In recent years, several scholars and public figures from China have been granted the title of “Academician of the European Academy of Natural Sciences.” However, questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the “European Academy of Natural Sciences,” with claims that the title can be purchased for 400,000 RMB. Similarly, it has been revealed that academicianships from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, both state-run institutions, can also be bought and sold.
The European Academy of Natural Sciences has come under scrutiny for a sudden surge in the number of academicians, prompting widespread skepticism. On May 10th, an article on mainland China’s Nandu Net reported that upon checking the official website of the academy, there was no longer any information or links related to the “Academician Electronic Encyclopedia” on the homepage. Furthermore, there was no recruitment information or application portal for academicians found on the official website.
Various domestic academic institutions and authoritative media outlets in mainland China have recently announced the election of individuals as academicians of the European Academy of Natural Sciences. An article published by the China Association for Science and Technology on May 8th mentioned that over 30 domestic individuals, including university professors and founders of technology companies, have been awarded the title of “foreign academicians” by the European Academy of Natural Sciences.
According to a report by mainland China’s The Paper on May 8th, several professors in China have received invitation letters to apply for academicianships, claiming that by paying a service fee ranging from 400,000 to 1 million RMB, they can successfully be elected as academicians, with some even stating that “180,000 guarantees success.” In the first four months of this year alone, more than twenty individuals from various sectors in China have claimed to have received this title of “academician.”
Between May 2022 and April 2024, the number of academicians in the European Academy of Natural Sciences has increased by 300%.
In an induction ceremony held on April 19th, the European Academy of Natural Sciences welcomed new academicians, including 34-year-old Tian Zheng from Xi’an, who became the only post-90s and under 35 academician.
On May 6th, Southern Weekend published an article titled “Is an Academician of the European Academy of Natural Sciences Priced at 400,000 RMB? The Mask Needs to be Unveiled,” revealing that the institution is actually a private organization registered in Germany by six Russians, operating under the guise of electing academicians but essentially selling the title for 400,000 RMB. The article analogized the European Academy of Natural Sciences to the “Claire College” in Qian Zhongshu’s novel “Fortress Besieged,” equating it to a “fake university.”
The article also pointed out that within the Chinese academic community, the emphasis on “publishing papers” as an evaluation criterion has led to the proliferation of numerous “predatory journals” targeting Chinese scholars. Such counterfeit academic institutions are common internationally, like the World Academy of Productivity Sciences and the Nanyang Academy of Sciences in Singapore, all considered to be counterfeit.
Several official statements from academic institutions have touted the European Academy of Natural Sciences as one of the most prestigious and influential scientific organizations globally, headquartered in Hanover, Germany, founded by “scientists and academic groups from multiple countries.” However, Google Maps indicates that its registered address in Hanover is just an ordinary street-side building and shows it as “permanently closed.”
A netizen revealed, “This ‘academy’ is an organization established by Chinese people overseas, specifically targeting Chinese individuals to sell certificates.”
According to publicly available information, the widely recognized “European Academy of Sciences” generally refers to the “Academia Europaea,” founded in 1988, serving as the “Pan-European Academy of Humanities and Sciences.” It is the “National Science Academy” of the European Union and a statutory scientific advisor, jointly initiated by prestigious national academies of various European countries like the UK’s Royal Society, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden, with its headquarters in London.
Ms. Li, a law professor from Zhejiang, stated to New Tang Dynasty Television that the status of “academician” comes with increased academic and social resources, and due to the academic corruption in China, there are “fake academicians” everywhere.
She remarked, “Currently, there’s a lot of power-trading, and even in cases involving fallen corrupt officials, we can see these malpractices. Even if experts know that this is from a ‘fake university,’ why would they come out to expose it as long as it doesn’t affect their interests?”
Netizens also commented, “While the academy may be in Europe, the nurturing environment is within the country.”
Amid the chaos in the Chinese academic community, it is not limited to many individuals purchasing fake academic titles from counterfeit scientific institutions; even the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, both state-run institutions, have been exposed for trading academicianships.
On May 31, 2023, the selection process for academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering was initiated. That day, Dr. Rao Yi, the President of Capital Medical University, released an article titled “The First Step of Reform in the Election of Academicians: Receiving and Submitting Bribes.”
Within the article, Dr. Rao revealed that in every cycle since the beginning of the century, candidates have directly handed money to academicians with voting rights. Existing academicians know who became academicians after bribery, with some not only giving money but other academicians explicitly knowing that they had done so.
Dr. Rao’s article caused a stir before being deleted. However, official media has confirmed the authenticity of the revelations.
Former Beijing hospital physician Wang Yuan, in an interview with Epoch Times on July 13 last year, stated that in China, not only do senior academicians need to pull strings and use backdoor connections for evaluations, but such practices occur at all levels of assessments. Drawing a comparison to hospitals, from promoting resident doctors to chief physicians, everything requires pleasing the examiners. This is an unwritten rule in Chinese society and is no longer a secret.