(Economic Observation) Forging a decade of sharpening the strength of China's scientific research, greatly "relaxing" powers
China News Service, Beijing, July 29 (Reporter Zhao Jianhua) China is reducing the restrictions on innovation. The government has greatly loosened and delegated powers, and the value of talents has become more and more prominent.
The executive meeting of the State Council held on July 28 deployed further reforms and improvements in the management of the central government's financial research funding, giving researchers greater funding management autonomy.
The government delegates power and talents benefit.
Professor Kang Chongqing, the winner of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and the dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University, and researcher Han Fengqin, director of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Science Research Center for Science and Technology Finance Theory and Policy, all expressed their performance on the information disclosed at the executive meeting of the State Council There was a lot of interest.
In recent years, China's science and technology has developed rapidly, but there are still many shortcomings.
The technical bottleneck of many industries is mainly due to the weakness of original innovation.
Basic research is the cornerstone of promoting original innovation and building a "high-rise" for technological and industrial development.
Whether to make up for shortcomings, do research, or break bottlenecks, there is no shortage of talents-thousands of scientific researchers.
Attracting and retaining talent is the key to the success or failure of innovation.
But for a long time, the enthusiasm of scientific researchers has been restricted by the incentive mechanism, and many people believe that "doing more and doing less is the same."
According to Han Fengqin, the current scientific research personnel’s support units are basically public institutions, and their wage income is low. Performance wages are restricted by the indirect costs of scientific research project management and the total performance wages. The income level is low and unstable. The dilemma of "money to do things, no money to eat".
If there is no merit, who can do scientific research with peace of mind?
Han Fengqin said that the state has carried out a "full chain decentralization" to scientific researchers this time.
From budgeting, to appropriation and use of funds, and auditing and supervision, they have become looser than ever before.
This delegation of authority directly refers to the key link: simplifying budgeting.
Implement a funding contract system for basic research and talent projects.
Increase incentives for scientific research personnel and increase the proportion of indirect expenses for scientific research projects. The expenses for "persons" in scientific research project funds can reach more than 50%.
For pure theoretical basic research projects such as mathematics, the indirect cost ratio can be increased to 60%.
Research institutes can use all indirect costs for performance expenditures.
At the same time, speed up the progress of the appropriation of project funds, and the funds shall be allocated to the undertaking unit within 30 days after the signing of the project mission statement.
Leading scientists independently determine research topics, scientific research teams, and funding use.
Except for special regulations, scientific and technological achievements and intellectual property rights generated by financial support are obtained by new research and development institutions in accordance with the law, and they independently decide to transform and promote applications.
Scientific research projects are equipped with scientific research financial assistants by relevant parties to provide professional services such as budgeting and reimbursement to reduce the transactional burden of scientific research personnel.
Kang Chongqing, who leads the team in scientific research, is deeply impressed by the contracted funding system and the "head fee" can account for more than 50%.
For scientific research projects that Kang Chongqing has done, the upper limit of the proportion of "head fee" is 10%.
After the project is approved, it can only hire talents at this "price".
Talents with high market prices, naturally please do not move.
In the past, there were restrictions on the proportion of equipment and travel expenses for scientific research on talent projects.
The hands and feet of scientific researchers are thus restricted.
"For example, how many meetings a year and a few business trips, who can predict everything in advance?" Kang Chongqing said that the future implementation of the contract system will be more reasonable, and scientific researchers will no longer have to spend too much time on project budgets.
There are specializations in the field of technology, budgeting, and reimbursement of funds. This is not the job of a scientific researcher.
Although the scientific research financial assistant system has been proposed for many years, it has not yet been implemented in many scientific research institutions. The key lies in who bears the labor costs of scientific research financial assistants. It is not clear.
Han Fengqin said that we should take advantage of this opportunity of the State Council's vigorous deregulation to further delegate power to scientific research units, clarify their responsibilities, urge them to implement relevant national policies in place, and encourage researchers to produce more high-level results.
With less restraint, increased disposal rights, and better treatment, both Kang Chongqing and Han Fengqin believe that this will enable more scientific researchers to have the perseverance and determination to "grind a sword in ten years" and increase original scientific research results and scientific output.
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