Source | Science Exploration Award
On April 30, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" was officially released. This is a new type of basic research funding project that focuses on original innovation, encourages scientists to explore freely, and has a public welfare attribute.
Under the guidance of relevant state departments, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" is led by scientists and supported by Tencent. Tencent will invest RMB 10 billion in the project over the next 10 years and will explore a sustainable operating model to support basic research on a long-term basis. The fund comes from a 100 billion yuan special fund set up by Tencent after launching its sustainable social value innovation strategy last year.
The "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" aims to support a group of outstanding scientists to choose their own research directions for a long time and steadily, encourage them to devote themselves to research, have the courage to challenge, and focus on the original innovation of "from 0 to 1". The "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" strictly follows the principle of "scientist leadership" and sets up a scientific committee as the core institution, and Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of West lake University, serves as the chairman of the first scientific committee.
Shi Yigong said: "The next 10-20 years will be a critical period for China's scientific and technological development to take a quantitative leap from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap. Basic research is the foundation of science, which requires the field of basic research to take the lead in achieving more breakthroughs. The project will steadily support 200 to 300 outstanding scientists over the next 10 years, providing maximum space for their free exploration. It is expected that these scientists can put forward and solve major scientific problems, promote theoretical innovation, lead the forefront of disciplines, open up new research directions and fields, and become new academic leaders in the scientific community. ”
The project will set up two major areas of "Mathematics and Physical Sciences" and "Biological and Medical Sciences" to support scientists working full-time in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
"Many of the major breakthroughs in basic research come from the long-term accumulation of scientists." Xie Xiaoliang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, professor of Peking University and member of the Scientific Committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project", said, "This project will support potential scientists in a long-term and stable manner through the method of 'choosing people without choosing topics', giving them full freedom, which will help them to explore and harvest the fruits of original innovation." ”
Strongly supporting basic research is Tencent's long-term insistence. In 2018, Tencent and a number of Chinese scientists jointly launched the "Science Exploration Award" to fund young scientific and technological talents. The New Cornerstone Researcher Project is another important practice of Tencent's "Sustainable Social Value Innovation" strategy. This support model of social funding is a useful supplement to the country's investment in basic research.
Pan Jianwei, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, executive vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China, and member of the scientific committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project", said: "This project responds to the long-term expectations of the scientific community. Free exploration targets uncertainty, which is often difficult, risky, and time-consuming, and social funds are more flexible and can send charcoal to scientists who focus on free exploration. ”
It is understood that more information such as the application qualifications and declaration channels of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" will be announced one after another, and the declaration will be officially launched within the year.
Zhang Jie, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, director of the Li Zhengdao Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and member of the scientific committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project", said: "It is expected that this project can support a group of outstanding scientists to focus on original and leading basic research and expand the boundaries of scientific cognition. I hope that Chinese scientists will promote breakthroughs and progress in the field of basic research and benefit all mankind! ”
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Reprinted from the "Science Exploration Award" public account
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