Independent group to oversee funding for scientific projects China’s Ministry of Science and Technology will form a new, independent watchdog to oversee funding for scientific research in the country, state media reported Monday.The move follows high-profile academic scandals earlier this year that left China’s innovation and research efforts with egg on its face. Shanghai Jiaotong University dismissed the dean of its School of Microelectronics after he passed off re-marked Freescale Semiconductor Inc. microchips as his own original research. In March, a professor from China’s Tsinghua University, one of the country’s top institutions of higher learning, was removed from his position for faking his academic credentials.The Ministry will also introduce new regulations regarding the use of scientific funding, along with evaluation of research by third parties, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported on its Web site. China’s 11th five-year plan — the central government’s roadmap of the country’s goals and resource allocations for that period — includes an emphasis on “independent innovation,” designed to make China less dependent on foreign technology standards. The 11th plan was approved in March by the National People’s Congress, China’s primary law-making body. Technology Industry