编者按：12月16日，《自然》杂志在线发表《Nature Index 2015 China》特辑。特辑由一篇报告、7篇通讯和一篇说明组成。在通讯《At the very heart of progress》一文中，《自然》杂志记者做了如下报道（节选）:
当神经科学家Anna Wang Roe（译者注：现为浙江大学求是高等研究院王菁教授）两年前在寻找一个地方建立一个新的最先进的神经科学与技术跨学科研究所的时候，她的寻找终止在了东部城市杭州。“我去看了很多顶尖的大学。然后我去了浙江大学（位于杭州），她甚至比一些排名更前的中国高校更加出色。”她回忆道。
在2012至2014年间（2012年1月1日至2014年12月31日），中国的Nature Index（Nature/自然杂志指数）的WFC（加权分数计数）上升了37%。有几个城市甚至以更快的速度增长——杭州、西安和成都是突出的例子。
这些城市的总体的发表数量的增长大部分在化学学科上。这些城市的高校中的研究人员指出，有很多因素，不仅仅是单一学科的业务水平，影响他们的成功。举个例子，Wang Roe，当她带着关于她的研究所的计划书来到浙江大学——2014年中国第五大Nature杂志指数的贡献者时，她被杭州这座城市的活力、热情和合作的氛围打动。“在浙江大学，他们营造了一个积极性很高的科研环境，在这里大家可以自由地分享和探索。这在中国不常见”，她说。
杭州
WFC中国排名：8
AC（文章计数）：458
杭州是中国的古都之一，但是她在高影响力的科研方面的迅速发展预示着她最好的时光即将到来，2012至2014年的Nature杂志指数的WFC上升了55%，拥有三个表现最好的城市中最高的WFC绝对值。
过去的十年中，杭州已经成为了一个科技驱动的创新中心，从实验室研究到技术新企业。估值2310亿（231,000,000,000）美元的中国领先的电子商务服务平台阿里巴巴从这里起步，当地政府已经建立了一个充满机会的网络来鼓励类似的创业故事，包括对帮助科技从实验室到商用转型的资助，为学者们在孵化器里创办新企业提供启动资金。
王勇是浙江大学材料科学与工程学院的教授，该学院主持一个国家资助的硅材料实验室，为2012至2014的Nature杂志指数贡献了来自浙江大学的论文。Wang的研究方向是纳米级的纳米晶的催化机制，为将来工业应用研发高效催化剂。“当地政府很有钱而且对高校投资了很大一笔钱”，他解释道，“这里有启动资金，对高水平科研工作的财政激励，全国最先进的设备，与企业合作和创新的机会。”
杭州也受益于领导者的清晰的视野，这同时也是Wang Roe两年前做出的决定背后的原因。为建设她的神经科学与技术跨学科研究所，她现在是该机构的负责人。
“官方告诉我这是中国大学在单个项目上的最大的投入”，Wang Roe说。
一座拥有20个实验室和一个大型动物实验设施的五层建筑于2015年10月正式启用。来自世界各地的学者们参加了开幕仪式和会议。“（他们）很惊讶在这么短的时间里可以完成”，Wang Roe说。“我为了这个项目看过很多高水平的研究机构，但是浙江大学很全面，出色的工程学、光学、材料科学、信息科学、神经科学和医学，还有一个合作的氛围。杭州有巨大的能量。一旦官方决定要做什么，他们用全力去完成它，并做长期打算。这让你可以有不同的想法，真的。”
英文原文（节选）：
When neuroscientist Anna Wang Roe was looking two years ago for somewhere to set up a new state-of-the-art interdisciplinary neuroscience and technology institute, her search ended in the far eastern city of Hangzhou. “I looked at many top universities. But then I went to Zhejiang University [in Hangzhou> and it really stood out, even over some higher ranked Chinese institutions,” she recalls.
Between 2012 and 2014, China's Nature Index WFC rose by 37%. But several cities grew at an even faster rate — Hangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu being some of the standout examples (see 'Stellar performers').
The overall growth in publication output from these cities has largely been in chemistry (see 'Subject specialities'). Yet researchers working in these universities point to many factors, beyond expertise in a single discipline, for their success. Wang Roe, for instance, was so impressed by Hangzhou's atmosphere of energy, passion and collaboration that she approached the city's Zhejiang University, China's fifth largest Nature Index contributor in 2014, with her institute proposal. “At Zhejiang they have created a highly motivated research environment where people can share and explore freely. This doesn't always happen in China,” she notes.
……
Hangzhou
→WFC rank China: 8
↑AC: 458
Hangzhou is one of China's quintessential historic cities, but its rapidly increasing rate of high-impact research suggests its best years are yet to come. Hangzhou, where the Nature Index WFC jumped by 55% from 2012 to 2014, has the largest absolute WFC of the three highest performing cities (see 'Stellar performers').
During the past decade, Hangzhou has become a hub for science-driven innovation from laboratory research to tech start-ups. It's home to the Alibaba Group, China's leading e-commerce service provider with an estimated value of US$231 billion. The local government has created a network of opportunities to encourage similar success stories, including grants to promote technology transfer from the lab into business, and start-up funds for academics setting up companies at incubator sites.
Wang Yong is a professor at Zhejiang University's School of Materials Science and Engineering, which hosts a nationally-funded laboratory for silicon materials, and contributed to papers from the university in the Nature Index between 2012 and 2014. Wang is researching the catalytic mechanism of nanocrystals at nanoscale in order to develop high performance catalysts for future industry use. “The local government is rich and invests a large amount of money in universities,” he explains. “There is good start-up funding available, financial incentives for high-quality work, state-of-the-art facilities, and the opportunity to innovate and collaborate with industry.”
Hangzhou also benefits from leaders whose clear vision was a big factor behind Wang Roe's decision two years ago to ask Zhejiang University for a US$25 million grant to build her Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, of which she is now the director.
“The administration tells me the grant was the largest investment of any university in China on a single project,” Wang Roe says.
The five-storey building with 20 labs and a large primate facility officially opened in October 2015. Academics came from all over the world for the opening ceremony and conference. “[They> were very impressed [and> amazed that this could be achieved in such a short time,” Wang Roe says. “I looked at many high-level institutions in China for this project, but Zhejiang had it all; excellent engineering, optics, materials science, information sciences, neuroscience and medicine, and a collaborative environment.
“There's huge energy in Hangzhou. Once the administration decides on something, they go for it with full force with the long-term in mind. It makes you think differently, it really does.”
关于Nature Index 2015 China：Nature Index 2015 China对中国数据的挖掘显示了中国的高水平科学研究的产量继续增长——这个趋势没有放缓的迹象。从连续三年（2012-2014）的数据来看，《自然》指数已经成为一个发现研究领域新趋势的有力工具。
来源：
At the very heart of progress：http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v528/n7582_supp_ni/full/528S179a.html
Nature Index 2015 China ：http://www.nature.com/nature/supplements/nature-index-2015-china/
（编译：朱原之 周炜）
