General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the National Science and Technology Conference, the National Science and Technology Award Conference, and the Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences: "Solidly promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and help develop new quality productivity." "We must thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on scientific and technological innovation and new quality productivity, improve the funding efficiency of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, promote the high-quality development of basic research, continue to produce major original and disruptive scientific and technological achievements, cultivate new momentum for the development of new quality productivity, and embark on a strong road of science and technology, strong industry, strong economy and strong country, so as to provide strategic support for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization.
Scientific and technological innovation is the leading force and core element in the development of new quality productive forces
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on the new quality of productive forces has clearly put forward the scientific connotation and practical requirements of the new quality of productive forces, deepened the scientific understanding of the productive forces and their development laws from the perspective of the methodology of the unity of quality and quantity, and is the enrichment and development of the Marxist theory of productive forces, the latest achievements of the modernization of Marxist political economy theory, and the glorious example of combining the basic principles of Marxism with the specific reality of China's development.
Science and technology have always promoted the development of social productive forces and the progress of human civilization. The theory of productive forces is an important part of the Marxist scientific theoretical system and the theoretical cornerstone of historical materialism. Attaching great importance to the role of science and technology in promoting productive forces is a basic viewpoint of Marxism. Marx pointed out that "the productive forces also include science" and that "the productive forces of labor are constantly developing with the continuous progress of science and technology". Science and technology itself is the endogenous factor of productivity and its corresponding economic development, which can penetrate the three key elements of empowerment productivity, improve the quality of labor, improve production tools and processes, expand the scope and boundaries of labor objects, and then shorten labor hours, improve labor productivity, promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, leap to the high end of the global industrial chain and value chain, and ultimately promote the development of social productivity. Throughout the history of the development of human society, the rise of each round of scientific and technological revolution will promote the realization of a qualitative leap in social productive forces. Scientific and technological progress has the basic characteristics of objective reality, which can not only promote economic development, but also promote social change and profoundly change the pattern of world development. Generally speaking, science and technology are an important force for promoting the development of social productive forces, and they are also an important indicator for measuring the level of development of social productive forces.
To achieve high-quality development, it is urgent to vigorously cultivate new quality productivity. The fundamental task of socialism is to emancipate and develop the social productive forces. High-quality development is the last word in the new era and the primary task of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. In recent years, the driving force of the growth of traditional factors has gradually weakened, and the contribution of scientific and technological progress to increasing power, adjusting structure and mode of transformation has become increasingly prominent. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has a deep grasp of the law of the development of productive forces, insists on putting scientific and technological innovation at the core of the overall national development, highlights the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology, and deeply implements the innovation-driven development strategy, so that science and technology have played a key role in promoting the progress of social productivity and promoting high-quality economic and social development. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded the practical requirements for the development of new quality productive forces, advanced the party's understanding of the laws of science and technology to promote the development of productive forces to an unprecedented new height, and provided scientific guidance and fundamental compliance for us to accurately grasp the contradictory movement law of productive forces and production relations and promote high-quality economic and social development.
Strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, and is the source of power for cultivating and developing new quality productive forces
Basic research provides scientific support and a source of innovation for the development of new quality productive forces. The new quality productivity is a kind of leap in the quality of the productive forces, is the productive forces in which scientific and technological innovation plays a leading role, and strong scientific and technological nature is its essential attribute, which is based on major scientific discoveries or core technological breakthroughs, relies on high-level original innovation and disruptive innovation, and represents the frontier direction and latest trend of global scientific and technological and industrial development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the general organ of all technical issues" and "basic research is at the beginning of the scientific research chain from research to application to production". Basic research is the theoretical source and technical precursor for the development of new quality productive forces, and can provide theoretical guidance and direction for technological research and development and industrial innovation. Once a breakthrough is made in the basic frontier direction, it will often profoundly change the way human beings perceive the world, expand the boundaries of understanding nature, open up new cognitive frontiers, produce major original and subversive innovation achievements, give birth to scientific revolution and industrial transformation, reshape the pattern of industrial and market competition, and make new leaps in laborers, labor materials, labor objects and their optimal combinations, and ultimately promote the rapid development of social productive forces and long-term and profound social changes. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to fundamentally strengthen basic research, take the "first mile" of scientific and technological innovation, stimulate the source of innovation, promote the power transmission and energy transmission of the paradigm of "science-technology-industry-economy", and improve the contribution rate of scientific and technological progress and the efficiency of all factors.
Strengthening basic research has become the core strategy of major countries in the world to promote industrial and economic prosperity and development. At present, global scientific and technological innovation has entered an intensive and active period, showing a trend of cross-integration, high complexity and multi-point breakthroughs, so that the new quality productivity shows a more powerful scientific and technological core than the traditional productivity. The world's major developed countries have made forward-looking arrangements for basic research, launched basic research development strategies and action plans, and carried out concentrated research in key technology fields, so as to gain strategic advantages and seize development opportunities in the fierce global competition in science and technology and industry. At the same time, with the rapid evolution of a new round of scientific and technological revolution, the world's major developed countries are focusing on enhancing the competitiveness of strategic industries, aiming at new tracks such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, new energy, and biotechnology, and accelerating the deployment of basic science research and development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the mainland has attached great importance to basic research, adopted a series of strategic measures, promoted a series of transformative practices, and achieved a series of landmark results, which have strongly supported the rapid development of social productive forces and made the contribution rate of scientific and technological progress to economic growth exceed 60%. The investment in basic research has increased from 49.88 billion yuan in 2012 to 221.2 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 4.84% of the total research and development expenditure in the whole society, and the proportion of research and development funds in the whole society has increased from 4.84% to 6.65%. The overall strength of basic research in mainland China has been significantly improved, and it has entered a critical acceleration period of high-quality development. However, we are also soberly aware that compared with the new requirements for the development of new quality productive forces in the new era, the mainland still has a long way to go in the development of basic research, and there is a significant gap between the proportion of the overall investment in basic research in the R&D expenditure of the whole society and the proportion of enterprises investing in basic research compared with the major developed countries in the world. The ability of originality and disruptive innovation is not strong, and the situation that key core technologies in some fields are controlled by others has not fundamentally changed; The number of top scientists and science and technology leaders is low. In addition, some countries have pursued a self-protection strategy of "decoupling and breaking chains" and "small courtyards with high walls", which has made international scientific research cooperation face severe challenges of "de-globalization".
Strengthen basic research, promote scientific and technological innovation, and provide strong support for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces
New quality productivity is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development, and a strategic support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Cultivating and developing new quality productive forces is a systematic, overall and long-term project, which must be based on the new stage of development, accurately grasp the law of contradiction between productive forces and production relations, follow the law of scientific and technological innovation and basic research development, thoroughly implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of innovation-driven development, and the strategy of strengthening the country with talents, give better play to the main channel function of the National Natural Science Foundation of China to support basic research, comprehensively strengthen basic research and applied basic research, and vigorously promote original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation. Accelerate breakthroughs in key core technologies, provide new momentum for the development of new quality productivity, and open up magnificent prospects.
Comprehensively strengthen the party's leadership, strengthen the top-level design and overall layout of basic research. Adhere to the party's centralized and unified leadership over basic research work, improve the new national system, give full play to the institutional advantages of concentrating on major affairs, build a systematic and complete basic research work system, make overall arrangements for strategically oriented systematic basic research, frontier-oriented exploratory basic research, and market-oriented applied basic research, constantly seek breakthroughs in independent innovation, and lay a solid foundation for self-reliance and self-reliance. Strengthen strategic research and judgment, grasp the future evolution and development trend of science and technology, and cultivate emerging disciplines for future industrial development. Upgrade the original exploration plan, fully respect the instantaneous nature of basic research inspiration, arbitrariness of methods, and uncertainty of paths, support scientists to carry out free exploration aimed at the world's frontiers of basic science, and increase the supply of original innovation achievements. Encourage innovation, tolerate failure, strengthen support for non-consensus and transformative scientific research projects, promote disruptive innovation that may have a huge impact on future industrial transformation, seize the commanding heights of international high-tech industry competition, and shape the first-mover advantage of future competition.
Persist in placing applied basic research in a prominent position in the development system of new productive forces, and do a good job in tackling key core technologies. Engels pointed out that "once there is a technical need in society, this need will push science forward more than ten universities". It is necessary to grasp the new trend of global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, start from the major strategic needs of the country, focus on key fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, etc., and carry out applied basic research layout for the basic and key principles behind key core technologies, major common technologies, cutting-edge leading technologies, modern engineering technologies, disruptive technologies, etc. Establish a new scientific research organization model that adapts to the development of new quality productivity, optimize the application, review, project approval and implementation management of major types of projects, give full play to the role of expert advisory committees, use professional academic evaluation and scientific appreciation capabilities, strengthen the demonstration and consultation of major basic research projects, improve the level of scientific problem condensation, strengthen the performance evaluation of scientific research project implementation, promote breakthroughs in key core technologies, and continuously enhance the endogenous driving force for the high-quality development of new quality productivity. With the exploration of scientific frontiers as the traction, we will organize and implement major national scientific research instrument development projects, strengthen the research and development and preparation of scientific research instruments, and provide more "sharp tools" and "heavy weapons" for scientific research.
We will further implement the strategy of strengthening the country with talents, and increase efforts to independently cultivate leading talents and innovative teams in basic research. Man is the most active factor in the productive forces and the most decisive force. The development of new quality productivity requires a group of high-level basic research talents and innovative teams. It is necessary to adhere to the people-oriented, adhere to the integration of education, science and technology, and talents, give full play to the function of the National Natural Science Foundation of China in cultivating innovative talents, and build a systematic platform for the cultivation of high-level basic research talents. Expand the scale of funding for the Young Scientists Fund; In accordance with the principle of "less but finer", we will pilot and subsidize outstanding doctoral and undergraduate students to carry out basic research, and independently cultivate reserve forces for basic research. Carry out the graded evaluation and continuation of funding for the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, support young scientific research teams to undertake basic science center projects, and cultivate strategic scientists and scientific and technological leaders who meet the development needs of new quality productivity through continuous and stable funding. Improve the mechanism for discovering and cultivating top-notch innovative talents, and strengthen the cultivation of original and disruptive innovative talents. Strengthen the popularization of science in the new era, improve the scientific literacy of workers, enable the general public to enter science, love science, and devote themselves to science, cultivate the fertile soil for innovation of basic research and scientific and technological talents, and cultivate more "plateaus" of science popularization in order to hold up the "peak" of scientific and technological innovation.
Deepen the reform of the basic research system and mechanism, and establish an institutional system to support comprehensive innovation. We should further reform the management system and mechanism of basic research, give full play to the value-driven and strategic traction role of systems and policies, innovate the way of resource allocation, and release the vitality of innovation. Improve the diversified investment mechanism for basic research, increase national financial support for basic research, give full play to the role of joint funds as the "glue" for collaborative innovation, guide local governments, industry departments and other entities to invest in basic research, and rationally use multi-dimensional policy tools such as financial subsidies, tax incentives, and credit support to encourage enterprises to increase basic research expenditure. Optimize the structure of investment in social research and development on the mainland, and increase the proportion of investment in basic research. Deepen the reform of the management mechanism of scientific research funds, improve the efficiency of the allocation of scientific and technological resources, implement distinctive and effective scientific and technological management systems such as "unveiling the leader" and "horse racing", and give scientists greater power to decide on scientific research routes, greater control of funds, and greater power to dispatch resources. Establish an evaluation system oriented by innovation ability, quality, effectiveness and contribution, improve the income distribution mechanism for the participation of new elements such as knowledge, technology and data, improve the ownership system of intellectual property rights, stimulate the vitality of production factors such as knowledge, technology and data, better reflect the value function of basic research and scientific and technological innovation, and enhance the enthusiasm, initiative, sense of honor and happiness of workers to participate in basic research and scientific and technological innovation.
Accelerate the application and transformation of basic research results, and promote the deep integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain. Give full play to the supporting and leading role of basic research in industrial development, strengthen the close coordination between the scientific and technological circles and the industrial community, strengthen the service responsibilities of public scientific research institutions for economic and social development, give full play to the role of enterprises as the main force in R&D and application, encourage the joint establishment of research and development platforms, technological innovation alliances, and innovation consortia, and improve the efficiency of the transformation of basic research and original innovation achievements. Build an open access warehousing platform, promote the open sharing of basic research results, increase the development and application of results selection, pilot test, engineering and industrialization, open up the innovation chain, industrial chain and value chain, build a bridge between basic research and industrial application, realize the deep integration and close linkage of basic research and industrial research and development, closed-loop feedback and rapid iteration of theory and technology, promote the innovation and integrated development of industry, university, research and application, and cross the "valley of death" from basic research, applied research to industrialization. Accelerate the transformation of scientific research achievements from samples to products to commodities, and realize the transformation of basic scientific research achievements into real productivity.
We will expand the high-level opening up of basic research to the outside world and create a favorable international environment for scientific and technological innovation. Promoting the internationalization of basic research is an important feature and inevitable trend of scientific and technological development in the new era. It is necessary to base ourselves on China, look at the world, based on international academic rules, highlight the advantages of characteristic systems, build a platform for basic research cooperation, and promote international openness, cooperation, mutual benefit and sharing in basic research on the basis of adhering to independent innovation and effectively safeguarding the mainland's scientific and technological security interests. Implement a more open and inclusive strategy of international cooperation in basic research, more actively integrate into the global innovation network, comprehensively enhance the mainland's position in the global innovation pattern, and improve the comprehensive strength of the mainland's basic research and the overall efficiency of the innovation system in the process of open cooperation. We will do better and strengthen the global scientific research fund, carry out international scientific research funding, initiate or participate in major scientific research plans around the needs of the development of new quality productivity, gather global superior scientific research forces to jointly carry out original research, and cultivate strategic scientists with a global vision and international standards. We will implement a more active, open and effective talent policy, attract top international innovative talents to innovate and start businesses in China, solve the problems of common development of all countries through broader and more in-depth international cooperation in basic research, and promote the prosperity and development of the world economy and human civilization.
(The author is Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China)