Survey on the collective resignation of more than 90 scientific researchers: how many mysteries remain to be solved

  Author: Machen Chen Lin Chun Ting

  A person familiar with the nuclear energy industry told the CBN reporter that the key reason for the more than 90 researchers who chose to resign collectively may be that they hope to quickly industrialize the current scientific research results through the science and technology innovation board.

  The news that more than 90 people from the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology of the Hefei Institute of Material Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences") have collectively resigned, not only aroused the attention of the outside world, but also set off a fierce response in the Chinese nuclear energy industry.

  On July 21, the Chinese Academy of Sciences website announced that in order to implement the spirit of the important instructions of the central leadership, Liu He, the vice premier of the State Council, listened to the report of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and requested the General Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units to establish a special working group. The Hefei Institute of Material Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted an in-depth investigation on the employee resignation incident of its affiliated research institute. There is no conclusion yet.

  Regarding the "collective resignation incident," the nuclear energy industry is more focused on the direction of the research and development of new nuclear reactors of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its positioning in the entire industry. This new type of nuclear reactor is the "lead-bismuth cooling reactor" being developed by the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences-commonly known as "Nuclear Power Treasure" in the institute.

  However, many people in the industry told CBN reporters that the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences currently lacks actual combat experience, making it difficult for the nuclear reactor to be engineered in the future. And this may be one of the important reasons for collective resignation.

  Resignation mystery

  There are divergent opinions on the reasons for the collective resignation of these 90 researchers. To sum up, there are these speculations: the treatment issue, the Hefei Institute of Material Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences forcibly replaced the security guard, and the new dean of the Hefei Institute of Material Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Liu Jianguo carried out drastic reforms.

  However, a person familiar with the nuclear energy industry told the CBN reporter that the key reason for the more than 90 scientific researchers who chose to resign collectively may be that they hope to quickly industrialize the current scientific research results through the science and technology innovation board.

  According to the People's Daily, after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in March 2011, domestic experts called for attention to basic research on nuclear safety. Under the continuous promotion of the two former presidents of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Lu Yongxiang and Academician Bai Chunli, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' strategic pilot technology project was launched. Wu Yican's research team is responsible for the "Lead-bismuth Cooling Reactor" project. In September of the same year, the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was unveiled, and Wu Yican was appointed as the person in charge of preparations.

  The "Wu Yican research team" mentioned in the above report refers to the FDS Zhongke Fenglin team.

  However, whether the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the FDS Zhongke Fenglin team are the same team is still difficult to confirm based on publicly available information. The two institutions have their own official websites, but both the director and team founder are Wu Yican, and their research fields and directions almost overlap.

  The official website of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced Zhongke Fenglin as follows: Zhongke Fenglin began in 1986, mainly engaged in the research and development of advanced nuclear systems and related safety technology research. It originated from the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and has developed into Ruihua, Zhongke Superfine, Zhongke Chaoan, Zhongke Shijin and other companies are technology industrialization platforms, and multidisciplinary research teams established in close cooperation with many domestic and foreign scientific research institutions. The key research areas include neutron physics, Advanced fission nuclear energy, fusion nuclear energy, cross application of nuclear technology, etc. The foundation of Zhongke Fenglin is the "FDS team" jointly formed by multiple units, with more than 600 core members.

  The official website of Zhongke Fenglin introduced this in the "Team Overview": Fenglin Nuclear started in 1986 and originated from the FDS Advanced Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Technology Research Team. It is mainly engaged in the research and development of advanced nuclear systems and technology industry transformation. Jing, Zhongke Shijin, Zhongke Ruihua, Zhongke Super Nuclear and other companies are technology industrialization platform technology groups, focusing on nuclear medicine and applications, cross-application of nuclear energy and nuclear technology, and technology software development.

  From the content point of view, the "Fenglin Nuclear" introduced on the official website of China Science and Technology Fenglin and the Chinese Academy of Sciences nuclear safety have a high degree of overlap. Moreover, the buildings on the right side of the head pictures of these two official websites are the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  However, on July 22, a reporter from China Business News opened the official website of Zhongke Fenglin and found that many columns could not be opened. For example, "Zhongke Fenglin Recruitment Guide for 2020 ~ 2021" column.

  Interestingly, on October 10, 2019, the official website of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also posted a similar recruitment information, but the name was "Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences·Fenglin Team Recruitment Guide".

  This information shows: In terms of salary and benefits, provide welfare housing or revolving apartment, except for national statutory holidays, enjoy two concentrated vacations a year, and implement "basic salary + performance salary + housing subsidy + project award + special award + performance award + Achievement rewards + year-end rewards" system provides on-the-job further study opportunities with generous remuneration.

  Some netizens said: This group of more than 90 people who left the nuclear institute collectively left the national cadre establishment and became a member of the Zhongke Fengqi team. They joined Zhongke Fengqi, Zhongke Ruihua, and Zhongke Super Precision. , Zhongke Chaoan, Zhongke Shijin and other companies.

  In recent years, the talents of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been draining. The relevant person in charge of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently introduced to the media that in 2018, the talent team of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has grown from an initial more than 50 people to more than 500 people, but in 2019 there were only 200 people. After more than 90 people resigned in 2020, There are about 100 people left.

  On July 21, when a reporter from China Business News called the relevant person in charge of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on this issue, the other party hung up on the grounds that "it is not convenient to answer the phone now." On July 22, the reporter called the other party again, but no one answered the call.

  So far, the relationship between the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the FDS Zhongke Fenglin team is a mystery to be solved.

  Gains and losses

  "The Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is not the same as our common nuclear safety. But with the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, they have successively built radiotherapy equipment and small nuclear reactors." An industry insider told China Business News reporter.

  Another industry insider told the CBN reporter that the original nuclear reactor being developed by the Institute is not the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the position of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is also unclear. "The industry knows that it is unrealistic to develop new types of reactors and at the same time engineering them like this newly established company."

  According to the vision of the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this small nuclear power reactor can be packed in a container and can be moved at the same time. It will be used inland to provide energy in the future. At present, China National Nuclear Corporation, China General Nuclear Power Corporation and State Power Investment Corporation are also developing small nuclear power reactors, and plan to use them at sea, that is, offshore nuclear power plants.

  However, CBN reporters learned from the three major nuclear power groups that the small nuclear power reactor technologies they developed were based on years of mature pressurized water reactor technology, not the lead-bismuth cooling reactor developed by the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  A reporter from China Business News learned during the interview that for engineering purposes, the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences had negotiated cooperation with two of the nuclear power groups. But the cooperation was not reached in the end.

  Regarding the failure of cooperation, one of the insiders revealed to a reporter from China Business News that this was because the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences had not positioned itself well. "As a research institution, what the Chinese Academy of Sciences has to do for nuclear safety is the conceptual design of the nuclear reactor, not the entire industrial chain. Therefore, they have not negotiated with the two nuclear power groups."

  It is worth noting that many people in the nuclear energy industry told the CBN reporter that it will take a long time for the lead-bismuth cooling reactor to be engineered, and there are many technical bottlenecks that need to be broken through. "In general, there is still a lot of uncertainty about when this small nuclear reactor, known as the'nuclear power treasure', will be successfully developed and engineered." Some of them said.

  After failing to cooperate with the two major nuclear power groups, did the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences find other ways, such as social capital, to engineer the small nuclear power reactor projects it is developing? This is also currently a mystery to be solved.

  There is a view that, from the perspective of the national industry-university-research policy, research institutions are allowed to start companies and start businesses. However, if research institutions plan a group of people into their own companies, and then find a fuse to choose collective resignation, the nature is changed. As the country’s highest research institution, the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is worth pondering on how to serve the country’s nuclear energy development.

  Based on public information and interviews with CBN reporters, among the more than 90 people who resigned collectively, Zhao Zhumin, Hu Liqin, Hu Juping and others are legal representatives of companies established outside the Institute of Nuclear Safety of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. There are a group of people.

  A reporter from China Business News found that Hu Juping was the legal representative of at least 7 companies with the four characters "Zhongke Fengqi" through Tianyan Check. Another company named Zhongke Fengqi Technology Co., Ltd. is 100% controlled by Haimet (Beijing) Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. The actual controllers of the latter are Zou Wei and Cai Huachun, and they do not belong to other Zhongke departments. So, what is the relationship between Zhongke Fengqi Technology Co., Ltd. and the other seven companies with the four characters "Zhongke Fengqi"?

  It seems that the bullet in this mystery will have to fly for a while.