A comparative analysis of China and other countries in metabolic engineering: Output, impact and collaboration

In recent years, metabolic engineering has made great progress in both academic research and industrial applications. However, we have not found any articles that specifically analyze the current state of metabolic engineering in China in comparison with other countries. Here, we review the current development and future trends of global metabolic engineering, conduct an in-depth benchmarking analysis of the development situation of China's metabolic engineering, and identify current problems as well as future trends. We searched publications in the Scopus database from 2015 to September 2020 in the field of metabolic engineering, and analyzed the output in general, including publication trends, research distribution, popular journals, hot topics and vital institutions, but also analyzed the share of citations, field-weighted citation impact, and production in collaboration with strategic countries in science and technology. This study aims to serve as a reference for later studies, offering a comprehensive view of China’s contribution to metabolic engineering, and as a tool for the elaboration of national public policy in science and technology.