【Produced by Shentong Studio】
Written by: Reporter Fang Linlin
Intern Zhang Ruojia
Curator: He Yifang Linlin
Basic research ushered in a new era.
On the afternoon of February 21, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held the third collective study on strengthening basic research. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized when presiding over the study that strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and building a world scientific and technological power the only way.
At present, it has become a consensus that basic research is the source and foundation of the entire scientific system.
Only when the foundation is firmly laid can the science and technology enterprise building be built high.
On February 24, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang introduced at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office that in 2022, the expenditure on research and development of the whole society will exceed 3 trillion yuan for the first time, and the proportion of investment in basic research will exceed 6% for four consecutive years.
Ten years ago, these two figures were 1 trillion yuan and 4.8% respectively.
However, a fact that cannot be ignored is that for a long time, more than 90% of my country's basic research investment has come from the central government, and there is an urgent need to diversify the sources of funding.
At the same time, after the announcement of the first funded list in January 2023 of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" for basic research funded by public welfare funds, this 10-year funding of a total of 10 billion yuan has sparked widespread heated discussions in the community.
A reporter from the Science and Technology Daily found in the interview that basic research calls for more "from 0 to 1", and any new force that joins it - including new funding sources, new innovation subjects, and new evaluation mechanisms - will face high pressure. potential risks associated with the investment.
The reason why this seemingly "adventurous" decision can be made is, on the one hand, based on a rational judgment on China's scientific and technological development trend, and on the other hand, out of strong confidence in the Chinese scientific community.
Core technologies originate from original scientific discoveries
Almost without exception, all major core technologies that affect society and the world, and core technologies that ordinary people can see and touch come from original scientific discoveries.
Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of West Lake University, gave an example.
In 1975, two scientists, George Koehler and Caesar Milstein, found a method for preparing a monoclonal antibody in the laboratory. In 1984, the two scientists jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
They may not have expected that today, more than 30 years later, anti-tumor monoclonal antibody drugs have been widely used in clinical practice, and the annual sales of monoclonal antibody-based macromolecular drugs exceed 200 billion US dollars.
Shi Yigong is also the chairman of the scientific committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program".
He agrees with this judgment: At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing by leaps and bounds, interdisciplinary integration is constantly developing, scientific research paradigms are undergoing profound changes, science and technology and economic and social development are accelerating penetration and integration, and the transformation cycle of basic research is significantly shortened. Competition moves to the fundamental frontier.
Guo Tiecheng, deputy director of the China Institute of Scientific and Technological Information, emphasized in an interview with reporters: "When basic research enters no man's land, there is no object to track, so it is necessary to support people with pioneering ideas to pioneer and bravely complete the original work." 0 to 1 breakthrough."
Shi Yigong said: "The country has long realized that our scientific and technological innovation will finally have a major breakthrough, and it must be supported by basic research."
Guo Tiecheng believes that basic research is the source of technology and determines the stamina of innovation drive. Its scientific value, cultural value and social value are more fundamental, and can improve the spiritual vitality of the nation, the creativity of the society and the international credibility of the country.
Opening up the frontier requires more forces to go in the same direction
Shi Yigong said that if he can look back 25 years and get stable support, he will allocate time better.
"When I was young, most creative, and had the best memory, I would spend most of my energy and funds on more challenging frontier research," he said.
The reporter learned that under the guidance of the China Association for Science and Technology, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project", which has sparked heated discussions in the scientific community, is led by scientists and aims to support long-term and stable research in basic research fields such as mathematics and physical science, biology and medical science. Scientists boldly and freely explore and obtain original major innovations, thereby empowering future breakthroughs in my country's core technologies and the development of overall scientific and technological strength.
Among the 58 researchers selected for the first session, each person engaged in experimental research will receive a subsidy of no more than 5 million yuan per year, and that of theoretical research will not exceed 3 million yuan, all for 5 consecutive years.
After the 5-year period expires, you can continue to receive support after passing the assessment.
The maximum research funding of 25 million RMB can be obtained for 5 consecutive years, which is not a small amount in the field of basic research, and it is an important supplement to the central financial support.
Liu Ruochuan, a professor at Peking University and one of the first recipients of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program", shared his thoughts when participating in the dialogue on the theme of "Intellectuals".
"In the past one or two years, the combination of AI and mathematics has begun to increase. For example, mathematicians have cooperated with the DeepMind artificial intelligence team. AI can be used to help mathematicians to ask some questions, and sometimes even solve some problems. This has aroused my great interest. .”
He explained that mathematics is a subject that has been developed for one to two thousand years. Unlike experimental science, which can use large scientific devices to help solve problems, mathematics basically uses the brain.
With new AI tools, it may have a significant impact on the paradigm of mathematical research.
"I am very interested in this kind of combination, but it is impossible to learn AI from scratch. I must find some people with AI background to cooperate with me." Liu Ruochuan said frankly.
Taking people as the object of funding is in line with national conditions
From the perspective of global scientific research funding targets, the majority of funding targets are projects, but it is by no means a single form.
The other category is people as the object of funding.
Guo Tiecheng introduced that the catch-up state funding model focuses on projects, because the technical goals to be caught up are clear; while the leading state-funded projects focus more on supporters, because they are facing a large number of uninhabited areas, and there are few targets to catch up. Groundbreaking ideas are needed.
"The further our country develops, the fewer fields to catch up with, and the more fields to lead, the more important it is to support people." Guo Tiecheng pointed out that in general, the cost of basic research is not high, and it is a "wisdom-intensive" innovation , the sponsor's new ideas, new concepts, new ideas, new scientific routes, etc., are in line with the requirements of the new stage of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology.
The National Natural Science Foundation of China is a scientific research project organization and fund management institution with a long history of funding basic research in my country.
Its source of funds is mainly national financial investment, and various natural sciences regularly publish various project guidelines and organize evaluations.
Among them, the projects that support the free exploration of researchers include the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the Outstanding Youth Science Fund, and the Youth Science Fund.
Among them, the most famous one is the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars.
Practice has proved that the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars has become one of the effective and important ways to promote high-level outstanding young scientific and technological talents in my country, and batches of outstanding talents such as Bai Chunli, Chen Zhu, Li Jinghai, Li Jiayang, and Wang Zhixin have emerged. the scientist.
There are many ways to select talents in the world
In the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries, there are such projects with people as the object of funding.
The United States does a better job and is more familiar with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researcher system.
It provides stable funding support for scientists in the fields of life sciences and basic medicine, and encourages unrestrained free exploration.
At present, among the more than 300 scientists supported by the fund, more than 30 have won the Nobel Prize, with remarkable achievements.
Yu Hongtao, professor of West Lake University and former researcher of HHMI, has successfully become the first batch of funding recipients of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project".
In an interview with reporters, he compared the differences between the two plans.
HHMI requires applicants to become employees of this institution. After passing the review, they can receive about US$1.2 million in scientific research funding each year, including the salary of the scientist himself.
The "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" does not need to be employed by an academic institution designated by the Foundation, and can receive corresponding funding from the project-hosting unit. The funding is limited to scientific research expenses and does not include the scientist's personal salary.
The same thing is that both are used to fund expenditures in the process of scientific research.
Yu Hongtao emphasized that, compared with projects that include subsidizing the lives of scientists themselves, this type of plan aims to encourage scientists themselves to explore freely and provide them with the funds needed to realize original innovations from ideas to breakthroughs.
"Therefore, when applying for the 'New Cornerstone Researcher Program', the most important thing is to jump out of the existing framework and reflect the innovation of the project." Yu Hongtao explained that basic research is not the wider and more the better, but the deeper and more The newer the better, this is the current trend.
"Now someone needs to stand in the groundbreaking field. If there are too many people who expand on the basis of other people's original innovations and too few people who start new fields, the long-term scientific research layout will be out of balance." He said.
Guo Tiecheng summarized the selection mechanism of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" as a combination of "nomination system" + "self-recommendation system".
The nomination system is to first identify outstanding scientific and technological talents, and then the outstanding scientific and technological talents nominate candidates for funding; the self-recommendation system means that innovators recommend themselves without prior approval.
In fact, the Nobel Prize is a typical nomination system, that is, first identify some outstanding scientists with scientific taste and recognition ability, and invite them to nominate them worldwide. The role of scientific and technological personnel training is also conducive to the discovery of talents with advanced thinking.
Germany's Talent Scout Program also falls into this category.
The "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" adopts a combination of institutional nomination and self-declaration.
The judging panel consists of hundreds of outstanding scientists at home and abroad, and the final judging panel consists of 70 accomplished top scientists from all walks of life.
They conduct initial and final review of nearly 1,000 applications received.
The data shows that among the 58 first-batch candidates, 22 were self-declared and had no unit recommendation, accounting for nearly 40% of the candidates.
The scientific committee is very pleased with the results of not sticking to the recommendation of the institution and selecting more talents.
In addition to the nomination system and the self-recommendation system, within the scientific community, there are several ways to fund "people" that are worthy of further full practice in the future.
According to Guo Tiecheng, one is "scientific research customization". First, outstanding scientific and technological talents are selected through talent evaluation and other methods. There is no project guide. These outstanding scientific and technological talents independently explore research topics and customize scientific research projects after consultation.
This approach conforms to the characteristics of pioneering thinking, is suitable for independent exploration of original innovations and major innovations, and can open up new fields and new tracks.
There is also a kind of funding called "non-consensus funding", which means that during the project review process, the rule of "most scientific discoveries are initially grasped by a few people" is followed. If there is a disagreement in the first round of peer review, the review result is applied for reconsideration Finally, the principle of "majority obeys the minority" can be adopted for re-discussion, so that fantastic ideas that go beyond the norm will not be rejected at the beginning. " and other project standards, if passed, will be non-consensus funding.
"In essence, these funding methods are people-oriented, respect and support people's original innovative ideas, and are suitable for disruptive innovation and future technological innovation." Guo Tiecheng said.
my country's basic research investment is diversified
In the third collective study of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed: to steadily increase financial investment in basic research, encourage enterprises to increase investment through various methods such as tax incentives, and encourage social forces to set up scientific funds, scientific donations and other diversified inputs.
According to data from the website of the Foundation Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of my country, there are more than 8,000 foundations nationwide, focusing on relatively traditional education, medical care and health, poverty alleviation and development, and rarely focusing on scientific research and basic research.
In an interview with reporters, Wang Xiaoli, a researcher at the Shanghai Pasteur Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Biosafety Policy Research Center, introduced that as early as 2016, the six largest foundations in the United States focusing on basic research invested more than 7 billion US dollars in basic research. These include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan-Zuckerberg Science Initiative, the Simons Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Alfred Sloan Foundation and the Wellcome Trust meeting.
It is also reported that among the world's top biomedical research institutions, the Salk Institute for Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in the United States are all non-profit research and development institutions initiated by private donations. Mainly carry out basic research through donated funds and transformation of achievements into operating income (technology transfer, business incubation, etc.).
Our government's financial support for basic research is obvious to all, but with the development of our country's economy and society, entrepreneurs also need to assume such responsibilities.
"The 'New Cornerstone Researcher Project' is a new attempt in the field of basic research, and it is a very good example of social forces supporting basic research. I hope that in the future, an atmosphere will be formed in which social forces support basic research and original breakthroughs." Shi Yigong emphasized "The formation of such a social culture is very commendable."
The "injection" of social capital has conditions and challenges
In 2021, among the world's top 500 companies, the number of Chinese companies will reach 143, ranking first in the world.
According to the "2022 Hurun Global Rich List", China has 1,133 billionaires worth more than US$1 billion on the list, ranking first in the world.
From the perspective of wealth accumulation and donation potential, China has the prerequisites for developing charitable donations.
Such public welfare projects for basic research currently include the Scientific Exploration Award, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project", the Fanxing Science Fund of the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study of Zhejiang University, and the Special Fund for the Development of Public Health and Health Disciplines of Vanke of Tsinghua University.
Although there have been many dazzling practices, in general, the "injection" of social funds into the field of basic research still faces challenges.
In addition to the fact that the cultural atmosphere of social donation has not yet been developed, and the benefits of basic research donations are relatively narrow, Wang Xiaoli believes that the following aspects need to be improved.
First, the donation tax incentive policy is not perfect, and the donor’s carry-forward deduction (referring to the items that are allowed to be carried forward in the pre-tax deduction of corporate income tax) is less favorable; The "tax-exempt qualification" and "public welfare pre-tax deduction qualification" of non-profit organizations donated are not unified; third, private funds named after individuals have relatively high restrictions, and it is difficult to obtain registration; fourth, the salary and benefits of foundation staff and The administrative office expenditure shall not exceed 10% of the total expenditure of the year, which is far lower than the 30% of similar data of foreign developed country foundations.
For this reason, Wang Xiaoli suggested that in improving the financial incentive system for donating basic research, it is allowed to increase the proportion of pre-tax deduction, and to extend the carryover period for the insufficient deduction, while further simplifying the procedures for reporting and obtaining donation certificates; For the specific legal system arrangements for accepting donations, we should explore and improve the laws and regulations in the field of scientific and technological donations, and standardize the procedures, incentives, and supervision mechanisms for accepting donations for basic research; With a better understanding of the needs of research, the government can encourage and guide its leading donations to establish industry basic research funds, tap the upstream basic research needs of the industry, and enhance its internal motivation for public welfare donations.
At a time when my country's scientific and technological innovation has entered a new historical stage and social wealth is growing rapidly, many companies and individuals are willing to invest in basic scientific research out of long-term vision, international vision and public welfare.
Guo Tiecheng believes that according to the current deployment, our country will focus on the main line of producing major original achievements, and divide basic research into three categories: goal-oriented basic research, market-oriented applied basic research, and free exploration basic research. The role of the question maker, the answerer, and the examiner points out the direction for corporate funds to enter the field of basic research.
"In addition, cultivating various forms of private R&D funds and carrying out cooperation between public funds and private funds will also provide a broad space for social capital to participate in innovation." (Science and Technology Daily)