BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said here Monday it would invite thousands of overseas scholars and scientists to work at the academy over the next five years.

    The CAS announced the plan only days after a guideline was issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, calling on state enterprises and academic institutions to attract more leading overseas scientists, especially those on the cutting edge of science and technology.

    The recruitment scheme includes 600 leading and "high-level" overseas scientists, Bai Chunli, the CAS vice president, told the academy's annual work meeting.

    More than 80 percent of CAS academicians have studied abroad.

    Chinese scientists who have studied abroad have long played a crucial role in developing the country's industry, education and national defense programs. Among them were Qian Xuesen, China's father of space technology, Li Siguang, who started China's geomechanics discipline and Deng Jiaxian, a nuclear physicist.

    CAS president Lu Yongxiang told the meeting that, in addition to the primary financial support from the government, the academy would seek investment from local departments, companies and foreign organizations.

    Lu said that the academy would use practical contributions, instead of academic achievements, as the main criterion for researcher evaluations.

    Published work and awards have long been the main sources of recognition for Chinese scientists and researchers, leading to cases of fraud and misconduct.

    In the most prominent case, leading scientist Chen Jin was sacked from the prestigious Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2006 for fabricating data related to a digital computer chip that was developed with state funding.