China News Service, Beijing, August 8 (Ma Shuisha) The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China jointly issued a notice on August 8, proposing a special action to reduce the burden on young researchers (burden reduction). Action 3.0).
The reporter learned from the Ministry of Science and Technology that this action focuses on young researchers who have few opportunities to emerge, narrow growth channels, frequent evaluations and assessments, and heavy transactional burdens, so as to ensure that they will focus their energy on scientific research.
Since 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant departments have carried out two rounds of special actions to reduce the burden on scientific researchers. On issues such as weight loss, information sharing, and crowdfunding and scientific reform, the second round focused on the deployment of results transformation, responsibility for scientific research personnel protection and incentives, services for new R&D institutions, and policy publicity.
Since the implementation of the burden reduction action, a series of remarkable results have been achieved.
The forms to be filled in for the national key R&D plan were reduced from 57 to 11, and the number of scientific research forms to be filled in was further reduced.
Scientific research units promote the digitization and paperlessization of scientific research funding reimbursement, and provide professional services for scientific research personnel in budget preparation, funding reimbursement, etc. , The pressure of sorting invoices and running financial materials has been effectively relieved.
For another example, all provinces and cities across the country have basically issued relevant documents on the reform of scientific and technological evaluation, and put forward requirements for cleaning up the "four uniques", especially the elimination of "thesis-only". The distribution and scientific research evaluation return to the scientific research law.
Tang Fuqiang, deputy director of the Department of Policy, Regulation and Innovation System Construction of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said that since the implementation of the two rounds of burden reduction actions, the burden reduction measures have been effectively implemented and positive results have been achieved. Solving the problem and reducing the burden on scientific researchers has become a bright spot in the field of science and technology to streamline administration and delegate power.
Xu Xiaoming, a professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, was deeply touched by the effect of reducing the burden.
He introduced that the University of Science and Technology Beijing has launched an online office system, and a large number of transactional tasks are handled through the online approval process, which effectively solves problems such as many tedious affairs; the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other projects are gradually implementing the contract system, and there is no need to make budget details. The bottleneck in the use of funds is broken, and scientific researchers can adjust the budget at any time according to the progress of scientific research, which is conducive to the implementation of projects and the implementation and transformation of results.
The first two rounds of burden reduction actions have been transformed into a normalized mechanism and continue to advance. The burden reduction action 3.0 will focus on young scientific researchers, and implement new measures in five aspects, such as taking the lead, increasing opportunities, reducing assessment, ensuring time, and strengthening body and mind.
Tang Fuqiang pointed out that the survey found that front-line young researchers are still facing difficulties such as difficulty in emerging, narrow growth channels, heavy evaluation and assessment pressure, heavy unnecessary transactional burdens, and heavy work and life anxiety.
"Young researchers have few opportunities to obtain scientific research funding, lack of stable funding, and it is difficult to focus on a certain direction to carry out long-term in-depth research, which is the most common problem reflected in the survey."
In response to the above problems, this special action proposes that the proportion of young talents under the age of 40 serving as project (project) leaders and backbones of the national key research and development plan should be increased to 20%; central-level public welfare scientific research institutes and central departments. The proportion of business expenses to fund young scientific researchers is generally not less than 50%; non-competitive scientific research funding support for not less than 5 years will be given to new doctoral graduates and postdoctoral fellows.
In addition, the burden reduction action 3.0 will also promote scientific research units to reduce the frequency of assessments for young researchers, and implement mid- and long-term assessments such as employment period assessments and project cycle assessments; Papers, achievements in transformation, etc. are all recognized as contributions, avoiding only signed results as the basis for evaluation and evaluation; ensuring that young full-time scientific researchers spend no less than 4/5 of their working days on scientific research, and young researchers are not required to participate Circumstances, entertainment activities, attendance at reception meetings, etc.
Xu Xiaoming said that from these specific measures, we can fully feel the state's care and support for young researchers.
Increasing the proportion of young talents in charge of national key R&D projects and backbones will have a positive role in cultivating young talents to overcome difficulties and shoulder heavy responsibilities, and will help my country build a scientific research team with a reasonable age structure; increase non-competitive funding support The ratio and guarantee of scientific research time will effectively guarantee the concentration of young researchers in scientific research.
In this special action, Xu Xiaoming is most concerned about how to eliminate the anxiety of young researchers in life and work.
According to the survey, due to the large gap between actual income, social status and expectations, coupled with the competition in scientific research and the pressure of life, many young researchers have become "green focus", and even have cognitive biases and psychological problems.
Tang Fuqiang said that in order to solve the problem that young researchers are anxious about their work and life, this action will strengthen career enlightenment training, equip high-level scientific research and entrepreneurial mentors, so that young researchers can avoid detours, and promote scientific research units to regularly organize psychological Counseling and coaching and cultural and sports activities.
For example, the Burden Reduction Action 3.0 clearly stated that young scientific researchers should be regularly organized to carry out mental health consultation and psychological counseling, so as to care for and solve the psychological anxiety of the majority of young scientific researchers.
"Only by solving the worries of young researchers and letting them stop worrying about their livelihood can stimulate their enthusiasm for scientific research, let them concentrate on academic research, and enhance the sense of acquisition and satisfaction of researchers." It is an effective measure to stimulate the enthusiasm of young researchers, and it is also everyone's expectation.
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