Support and guidance for basic research a priority

Basic research is the fundamental source of scientific and technological innovation, and the foundation for China's technological self-reliance. As international competition in science and technology intensifies, the supporting role of basic research in technological innovation becomes increasingly prominent.

However, there are still major challenges China needs to address on the path to becoming a strong nation in science and technology, including a relatively low investment in basic research and researchers' inclination to follow their foreign peers.

Although China has been increasing its investment in basic research in recent years, it is still insufficient given the rapid expansion of the country's research teams. Moreover, the percentage of China's GDP spent on basic research funding is lower than that of some developed countries. In addition, the country relies too much on the central government for investment, while investment from other entities, including local governments and companies, remains modest.

When reviewing researchers' applications for promotions or funding, an excessive emphasis is placed on whether they have published papers in foreign journals, how many papers they have published, and the impact the journals have.

When deciding on the topic for research, many researchers tend to follow international trends. Some of them don't have a firm grasp of what basic research means and what are the major scientific problems that bear on the limits of human knowledge, or simply dare not try to solve them.

Some others don't make enough efforts to explore and address scientific and technological issues which are special to China.

To tackle these challenges, and ensure China becomes a strong nation in science and technology by 2035 as planned, the country needs to set out clear and specific requirements for steadily increasing the proportion that basic research investment takes up in its GDP, and improve the structure of the investment.

The funding system needs to be innovated. New patterns, such as crowd-funding, should be explored to encourage companies to invest in basic research. Companies should also be encouraged to establish awards in basic research and set up joint research funds with governments.

Regarding fund management, researchers should be given greater authority over how funds should be utilized. Additionally, it's necessary to improve the ownership system of research outcomes and the benefit sharing system of their commercialization, so that companies and other entities will remain active in making the investments.

More efforts are required to strengthen consensus among researchers. Authoritative documents such as policy papers and project guidelines should clarify the definition and boundaries of various activities, including basic research, applied basic research and technological development, and make sure frontline researchers and the management team form a unified and clear understanding.

Better allocation of resources is necessary for maintaining a balance between "organized research" and "free exploration".

Resources should be focused on organizing interdisciplinary teams to jointly tackle key technological challenges and meet the country's major and strategic needs. But resources for free exploration should also be guaranteed to better facilitate original innovation.

Different evaluation and long-term support systems are needed to create an inclusive and orderly environment for researchers.

"Organized research" is target oriented and aims to make technological breakthroughs, while "free exploration" focuses on outcomes in the long run and originality. The two kinds of research should be evaluated within different systems.

The country needs to follow the 15th Five-Year Plan and improve the management system and collaborative governance of basic research. It should strengthen top-level design, align its long-term development goals with cuttingedge scientific trends, and determine a number of research fields that are forward-looking and of strategic importance. Management of research projects should be improved to reduce administrative burden on researchers.

The influence of domestic journals is rising. As a result, when evaluating the academic achievements of researchers, the weight given to publications in excellent domestic journals should be gradually increased, thereby promoting the development of a sound and objective evaluation system.

A support system featuring "start, accelerate and break through" should be established for research in strategic and emerging fields. During the start-up phase, non-consensus projects should be encouraged to allow high-risk exploration. Later, as the research accelerates, more investment should go to projects which are showing strengths. When the projects enter a critical stage for making breakthroughs, they should be supported with a large amount of resources to promote original innovation.

Plans should be made to have different regions and entities collaborate in research projects and form a synergy for innovation. Efforts should be strengthened to create a safe-to-fail environment where researchers are encouraged to explore.

New types of international cooperation platforms for basic research should be established, and more projects open to researchers around the world are needed.

The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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