How to create a good ecological environment for basic research and scientific research
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Deep and complex changes have taken place in the domestic and international environment, which put forward higher requirements for the "original leading" basic research, and its characteristics such as long cycle, strong exploration, high risk and uncertain progress are more prominent. The traditional "tracking learning" discipline layout, resource allocation and scientific research ecology need to be transformed urgently. In the future, we should pay more attention to people-centered, reform the resource allocation and evaluation incentive mechanism, persistently strengthen basic research, strengthen the foundation of disciplines and talents, carry forward the scientific spirit and culture, create a good soft environment and micro-ecology, and ensure that researchers concentrate on research.
In his speech at the symposium of scientists, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader stressed: "It is necessary to create a good scientific research ecology conducive to basic research, establish and improve a scientific evaluation system and incentive mechanism, encourage researchers to emancipate their minds and make bold innovations, and let scientists concentrate on research." Basic scientific research refers to the activities of studying natural and social laws, logic and phenomena, which is referred to as basic research for short. Since 2018, the State Council has issued several documents such as Opinions on Strengthening Basic Scientific Research in an All-round Way, Notice on Optimizing Scientific Research Management and Improving Scientific Research Performance, and the general offices of the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council have issued documents such as Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Project Evaluation, Talent Evaluation and Institution Evaluation, and Opinions on Further Promoting the Spirit of Scientists and Strengthening the Construction of Style and Study Style, all of which have put forward specific reform measures to optimize the scientific research environment.
Under the new situation, profound and complex changes have taken place in the domestic and international environment, which puts forward higher requirements for "original leading" basic research, and its characteristics such as long cycle, strong exploration, high risk and uncertain progress are more prominent. The traditional "tracking learning" discipline layout, resource allocation and scientific research ecology need to be transformed urgently. In the future, we should pay more attention to people-centered, reform the resource allocation and evaluation incentive mechanism, persistently strengthen basic research, strengthen the foundation of disciplines and talents, carry forward the scientific spirit and culture, create a good soft environment and micro-ecology, and ensure that researchers concentrate on research.
Discipline and talents are the foundation of basic research and scientific research ecology.
Sixty-five years ago, the Outline of the Future Plan for the Development of Science and Technology in 1956-1967 pointed out that "scientific research is not only for the advancement of individual disciplines, but also for the all-round development of science and technology, so that all scientific departments can become an organic whole, thus developing more marginal disciplines or more growing points", emphasizing that "sufficient attention must be paid to the cultivation of new forces. Without the massive growth of new forces, it is impossible to develop science on a large scale quickly. " Fifteen years ago, the Outline of the National Medium-and Long-term Scientific and Technological Development Plan (2006-2020) emphasized that "basic research is an important source of high-tech development, the cradle of cultivating innovative talents, the foundation of building advanced culture, and the internal driving force of future scientific and technological development", which requires that "based on the characteristics of accumulated basic research, strong exploration and unpredictable progress, basic disciplines should be comprehensively laid out and highlighted. Through long-term and profound academic research accumulation, we will promote the improvement of original innovation ability and promote the coordinated development of multiple disciplines. " Under the new situation, to develop high-quality basic research, we should follow the law of "accumulate more and develop less", improve the discipline and talent development system, lay a solid foundation for the construction of a world science center, and achieve a great leap in the overall level and international influence of basic research.
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader stressed: "On the one hand, basic research should follow the law of scientific discovery, be driven by curiosity to explore the mysteries of the world, and encourage free exploration and full exchange and debate; On the other hand, driven by major scientific and technological problems, we should abstract theoretical problems in major applied research, and then explore scientific laws so that basic research and applied research can promote each other. " Basic research has the characteristics of large investment, long cycle and high risk, so it is easy to be weakened in innovation chain. The allocation of basic research resources mainly by means of competition is conducive to "short, flat and fast" projects, which is not conducive to painstaking research. Some "unpopular" disciplines can’t be "immediate" because of their practical value, which leads to unsustainable funding, serious brain drain and even the embarrassing situation that no one cares. To this end, it is necessary to systematically monitor the frontier direction of various disciplines and promote the balanced layout and cross-integration development of various disciplines. Strengthen support for traditional basic disciplines such as mathematics, physics, physics, geography and biology, and key basic disciplines such as materials and information. Optimize the resource input of popular disciplines and improve the quality and efficiency of input and output. Support professional institutions and societies to continue to pay attention to the development of unpopular, blank, marginal and new disciplines, and avoid some indispensable disciplines becoming weak or even extinct. Pratt & Whitney supports young researchers who are in the initial stage of scientific research, and stably supports young and middle-aged scientists who stand out from the crowd to work hard in the frontier of basic science of interest and constantly March into the breadth and depth of science and technology.
Culture and spirit are the soul of basic research and scientific research ecology.
Advanced productive forces come from the practice of scientific and technological innovation and advanced scientific and cultural atmosphere, and grow up in a social environment where the public understands and supports science. Scientific spirit and scientist spirit are important components of advanced culture and spiritual civilization. The Chinese nation is an innovative nation. Our ancient science and technology were ahead of the world and made great contributions to human civilization. However, after the Ming Dynasty, China drifted away from the development trend of science and technology in the world, and repeatedly missed the historical opportunity of enriching the people and strengthening the country. China lost not in economic scale, but in backward technology. The reasons for this situation are complicated, and the lack of scientific culture is one of the key factors. Since the founding of New China, the CPC Central Committee has attached great importance to the cause of science and technology, established a comprehensive and independent scientific research system, formed a large-scale scientific and technological team, and achieved one after another remarkable scientific and technological achievements. Scientific spirit and culture have become an important part of Chinese civilization. On the journey towards a powerful country in science and technology and a modern country, we should strengthen our cultural confidence and innovation confidence, stick to the road of independent innovation with China characteristics, and strive to make new historical contributions to human civilization.
Scientists in China should not only lead the trend of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation with new breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation, but also lead the new fashions such as national feelings, scientific spirit, innovative spirit, craftsman spirit, responsibility style and dedication spirit with great scientist spirit. Take first-class scientific research institutions and first-class societies as the pilot, establish an evaluation and incentive mechanism that conforms to the characteristics of basic research, and implement a nomination system for the evaluation and reward of basic research talents and achievements, so as to avoid running projects, competing for awards and grabbing hats, and free researchers from tedious evaluation and reward. Improve the treatment of basic researchers, strengthen the support of stable funds, and take the scientific contribution and quality of representative works rather than quantity and influencing factors as the basis for evaluating incentives. Build an innovative and friendly society, improve the scientific quality of the whole people, and form a large number of young people with the potential of scientists. Guide more talented, interested, capable, courageous and responsible young researchers to join the basic research team continuously, emancipate their minds and make bold innovations.
Soft environment and microecology are the bottom of basic research and scientific research ecology.
To make an original breakthrough in basic research, we need not only "hard" facilities such as scientific research instruments and conditional platforms as support, but also "soft" environment such as system, management and service as guarantee. Good scientific research micro-ecology and team innovation cultural atmosphere are the bottom of basic research scientific research ecology. In March 1978, the National Science Conference was held. Deng Xiaoping sincerely told scientists that "I would like to be everyone’s logistics minister", and under his call and drive, the spring of science ushered in. In recent years, from the central government to ministries and local governments, a series of measures have been intensively introduced to improve the system and mechanism of scientific and technological innovation. At the national level, a "1+N" basic research policy system has been constructed, and the macro-basic research and scientific research ecology has been further improved, and a number of micro-ecological models have emerged. Give full play to the role of scientific community in academic norms, communication, supervision and self-discipline, and form a good micro-ecology. However, the scientific research management of some localities, societies and institutions still simply applies administrative management and even tends to be "over-administrative", and a series of favorable policies and measures in the field of science and technology have not been implemented in place, which has compromised the effect of the "streamline administration, delegate power, strengthen regulation and improve services" reform.
Only when the soft environment and micro-ecology of grass-roots scientific research are greatly improved can we truly form a clean academic environment and an innovative and friendly social atmosphere, and significantly improve the overall basic research and scientific research ecology. At the macro level, improve the governance system of scientific and technological innovation, strengthen the overall coordination of departments, avoid policy conflicts, form a joint force of reform, and jointly guide institutions, societies and localities to do a good job in supporting the system to ensure the implementation of policies. At the meso level, it is clear about the functional orientation and value creation orientation of the innovation subject, encourages to try first, and refines related projects, talents, institutions, achievement management methods and evaluation and reward criteria to prevent policy implementation from going through the motions. At the micro level, the relevant policies to give scientific research institutions and researchers greater autonomy will be effective, the internal control system of scientific research integrity will be improved, the evaluation system of seeking truth and being pragmatic, encouraging innovation and tolerating failure will be established, the classified evaluation will be refined, the soft environment and micro-ecology of scientific research will be optimized, a good style of study will be created, and researchers will be guaranteed to devote their time and energy to intensive research and academic discussions, so as to achieve more "0-1" breakthroughs.
A generation has a generation of struggle, and an era has an era’s responsibility. Creating a good ecological environment for basic research is a huge systematic project, which cannot be achieved overnight and once and for all. It requires the long-term unremitting efforts of policy makers, science and technology managers, scientific communities, scientific research institutions and researchers, and all sectors of society. On the main level, we should give full play to the leading role of the demonstration of scientists, so that the spirit of scientists, such as "patriotic spirit of caring for the motherland and serving the people, innovative spirit of courageously climbing the peak and being the first, realistic spirit of pursuing truth and rigorous scholarship, dedication of indifferent to fame and fortune and devoted research, collaborative spirit of gathering wisdom to tackle key problems, unity and cooperation, and educational spirit of being willing to be a ladder for others, rewarding others and learning later", can be internalized, externalized, and integrated with knowledge and practice. On the content level, we should adhere to the "Four Orientations", strengthen demand orientation and problem orientation, and condense scientific problems from the practical problems faced by China’s economic and social development, people’s livelihood improvement and national defense construction, so that scientific discovery, technological invention, industrial innovation and social progress can promote each other. On the environmental level, we should give priority to positive incentives, increase the proportion of long-term stable support for basic research, establish a scientific and reasonable salary system, significantly strengthen the construction of academic ethics and the education and training of scientific research norms, compact the legal and social responsibilities of relevant subjects, and continuously optimize the scientific research ecology.