Explanatory Notes on Main Statistical Indicators

Regular Institutions of Higher Learning　refer to educational establishments set up according to the govern-ment evaluation and approval procedures, enrolling graduates from senior secondary schools and providing higher education courses and training for senior professionals. They include full-time universities, colleges, high professional schools and short-term profes-sional universities.

Institutions of Higher Learning for Adults　refer to educational establishments, set up in line with relevant rules approved by the government, enrolling staff and workers with senior secondary school or equivalent education, and providing higher education courses in many forms of full-time, part-time, spare-time, or correspondence for adults. Professionals thus trained receive a qualification equivalent to graduates studying regular courses at regular universities, colleges and professional colleges. Institutions of higher learning for adults include Radio and TV universities, schools of high education for staff and workers and peasants, college for management cadres, pedagogical colleges, independent correspondence colleges.

Art Troupe　refers to the troupe which is engaged in drama, opera, music, dance, acrobatics or other art performance, opens independent accounts with banks and has self-supporting accounting system; excluding the troupes which are engaged partly in industrial or agricultural activities, partly in art performance and the professional troupes organized by the people.

Scientific and Technological Activities (S&T Activities)　refer to organized activities which are closely related with the creation, development, dissemination, and application of the scientific and technical knowledge in the fields of natu-ral sciences, agricultural science, medical science, engineering and technological science, humanities and social sciences(referred to as scientific and technological fields). S&T activities can be classified into 3 categories: research and development (R&D) activities, application of R&D results, and related S&T services.

Research and Development (R&D)　refers to systematic and creative activities in the field of science and tech-nology aiming at increasing the knowledge and using the knowledge for new application. R&D includes 3 categories of activities: basic research, applied research and experiments and development.

Basic Research　refers to empirical or theoretical research aiming at obtaining new knowledge on the fundamental prin-ciples of phenomena of observable facts to reveal the nature and law of movement of objects and to acquire new discoveries or new theories. Basic research takes no specific or designated application as the aim of the research are mainly released or disseminated in the form of scientific papers or monographs.

Applied Research　refers to creative research aiming at obtaining new knowledge on a specific objective or target. Pur-pose of the applied research is to identity the possible use of results from basic research, or to explore new (fundamental) methods of new approaches. Results of applied research are expressed in the form of scientific papers, monographs, fundamental models or in-vention patents.

Experiments and Development　refer to systematic activities aiming at using the knowledge form basic and applied researches or form practical experience to develop new products, materials and equipment, to establish new production process, systems and services, or to make substantial improvement on the existing products, process or services. Results of experiment and development activities are embodied in patents, exclusive technology, and monotype of new products or equipment. In social sci-ences, experiment and development activities refer to the process of converting the knowledge from basic or applied researches into feasible programs (including conduct of demonstration projects for assessment and evaluation). There is on experiment and devel-opment activities in the science of humanities.

R&D Personnel　refer to persons engaged in research, management and supporting activities of R&D, including persons in the project teams, persons engaged in the management of S&T activities of enterprises and supporting staff providing direct ser-vice to the research projects.

Government Funds　refer to funds obtained from government agencies at all levels to be used for S&T activities, including fund for scientific undertakings, 3 kinds of fund for S&T activities, fund for capital construction for scientific researches, science fund, funds from education expenditures by education departments for S&T activities, and extra-budget fund from government agencies for S&T activities.