【Lixiang China】High-quality basic research supports high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance

　　When presiding over the third collective study of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, and is the only way to build a world scientific and technological power. At present, the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deeply intertwined and interacting with the "two overall situations", the penetration and integration of science and technology and economic and social development are accelerating, the transformation cycle of basic research is significantly shortened, and the effect on the development of productive forces and social progress is becoming more and more prominent, and international scientific and technological competition is moving forward to the basic frontier. The mainland should not only break the technological blockade, make up for the shortcomings of science and technology, and win the battle of key core technologies with breakthroughs in basic research, but also aim at the frontier of science and technology, forge a long board of innovation, and occupy the commanding heights of scientific and technological innovation as soon as possible.

　　High-quality basic research

　　It is the cornerstone of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance

　　As the "foundation of the building" of the national innovation system, basic research has a fundamental and strategic position in promoting scientific and technological innovation. It is necessary to have a deep understanding of the strategic position, far-reaching influence and practical needs of basic research, so as to accurately grasp the direction and path of basic research development.

　　Deeply grasp the strategic position of high-quality basic research from theoretical logic. Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the general organ of all technical problems. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "basic research is at the beginning of the scientific research chain from research to application to production", which is the starting point for improving scientific and technological innovation capabilities and nurturing future industrial advantages. "The root cause of many of the 'stuck' technical problems faced by the mainland is that the basic theoretical research cannot keep up, and the source and underlying things are not clear. "In order to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, we must make efforts from basic research, "strengthen basic research and common key technology research related to the overall development situation, comprehensively improve the ability of independent innovation, and make major breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on strengthening basic research has clarified the supporting role of basic research in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, clarified the strategic position of basic research, emphasized the importance of strengthening basic research to enhance the original innovation ability and consolidate the foundation of a strong country in science and technology, and pointed out the way forward for the development of basic research.

　　Deeply grasp the far-reaching impact of high-quality basic research from historical logic. A country's strength often benefits from the breakthrough and accumulation of its pioneering basic research. Throughout the history of scientific and technological development and industrial revolution, and looking back at the history of major developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, all of them have relied on strong basic research capabilities and major technological breakthroughs to drive change, and then drive the industrial take-off. The development of basic science in the Renaissance movement in the 16th century ushered in an era of human innovation. Since the 17th century, the development of natural sciences represented by physics and chemistry has become the forerunner of the first industrial revolution, and since then, along with successive breakthroughs in the field of basic science, mankind has experienced a historical leap from the "steam age" to the "electrical age" and then to the "information age". At present, basic scientific research, represented by the structure of matter, the evolution of the universe, the origin of life, the nature of consciousness, and quantum science, is booming, leading and driving new progress in human society. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply understand the long-term significance of basic research in promoting scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, strengthen top-level design and forward-looking layout, so as to achieve more breakthroughs and innovations in basic research, and provide innovative support for the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, the cultivation and expansion of emerging industries, and the nurturing and development of future industries in the mainland.

　　Deeply grasp the practical needs of high-quality basic research from the logic of practice. At present, the development of Chinese-style modernization and new quality productive forces has put forward new and higher requirements for scientific and technological innovation, especially original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation. At the same time, complex changes have taken place in the international environment, the resurgence of anti-globalization has triggered technological barriers between countries, and the battle for the commanding heights of science and technology has become increasingly fierce around the world, especially the Western countries led by the United States have imposed a scientific and technological "blockade" on the mainland. In the past, the mainland did not invest enough in its original innovation capabilities, and the lack of key core technologies or technological innovation capabilities led to the development of some key core areas facing constraints. Practice has proved that the stronger a country's independent innovation ability and the more key core technologies it masters, the greater the space for future development. Under the new situation, comprehensively strengthening basic research is a key breakthrough point for effectively coping with external challenges and winning the initiative and strategic commanding heights of global scientific and technological competition, and is also an important strategic support for the mainland to face long-term development, build a first-mover advantage, and build a world science and technology power.

　　Development of high-quality basic research

　　Key elements

　　When General Secretary Xi Jinping made the overall deployment of basic research, he first proposed to strengthen the forward-looking, strategic and systematic layout of basic research. The development of high-quality basic research is a systematic task, and the following three key elements must be firmly grasped in order to fully promote this work.

　　The foundation lies in talent. In the final analysis, strengthening basic research depends on high-level talent. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the mainland has attached great importance to basic research, continued to increase investment, and the scale of basic research personnel has continued to grow. In 2022, the full-time equivalent of basic researchers in mainland China has reached 509,100. Thanks to the emergence of a large number of basic research talents, the mainland has made a series of major original innovations in the fields of aerospace, lunar and fire exploration, deep sea and deep earth, quantum information, energy science and technology, and biomedicine, and has overcome a series of core technologies. However, we should also be soberly aware that compared with the requirements of building a world power in science and technology, the mainland still lacks high-level innovative talents in the field of basic research, top strategic scientists are relatively scarce, and the pace of cultivating talents in basic disciplines is relatively slow. At present, the gross enrollment rate of higher education in mainland China has exceeded 60%, and a large-scale "reservoir" of reserve talents has been built in order to strengthen basic research.

　　It's all about innovation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that basic research should have the courage to explore and highlight originality. Basic research is the inevitable choice for us to move from the unknown to the known, from uncertainty to certainty. At present, basic research has entered the era of big science, the objects of scientific research are becoming more and more complex, and the paradigm of scientific research is accelerating. However, the problem of "two ends outside" in the mainland's basic research still exists, and the independent research and development of major scientific and technological infrastructure is insufficient, and the original innovation ability needs to be greatly improved. It is necessary to keep up with and even lead the world's scientific and technological frontiers, reform the organizational model of basic research, actively promote the transformation of scientific research paradigms, strengthen the construction of major platforms, further promote interdisciplinary integration, bravely enter the "no man's land" of scientific research, occupy the "blank spots" of science and technology, and realize more major original innovations from "0" to "1".

　　The mission is to serve. There are two types of basic research: goal-oriented and free-spirited. Adhering to the goal orientation is to serve the needs of the country and the development of new productive forces as the goal, and strive to provide basic theoretical and technical support for solving the key core problems restricting national development and security. Encouraging free exploration is to follow the laws and characteristics of basic research, and is more driven by the curiosity and desire of scientists, which reflects the never-ending pursuit of science by a country and a nation. However, whether it is goal-oriented or free exploration, breakthroughs in basic research will provide "living water" for the subsequent scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and will also have a far-reaching impact on national prosperity, national rejuvenation and human progress. Service development is the mission and value of basic research. It is necessary to adhere to the "two-legged walk" of goal-oriented and free exploration, combine the world's scientific and technological frontiers with the major national strategic needs and economic and social development goals, coordinate the frontier issues raised by following the laws of scientific development and the theoretical problems abstracted in major applied research, condense the key scientific issues in basic research, and strive to make breakthroughs to serve innovation-driven development.

　　Promote basic research in the new era

　　A realistic path for high-quality development

　　Facing the new era and new journey, we must adhere to the principle of establishing first and then breaking through, persistently strengthen basic research, give full play to the role of high-level research universities as the main force of basic research and the source of major scientific and technological breakthroughs, continuously improve the original innovation ability, accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, and cultivate new momentum for the development of new quality productive forces.

　　Establish a "large system", break the "small and scattered", and improve the efficiency of innovation. We should further strengthen the systematic layout of basic research, break the situation of "small and scattered" innovation elements, coordinate and optimize innovation resources, form a strong joint force for basic research, and consolidate the foundation of the national innovation system. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen the systematic planning and forward-looking layout of major scientific issues and major strategic needs, aim at the commanding heights of future scientific and technological and industrial development, give full play to the advantages of the new national system, and make overall arrangements for strategically oriented systematic basic research, frontier-oriented exploratory basic research, and market-oriented applied basic research. On the other hand, strengthen the design and integrated deployment of the whole chain from basic research, key technologies, equipment development to the transformation of achievements, take the national strategic needs as the guide, and aim to solve the "bottleneck" problem in key areas or occupy the commanding heights of cutting-edge technology, strengthen the coordination and system integration of basic research forces such as universities, scientific research institutes, and industry enterprises, create "innovation clusters", and cultivate and gather a number of strategic scientific and technological forces with a certain scale and reasonable structure.

　　Establish a "living mechanism", break the "few and weak", and release the momentum of innovation. Deepening the reform of the basic research system and mechanism is an important guarantee for improving the degree of organization of basic research and stimulating the vitality of basic research. The first is to focus on talents and improve the system and mechanism for the training and use of strategic scientists. Clarify the cultivation goals of strategic scientists, optimize the mechanism for discovering leading talents and the selection mechanism for project teams, and implement special policies such as supporting talent echelons, scientific research conditions, and management mechanisms for leading talents, so as to consciously and systematically cultivate strategic talents. At the same time, we should give full play to the advantages of colleges and universities, improve the mode of independent training of basic research talents, and expand the supply of reserve forces for basic research. The second is to focus on projects, strengthen the disruptive and innovative role of non-consensus projects, and explore the establishment of an unconventional review and management mechanism for such projects. Establish a number of non-competitive funding channels to mobilize the enthusiasm of grassroots cultivation of non-consensus projects and nurture more disruptive innovations. The third is to focus on opening up and explore the establishment of a complete international scientific research cooperation mechanism. Actively integrate into the global scientific and technological innovation network, make full use of international innovation resources, take the lead in organizing or participating in international major scientific programs and projects, deeply participate in global scientific and technological governance, and build an all-round international open cooperation pattern for basic research.

　　Establish a "new ecology", break the "floating and miscellaneous", and stimulate the potential for innovation. It is a necessary condition for outstanding scientific researchers to make major breakthroughs in the field of basic research by cultivating a field for a long time without distraction. The whole society should vigorously create a good ecology that protects innovation and tolerates failure, and cultivates an inclusive and harmonious innovation culture. Deepen the reform of "delegating power, delegating power, delegating power, delegating power", encourage the majority of scientific research personnel to emancipate their minds and make bold innovations, and provide guarantees for major scientific and technological projects. Explore a new paradigm of school-local cooperation in science and technology finance, encourage social forces and social capital to support basic research, establish a "chaperone" mechanism with scientific researchers to take over scientific and technological innovation achievements, continuously improve the fault tolerance rate of project funding, and create conditions for scientific researchers to devote themselves to scientific research. Deepen the reform of education evaluation in the new era, optimize the evaluation system of science and technology, establish a talent evaluation system oriented by innovation value, ability and contribution, and form a vivid situation in which people make the best use of their talents and give full play to their abilities. Vigorously carry forward the spirit of scientists in the new era, guide scientific researchers to cultivate the feelings of the family and the country, and care about the "great man of the country", so as to provide inexhaustible impetus for supporting the development of basic research.

　　(The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and secretary of the Party Committee of Xiamen University)

Source: "China Social Science Daily" April 23, 2024 Issue 2878 Author: Zhang Rong