Ming Li’s proposal to decouple academic titles from research resource allocation in China may be difficult to implement due to administrative self-interest. Performance indicators, intended to reduce bias, often reappear under different names.
In a correspondence published in *Nature*, Ming Li proposed that Chinese universities decouple talent ‘titles’ achieved by academics from the allocation of research resources. A commentator agrees with Li’s assessment but expresses doubt about the feasibility of implementation.
The commentator argues that university administrators benefit from the current metric-based allocation system, creating an obstacle to decoupling titles and resources. They also note a recurring pattern where performance indicators, suppressed to reduce bias, simply resurface with new labels. The correspondence appeared in *Nature* on October 23, 2026.
The author of the correspondence declares no competing interests.
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