National and international collaboration in Chinese medical academic research

This paper describes the mode and scale of collaboration for medical academic research in China, and aims to provide a brief introduction to the current state of collaborative medical research in China today. By analysing the published literature between 1995 and 2004 and using statistics from the State Intellectual Property Office, we try to give a glimpse into how medical research has evolved over that period using information on research funding, patent applications and academic exchange. Through local governmental, international and institutional funding and communication, the environment for collaboration has grown rapidly in recent years; however, there is still much potential for growth in the future. © 2006 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved.