai), etc. etc.

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What‘s their story? Experience

• Researchers are happy with opportunities, students, funding, status• But institutional dependency• Lack of clear rules (visa, promotion, funding, housing, retirement)• System is difficult to negotiate• Costs of international family are high• Promises not always 100% kept• Constant changes in visa/work permit regulation • Insecurity • Green card very difficult to get• Spouse cannot work• Application long, need to renew (almost) every year

What's their story? Let's go deeper...

• Motivation and Experience differs + individual situation + personality

• Combination of the pull and the push• Decisive can be: invitation, wanderlust, push• This plays out differently for different “categories” of people• Preliminary - three groups – A, B, C

• What‘s their story?

..... let's do deeper....

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Group A The Past - Motivation

• Field: Physical and life sciences, medicine, math, engineering, urban• They are driven, top talents (1000 Talent etc)• The main motivation is the next career step • Access to resources: Funding and team scale-up/chance to lead• They are aligned with Chinese S&T priorities• The “big guy“ effect = famous name• They are culturally interested and curious• They want to build a network

• “I saw this opportunity to refresh my career and become independent, and I succeeded.”

Group AThe Present - Experience

• Initial setbacks (Internet access)• They are happy – build from scratch but work fast• Top-tier institution secures funding for them• Happy with students, they are valued in society• Basic/Conversational Chinese

• Advantage (no need for admin)• Disadvantage (segregation; can‘t do admin)

• Visa/permit getting better but still unclear• No issues in academic freedom - the opposite

„It‘s been the best decision to come here, great experience“

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Group AThe Present - Experience

“Opportunities for starting your career are the best. The funding is amazing and you have access to thestate-of-the-art. Any new equipment comes out, theybuy it. The amount of PhDs is big. You can start a labeasily. Within one year I had seven people –impossible to launch so quickly elsewhere.”

Group AThe Present - Experience

• Opportunities for promotion are limited• Big funding sources hard to reach• Doesn‘t speak Chinese – hard to get in the system• Visa/work permit regulations keep changing• Retirement not impossible, but difficult - depends• Healthcare, insurance, housing, schooling - spouses and children• City-dependant: e.g. Beijing air; Shanghai progressive (e.g. 2 year visa)• Doesn‘t integrate – some see it an issue, some not

„We self-relegate ourselves to a beautiful cage.“

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Group AThe Future - Retention

• „I have fantastic students and I get the freedom to do many interestingthings. But I don‘t want to retire in China. Another reason is theglass ceiling. I cannot get any higher than I am because I am a foreigner. China is not an immigration country – there are just toomany people.“

• „Their response was: you are not Chinese and you cannot apply. And it was not because I don’t have Chinese citizenship, but rather that I am not of Chinese descent.“

• „I was very successful and I am very happy, but I think I was successfultoo early. I have already used all available talent programmes, I shouldnot have applied so early, I should have waited. Now these years are becoming critical, and I am thinking where to apply, for whichmoney, if I want to stay long-term?”

Group BThe Past - Motivation

• Field: Interdisciplinary, Urban/Design, Media, Business/Econ, History• Based on institutions with resources & support• But not as international • The main motivation is the pull of the opportunity and the push of

the job market• Catching opportunity available only in China – access to data, HR,

funding, collaboration opportunities• “Invitation” is often random, conference or a job fair

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Group BThe Present - Experience

• Conversational/Good Chinese• Self-awareness of „sensitive topics“ / self-censorship• Finds hard to keep network in Europe

“One thing that surprised me when I came to China is how much of a VIP a European is here. I sometimes get called into meetings just so they can

show me off. It’s really odd.“

The „white male privilege” is very, very real in China“

Group BThe Present - Experience

„Burecracy, no fixed rules. This is almost a legal issue. They are

trying to build standards now, how promotion works, but management

is wishy wash.“

„We are quite free to do research (…) Of course we are careful,

always careful. I never feel limited (…) when I teach, I know where I am so I refrain from certain things. The only thing, yes, they check

the maps. Besides this it is fine. But I don’t teach politics.“

„There are some people who are very patriotic. One thing that might

rise is in public universities is therefore some doubt why we have to be there, and not the Chinese. We do our job, and we do it good,

but we are not irreceplaceable.“

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Group CThe Past - Motivation

• Field: China studies (language, anthropology)• The motivation is the pull – the love for China• Early experience in China e.g. studying/travelling/volunteering• They came early in their career, on student visas and scholarship• The drive is the passion for Chinese culture• No initial contact necessary• Personal reasons• They depend on China (access to data, archives, fieldwork) for

the research

Group CThe presence - Experience

• More junior than senior (PhD, post-doc)• Junior often feel very isolated• Senior come and go - research, Part-time affiliations or visit• They maintain close networks here and they are integrated• Very good/Fluent Chinese

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Group CThe presence - Experience

• Research culture not very internationalized

“almost like a different TV channel”

• More difficult to get integrated in this work environment• Lack of available funding; cooperation is more complicated to set up• Especially in certain subtopics of social sciences/humanities• Awareness of self-censorship

• “(..) How can I ask without not exposing myself and creating trouble for my supervisor? I felt I had to frame things in a way that is acceptable to everybody involved in this research process.“

Group CThe Future - Retention

• Lack of job opportunities in China• China is a separate job market• Too much competition• They either leave academia and stay in China• Or stay in academia but work in Europe• They come to China short-term regularly • Caught in-between the two discourses

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Conclusion

Conclusion

• Many opportunities – historic moment• Natural Sciences vs. Social Sciences/Humanities• Certain subtopics are sensitive - how to reconcile this with

internationalisation drive will be seen• Integration is difficult for long-term stays• Privileged but also segregated and tied to their role• Generational differences & notion of time – the system was

put in place very fast

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Conclusion

„Even after so many years, it is hard to feel like at home. You feel like a stranger… you are a laowai. But I would say that China and Shanghai are changing fast, the conditions are better and better. At some point, in terms of career development, /staying/ may be possible, but now I don‘t feel this.“

„We are guests.“

Recommendations

CHINA

• Support of institution is essential – not just attract, but also retain• Don't treat your foreign staff as short-term visitors! Give them

opportunities so that they can stay mire long-term.• Enable work permits for the duration of the contract• Train recruitment and admins for support services „EURAXESS style“• Foreign academics need different incentives than returnees• Enable more funding application in English and internationalise

structurally• Let junior staff get a foot in the door, support growth of networks• Marketing of on-going research/jobs/opportunities/PR work

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Recommendations

EUROPE

• Improve data collection• More networking for Europeans in China and sharing best practices• Support reintegration schemes• More short-term funding schemes or for fieldwork• They are important links with China - ambassadors• Attract them back to Europe

Thank you!

谢谢!

andrea.strelcova@essca.fr