Different ownership: research institutes are usually independent research institutions directly managed by the state or local governments, while universities are part of the education sector and have functions such as teaching, scientific research and social services.
The research contents are different: research institutes usually focus on basic research and applied research, with more specialized research directions, such as physics, chemistry, biology and other fields; Colleges and universities, on the other hand, pay more attention to personnel training and comprehensive research, involving a wider range of disciplines, such as literature, science, engineering, agriculture and medicine.
Postgraduate training is different: research institutes generally do not have the conditions for self-enrollment or offering postgraduate courses, and most of their postgraduates study or transfer to universities, foreign universities or other research institutions after completing their studies. Colleges and universities are the main undertakers of postgraduate education, and they can enroll students and award degrees independently.
Students stay at school and are busy with scientific research.
The sources of funds are different: scientific research institutes mainly rely on government grants, project grants and achievements transformation to obtain funds, and the process of scientific research activities is relatively simple; However, colleges and universities need to give consideration to both teaching and scientific research tasks, and the sources of funds are more extensive, such as government investment, corporate donations, and scientific research funds.
In a word, although research institutes and graduate students in colleges and universities are both institutions and personnel engaged in scientific research, there are corresponding differences between them because of their different backgrounds, nature and functions. Graduate students need to choose their own institutions according to their professional direction and career development plan.