China to drastically increase post-doctorates

China plans to raise the annual enrollment of post-doctorates to 17,000 in 2015, an increase of over 60 percent from that in 2010, according to a five-year blueprint for the development of post-doctoral education. The 12th Five-Year Program (2011-2015) on post-doctoral education was jointly released on Friday by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the national committee on post-doctorate management. According to the program, over 20 percent of Ph.D graduates will be enrolled as post-doctorates by 2015, and post-doctorates' share among new recruits in key universities and research institutes should reach 30 percent. The program also says enterprises will increase the number of working stations specifically designated for post-doctorates in order for them to make up a greater proportion of research personnel. China should give full play to the roles of post-doctorates in the country's innovation drive, the program says.