China's Human Genome Center Landed in a Dilemma

Not long ago, the Human Genome Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully completed one percent of the human genome sequencing, making it a spotlight in the world. However, the center is now landed in a dilemma for having failed in soliciting badly needed intellectual talents though it owns fixed assets of nearly 100 million yuan.

Mr. Wang, director of personnel department of the center said that we are short of all sorts of talents ranging from the newly graduated to the seasoned researchers and those who are not only proficient in computer but also in biology. As learned low salary tells to be the main reason for why we can not get in these talents. Normally, the salary in the center is 1100 yuan for the graduates, plus some housing subsidies. That's the total of their income.

For the time being we may get in some talents in biology, but it will be difficult to lure in the computer professionals. If you drop in to any of the IT companies you'll easily find that software developers there earn a minimum of 4000-5000 yuan a month, and this center is just in dire need of such software designers.

What constitutes a remarkable contrast is the equipment here. There are a total of 33 sets of instrument in the genome sequencing labs, Wang said, and these are the first-class sequencing apparatuses both at home and abroad with each valued at two million yuan. We also have a giant computer with its operation speed reaching 300 billion times per second. Although the center was put up not long ago, its fixed assets have already come to more than 100 million yuan.

Up to now, although the working draft of human genome sequencing has been brought to a finish this is only one percent that China has accomplished. It only means one step forward in the frontier area and it's hard for us to assume that we can take a firm standing here. If low wage leads us to stagnation in our work, it brooks of no avail for us to shed tears later.



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