By Ma Mingjie, Research Team on "Study on Demand-oriented Beijing Fund Assistance Mechanism for Natural Sciences", Department of Techno-Economic Research, the DRC

Research Report No 182, 2015 (Total 4867)

Abstract:

"Demand-orientation" in basic research focuses its emphasis on solving economic and social problems instead of exploring new knowledge as the foremost goal. In giving financial assistance to demand-orientation basic research projects, funding agencies have to, apart from funding "interest-oriented basic research", add another function to providing funds for "demand-oriented research". Foreign experience shows that responding to short-and-medium term demand of national economic and social development for scientific research is not contradictory to the mission of basic research funding agencies. Demand-oriented research includes two types: "demand-oriented basic research" and "applied research". Since organization and polices for demand-oriented research differ from those of pure basic research, science foundation and other basic research funding agencies should accordingly adjust the funding recipients, standards, approaches, procedures to raise projects for discussion, and composition of expert committee for assessment of relevant projects when considering tasks and policies. In addition, scientific foundations should focus on frontier, interdisciplinary and transformative research projects while the share of demand-oriented research will not be large, and basic principles of "equal opportunity, fair competition, rules and procedures coming first" will be followed. Key words: basic research, demand-oriented, organization and policies