Several Opinions of the State Council on Comprehensively Strengthening Basic Scientific Research

National Development [2018] No. 4 Number

People's Governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government; all ministries and commissions of the State Council and their directly affiliated institutions:

Strong basic scientific research is the cornerstone for building a world-class science and technology power. Today, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is surging forward, accelerating the pace of scientific exploration, deepening the integration and convergence of disciplines, and nurturing major breakthroughs in some fundamental scientific questions. Major developed countries around the world are generally strengthening their strategic planning for basic research, and global competition in science and technology is increasingly shifting toward the forefront of basic research. After years of development, China’s basic scientific research has made remarkable progress, with its overall level significantly improved and its international influence steadily growing, playing an ever-stronger role in supporting and guiding economic and social development. However, compared with the requirements for building a world-class science and technology power, China’s basic scientific research still faces prominent shortcomings. Fundamental disciplines such as mathematics remain the weakest links; there is a lack of major original achievements; investment in basic research is insufficient and its structure is unreasonable; there is a shortage of top-notch talent and teams; the evaluation and incentive mechanisms urgently need to be refined; enterprises do not attach enough importance to this field; and the broader societal environment for supporting basic research needs further optimization. To further strengthen basic scientific research, substantially enhance our capacity for original innovation, and solidify the foundation for building an innovative nation and a world-class science and technology power, we now put forward the following recommendations.

I. General Requirements

(1) Guiding Ideology.

Fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and uphold the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and shared prosperity. In accordance with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, we will deeply implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education and the innovation-driven development strategy, fully leveraging the role of science and technology as the primary productive force and the role of innovation as the leading driving force for development. We will aim at the global frontier of science and technology, strengthen basic research, deepen reform of the science and technology system, promote the integration and innovative development of basic research and applied research, focus on achieving major breakthroughs in forward-looking basic research and pioneering original achievements, comprehensively enhance our innovation capabilities, and wholeheartedly advance the building of an innovative nation and a world-class scientific and technological power, thereby providing strong support for accelerating the construction of a modern socialist country and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

(2) Basic Principles.

Follow scientific principles and adhere to categorized guidance. Respect the characteristics of scientific research—its momentary flashes of inspiration, its flexible approaches, and its uncertain paths—and foster an environment and culture that are conducive to innovation. Encourage scientists to think freely, propose bold hypotheses, and rigorously test their ideas. Promote the organic integration of free exploration and goal-oriented research: in free-exploration-based fundamental research, focus on probing into unknown scientific questions and courageously scaling new heights in science; in goal-oriented fundamental research, closely align with the needs of economic and social development and strengthen forward-looking strategic planning in key areas.

Highlight original innovation and promote integrated development. Place greater emphasis on enhancing our capacity for original innovation, bolster our confidence in innovation, and boldly tackle the most cutting-edge scientific challenges. Generate more original theories and make more groundbreaking discoveries. Strengthen the integration of science and education, military-civilian integration, and deepened collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. Adhere to demand-driven approaches, facilitate the seamless integration of basic research, applied research, and industrialization, and promote effective alignment of innovative resources across different industries and fields.

Innovate institutional mechanisms to enhance innovation vitality. Place people at the center, deepen reforms in the management of scientific research projects and funding, and foster a relaxed research environment that enables researchers to devote themselves wholeheartedly and long-term to basic research. Improve the categorized evaluation mechanism to stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of scientists, research institutes, universities, enterprises, and other stakeholders. Innovate government management approaches to guide enterprises in strengthening basic research and enhancing their market competitiveness.

Strengthen collaborative innovation and expand open cooperation. In response to the new demands of the era of big science, big data, and the internet, we will actively explore new approaches such as collaborative research activities and crowdsourcing/crowdfunding, thereby tackling scientific challenges and sharing innovative achievements. Adhering to a global perspective, we will innovate talent-development mechanisms and attract talent and expertise from multiple sources. We will proactively integrate into the global innovation network, enhance open cooperation in innovation capabilities, create new platforms for international collaboration, and jointly address major scientific challenges of global concern.

Strengthen and stabilize support, and optimize the structure of investment. Increase the central government’s stable financial support for basic research, establish a diversified investment mechanism for basic research, and guide and encourage local governments, enterprises, and social forces to boost their investments in basic research. Establish an investment mechanism that coordinates stable support with competitive support, thereby promoting the comprehensive development of scientific research, talent cultivation, and infrastructure building.

(3) Development Goals.

By 2020, China’s overall level of basic scientific research and its international influence had significantly improved. In several key areas, China had joined the world’s leading ranks, achieving a number of major original scientific breakthroughs in important frontier fields and addressing a batch of forward-looking, critical scientific issues that align with national strategic needs. The capacity to provide original scientific insights—essential for driving innovation-driven development—had been markedly strengthened, providing robust support for fully building a moderately prosperous society and joining the ranks of innovative nations.

By 2035, China’s overall level of basic scientific research and its international influence will have significantly improved. We will lead global development in more critical fields and produce a batch of original scientific achievements that will have a major impact on the advancement of global science and technology and human civilization, thereby laying a solid foundation for basically achieving socialist modernization and placing ourselves among the world’s leading innovative nations.

By the middle of this century, our country will be built into a major global science hub and innovation powerhouse, producing a number of groundbreaking, original scientific achievements and nurturing world-class scientific masters. This will provide robust scientific support for building a strong, prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful socialist modern power and for becoming a global leader in science and technology.

II. Improve the layout of basic research

(4) Strengthen the systematic deployment of basic research. We must start with education and devote ourselves to bolstering basic scientific research, giving greater priority to key foundational disciplines such as mathematics and physics. We should refine our disciplinary structure, promote balanced and coordinated development between foundational and applied disciplines, encourage interdisciplinary research, and foster cross-disciplinary integration among natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. We need to intensify research on cutting-edge fundamental science, conducting explorations centered on topics including cosmic evolution, the structure of matter, the origin of life, and the brain and cognition. We should also step up proactive planning for major scientific challenges in fields such as quantum science, brain science, synthetic biology, space science, and deep-sea science. Furthermore, we must strengthen applied basic research, focusing on critical common technologies, leading-edge frontier technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive innovation technologies—addressing major needs in economic and social development and national security. We will concentrate our efforts on tackling a number of significant scientific challenges in sectors and industries such as agriculture, materials, energy, cyber information, manufacturing, and engineering. In response to urgent demands for improving people’s livelihoods and promoting sustainable development, we will further enhance basic scientific research in areas including resources and environment, population health, new urbanization, and public safety. Finally, we will focus on fundamental scientific fields that hold the potential to give rise to transformative technologies in the future, strengthening both original and pioneering research as well as cutting-edge interdisciplinary studies.

(5) Optimize the support system for basic research under national science and technology programs. Leverage the critical role of the National Natural Science Foundation in fostering original innovation, focusing more on fundamental disciplines and cutting-edge explorations, and providing robust support for talent development and team building. Strengthen the alignment between major national science and technology programs and other significant national projects and mega-engineering initiatives, promote the sharing of basic research outcomes, and fully harness the foundational role of basic research. Expand the implementation of major national science and technology projects, accelerate the execution of “Science and Technology Innovation 2030—Major Projects” such as quantum communication and quantum computing, and brain science and brain-inspired research, and proactively plan for other key fundamental, frontier, and strategically vital areas. Speed up the implementation of the National Key Research and Development Program, focusing on major national strategic tasks, further enhancing forward-looking deployment in basic research, and adopting a holistic, integrated approach to innovation—from fundamental frontiers and critical common technologies to application demonstrations. Improve the operational mechanisms of special funds (funds) for guiding technological innovation, and encourage local governments, enterprises, and social forces to increase their support for basic research. Optimize the layout of specialized programs for research bases and talent development, accelerate the construction and capacity enhancement of basic research innovation bases, and promote the open sharing of scientific and technological resources.

(6) Optimize the regional layout for basic research. Focusing on the national regional development strategy, we will foster innovation-led, pioneering optimization of development in eastern regions, and promote differentiated and leapfrog development in central and western regions, thus establishing regionally distinctive patterns of basic research development. We will support Beijing and Shanghai in building globally influential centers for scientific and technological innovation, and drive the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to become an international center for scientific and technological innovation. We will strengthen the construction of comprehensive national science centers such as Huairou in Beijing, Zhangjiang in Shanghai, and Hefei in Anhui, creating highlands for original innovation. We will fully leverage the roles of national demonstration zones for independent innovation and national high-tech zones, highlighting existing strengths, reinforcing the basic research layout in Northeast China and central and western regions, and building cross-regional innovation networks.

(7) Promote the construction of major national scientific and technological infrastructure. Focusing on fields such as energy, life sciences, Earth systems and environment, materials, particle physics and nuclear physics, space astronomy, and engineering technology, we will rely on universities, research institutes, and other institutions to plan and build a number of major national scientific and technological infrastructures. We will encourage and guide local governments and social forces to invest in the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure, thereby accelerating the alleviation of the shortage in facility supply. We will support various innovation entities in leveraging these major scientific and technological infrastructures to conduct cutting-edge scientific research, speed up the enhancement of their capabilities in scientific discovery and original innovation, and provide strong support for major scientific and technological breakthroughs.

III. Building High-Level Research Bases

(8) Plan and build national laboratories. Focusing on national goals and strategic needs, and targeting strategic high grounds with the potential to lead future development, we will coordinate and establish national laboratories that integrate breakthrough, leading, and platform-based capabilities. We will provide these laboratories with clear missions, effective mechanisms, favorable conditions, and robust support to unleash their innovative vitality. We will select the most outstanding teams and the most promising innovation units, integrate national innovation resources, attract top-tier talent from both home and abroad, and explore scientific research organizational models that align with the principles of large-scale science in the modern era. We will establish a stable support mechanism for national laboratories, launch cross-disciplinary, large-scale collaborative innovation efforts with significant guiding roles, and build a major strategic scientific and technological force that embodies the nation’s will, reaches world-class standards, and leads global development.

(9) Strengthen the development of basic research innovation platforms. Optimize the layout of national key laboratories by establishing a number of national key laboratories and key defense science and technology laboratories—relying on universities, research institutes, and leading enterprises—in cutting-edge, emerging, interdisciplinary, and frontier fields, as well as in disciplines that currently have weak representation. Promote the establishment of national research centers for interdisciplinary studies. Enhance the innovation capacity of reformed research institutes, guiding those institutes with suitable conditions to focus more on the forefront of science and application-oriented basic research, thereby creating highlands of original innovation that lead industry development. Strengthen the construction of enterprise-based national key laboratories, supporting enterprises in co-building R&D institutions and joint laboratories with universities and research institutes, and intensifying application-oriented basic research aimed at addressing common challenges across industries. Advance the joint construction of national key laboratories involving both military and civilian sectors, as well as collaborations between provincial and ministerial authorities and those involving Hong Kong and Macao. Strengthen the construction of national field scientific observation and research stations, enhancing their capabilities for field observation and demonstration research. Reinforce regular evaluations, assessments, and adjustments of science and technology innovation platforms, adhering to an "entry-and-exit" mechanism to continuously boost their innovative vitality.

IV. Strengthen the Talent Pool for Basic Research

(10) Cultivate and develop strategic scientific and technological talents and leading figures in science and technology who are internationally competitive. Seize international development opportunities, focus on major national needs, innovate mechanisms for talent cultivation, recruitment, and utilization, and further intensify the implementation of national programs such as the “Thousand Talents Program” and the “Ten Thousand Talents Program” aimed at attracting and nurturing high-level talent. Attract talent and expertise from multiple sources, and broadly gather outstanding individuals from around the world. Establish a number of scientist studios in China’s areas of research strength, and nurture a group of strategic scientists with forward-looking vision and global perspectives. Establish and improve mechanisms for talent mobility, encouraging rational flow of talent among universities, research institutes, and enterprises.

(11) Strengthen the cultivation of mid-career and young scientific and technological talents as well as reserve talent pools. Establish an internationally recognized visiting scholar system and improve the postdoctoral program, attracting outstanding young doctoral graduates from home and abroad to conduct postdoctoral research in China. Encourage research institutes and universities to enhance collaborative innovation and joint talent development, strengthen the building of a reserve talent pool for basic research, and support mid-career and young scientists with development potential to carry out exploratory and original research.

(12) Stabilize the high-level team of experimental technical personnel. Establish and improve an evaluation system and incentive mechanism that are tailored to the characteristics of experimental technical personnel and their respective positions, thereby enhancing the status and remuneration of such personnel. Increase efforts in cultivating experimental technical personnel, full-time engineering and technical personnel, and personnel specialized in open-service roles, and optimize the structure of the research team. Strengthen training for experimental technicians to enhance their technical capabilities and expertise.

(13) Build high-level innovation teams. Leverage the agglomeration effect of major national scientific and technological infrastructure and key national laboratories, and provide stable support for a group of outstanding innovation teams to continuously engage in basic scientific research. Focusing on the forefront of science, support high-level research universities and research institutes in selecting their strengths in fundamental disciplines to establish national bases for cultivating young scientific talents. Form interdisciplinary, integrated, and cross-disciplinary research teams and strengthen collaborative efforts.

V. Enhance the Internationalization Level of Basic Research

(14) Organize and implement major international science programs and large-scale scientific projects. Continue to participate in major international science programs and large-scale scientific projects initiated by other countries or jointly launched by multiple countries, actively assume responsibilities, deeply engage in their operation and management, and accumulate management experience. Based on China’s existing foundational conditions and taking into account potential risks comprehensively, formulate a plan for China to take the lead in organizing major international science programs and large-scale scientific projects. Focus on selecting several projects with cooperative potential in China’s relevant areas of strength and distinctive features, and strive to initiate and organize new major international science programs and large-scale scientific projects. Proactively participate in the drafting and formulation of rules related to major international science programs and large-scale scientific projects.

(15) Deepen international cooperation in basic research. Further enhance the openness of national science and technology programs, support overseas experts in leading or participating in national science and technology program projects, attract top international talent to China for joint research, and accelerate the enhancement of China’s level of basic scientific research and its capacity for original innovation. Implement the “Belt and Road” Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan, comprehensively elevate the depth and level of science and technology innovation cooperation, and build a community of collaborative innovation under the “Belt and Road” initiative. Deepen intergovernmental scientific and technological cooperation, formulate country-specific strategies on a categorized basis, establish international platforms for innovation cooperation, and jointly conduct research on cutting-edge scientific issues.

6. Optimize the mechanisms and environment for developing basic research.

(16) Strengthen top-level design and coordinated planning for basic research. Enhance integrated planning, concentrate resources and factors, target the forefront of global scientific and technological development, and highlight original innovation. Under the inter-ministerial joint conference mechanism for managing national science and technology programs (including special projects and funds), establish a Strategic Advisory Committee for Basic Research to analyze and assess trends in basic research development, provide strategic advice on basic research, and propose recommendations on major needs and work priorities for China’s basic research. Strengthen coordination among central and local authorities as well as between central government departments, and promote the integrated development of military and civilian basic research. In conjunction with the construction of world-class research institutions, world-class universities, and first-rate disciplines, advance the integration of basic research with science and education.

(17) Establish a diversified investment mechanism for basic research. Increase the central government’s financial support for basic research and improve the long-term, stable support mechanisms for universities, research institutes, and individual scientists. Through measures such as government guidance and tax incentives, implement policies like the additional deduction of R&D expenses, explore new approaches such as co-building innovative R&D institutions, joint funding, and charitable donations, and encourage enterprises and social forces to step up their investment in basic research. Explore and implement a new mechanism under which both the central and local governments jointly provide funding and jointly organize major national basic research projects. Local governments should, in light of their regions’ economic and social development needs, further intensify their support for basic research.

(18) Further deepen the reform of scientific research project and funding management. Improve the mechanisms for project organization, application, review, and decision-making in a manner that aligns with the principles governing basic research. When selecting basic research projects, place greater emphasis on assessing the research direction, the talent teams involved, and their innovative capabilities. Simplify the task descriptions and budget proposals for basic research projects, and fully empower legal entities and researchers with autonomy in the use of funds. This will allow researchers to devote ample time to their scientific work without distractions, ensuring that funding serves the creative endeavors of individuals. Explore mechanisms for directly entrusting national science and technology innovation bases with the execution of national research tasks.

(19) Promote the integration of basic research and applied research. Building on the emphasis on original and disruptive inventions, vigorously advance technological innovation in key areas such as intelligent manufacturing, information technology, modern agriculture, and resource and environmental protection. Through applied research, bridge the gap between original innovation and industrialization. Innovate institutional mechanisms to facilitate the seamless integration of basic research, applied research, and industrialization, and foster collaboration and integration among various innovation actors—including research institutes, universities, enterprises, and makers—while leveraging major national science and technology projects as crucial platforms for integrated innovation. Fully harness the role of enterprises, especially those spun off from research institutes, in deepening the integration of industry, academia, and research. Promote the engineering application of both basic and applied research, attract domestic and international funding and technologies, and enhance industrial competitiveness. In response to the new trend of open-source and open innovation in the Internet era, innovate organizational models for basic research, explore crowd-sourcing and crowdfunding approaches for basic research, organize diverse types of innovation challenges, strengthen intellectual property protection, and establish open innovation spaces that encourage collective brainstorming, pool diverse expertise, and tackle complex challenges.

(20) Promote the open sharing of scientific and technological resources. Strengthen the construction of national platforms for sharing scientific and technological resources and the management of scientific data; coordinate the planning and layout of national innovation infrastructure; advance the establishment of national scientific data centers, national germplasm resource banks, human genetic resource repositories, and experimental material libraries (museums); and promote the open sharing of defense-related scientific and technological resources. Focusing on key fundamental scientific questions and major strategic needs, enhance the collection of basic, public-interest-oriented scientific and technological foundational resources such as natural baseline data, germplasm, and specimens. Improve the national system for scientific and technological reporting, and encourage more of the nation’s major scientific and technological infrastructures, scientific data, and instruments and equipment to be opened up to various innovation entities. Strengthen duplicate-checking and evaluation procedures for newly purchased large-scale research instruments, and establish sound mechanisms for managing the open sharing of research facilities and instruments as well as post-subsidy mechanisms. Leverage the role of innovation vouchers in promoting the open sharing of research facilities and instruments, and reinforce the principal responsibility and obligations of legal entities in facilitating such open sharing.

(21) Establish and refine an evaluation mechanism that is well-suited to the characteristics and principles of basic research. Launch pilot programs for differentiated evaluation of basic research, implementing categorized evaluations tailored to different universities and research institutions, formulating corresponding standards and procedures, and improving the evaluation mechanism with a focus on innovation quality and academic contributions. For basic research of the “free exploration” type, the primary emphasis should be on evaluating the originality and academic significance of the research, while exploring long-term evaluation approaches and international peer review. For basic research oriented toward specific goals, the primary focus should be on assessing the effectiveness of addressing major scientific challenges, strengthening process-based evaluation, establishing long-term regulatory mechanisms, and enhancing innovation efficiency. Support universities and research institutions in independently planning and conducting basic research, expanding their academic autonomy as well as individual researchers’ freedom to choose their own research topics. Further improve and refine incentive mechanisms such as science and technology awards to enhance researchers’ sense of honor; establish a tolerance-for-failure mechanism that encourages innovation and accepts failures, thereby motivating researchers to boldly explore and tackle the unknown.

(22) Strengthen the building of research integrity. Adhere to a combination of scientific oversight and integrity education, educating and guiding researchers to uphold academic integrity, abide by academic ethics, cultivate sound academic character, and safeguard academic dignity. Provide guidance to universities, research institutes, and other institutions to establish and improve academic management systems, track and evaluate researchers’ academic career trajectories and levels, and enhance the review and quality control of the publication of significant academic achievements. Expedite the formulation of regulations that adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy toward unethical research behavior and promote proper orientations in research evaluation. Intensify efforts to crack down on research misconduct and solidify the foundation of research integrity in China.

(23) Promote science popularization and uphold the spirit of science and a culture of innovation. Fully leverage the important role of basic research in disseminating scientific ideas, promoting the spirit of science, and fostering a culture of innovation; encourage scientists to popularize scientific knowledge among the general public. Promote key national laboratories and other innovation platforms to carry out various forms of science communication activities open to the public.

State Council

2018 January 19 day