Better Bringing into Play the Role of Enterprises as the Main Body of Innovation

Enterprises are a vital force integrating science and technology with the economy, and a fresh force driving innovation and creation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Strengthen the principal position of enterprises in innovation, build innovation consortia with close upstream-downstream cooperation, promote integrated innovation in industry, academia, and research, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces." The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held in July 2024, focused on further deepening reforms in the context of Chinese modernization. laid out the reform task of building a system and mechanism that supports comprehensive innovation, and explicitly proposed "strengthening the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation." Presently, global scientific and technological innovation has entered a period of intense activity. To seize the development opportunities in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, countries around the world are increasing their investment in scientific and technological innovation. Technologies such as large AI models, synthetic biology, and brain-computer interfaces have continuously achieved breakthroughs. Observing these advances in frontier technologies, enterprises have always been at the key position in scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, boosting the cultivation and development of new quality productive forces [2]2 New quality productive forces: a concept proposed by Xi Jinping referring to advanced productivity driven by technological revolution and innovation, characterized by high quality, efficiency, and sustainability..

企业是科技和经济紧密结合的重要力量，是推动创新创造的生力军。习近平总书记强调：“强化企业创新主体地位，构建上下游紧密合作的创新联合体，促进产学研融通创新，加快科技成果向现实生产力转化。”党的二十届三中全会部署了构建支持全面创新体制机制改革任务，明确提出“强化企业科技创新主体地位”。当前，全球科技创新进入密集活跃期，为抢占新一轮科技革命和产业变革的发展先机，世界各国纷纷加大科技创新投入力度，人工智能大模型、合成生物、脑机接口等技术不断取得突破性进展。观察这些前沿技术进步，企业始终处在科技创新、产业创新的关键位置，助推着新质生产力的培育和发展。

Main Mechanisms for Enterprises to Play Their Role as the Principal Body of Innovation

企业发挥创新主体作用的主要机理

Enterprises are the behavioral subjects of the market and the objects of the market mechanism. In the process of transforming scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces, enterprises play the role of knowledge production and achievement transformation. Continuously consolidating the principal position of enterprises in innovation is conducive to achieving original innovation "from 0 to 1" [3]3 "From 0 to 1" and "from 1 to 100" are common Chinese metaphors for original breakthrough innovations and their scaling up to industrial application. and industrial implementation "from 1 to 100" [3]3 "From 0 to 1" and "from 1 to 100" are common Chinese metaphors for original breakthrough innovations and their scaling up to industrial application., forming a competitive open innovation ecosystem, accelerating the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and seizing the opportunities in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.

企业是市场的行为主体和市场机制的作用对象。在科技成果转化为现实生产力的过程中，企业发挥着知识生产和成果转化的作用。持续夯实企业创新主体地位，有利于实现“从0到1”的原始创新、“从1到100”的产业落地，形成具有竞争力的开放创新生态，加快推动科技创新和产业创新深度融合，抢占新一轮科技革命和产业变革先机。

Promoting the co-evolution of scenario-driven and technology iteration, accelerating the emergence of original and disruptive achievements. Scientific and technological innovation is the core element of new quality productive forces [2]2 New quality productive forces: a concept proposed by Xi Jinping referring to advanced productivity driven by technological revolution and innovation, characterized by high quality, efficiency, and sustainability.. To cultivate and develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, especially original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation "from 0 to 1" [3]3 "From 0 to 1" and "from 1 to 100" are common Chinese metaphors for original breakthrough innovations and their scaling up to industrial application.. Strengthening independent innovation and breaking through key core technologies is not only the foundation for enterprise growth and expansion but also a key driver for promoting the emergence of original and disruptive innovation. On the one hand, taking enterprises as the main body and jointly establishing innovation consortia and innovation alliances with universities and research institutes can effectively promote industry-university-research integration, realizing a full-chain innovation from source innovation, achievement transformation to industrial application. On the other hand, leading enterprises focus on the development of underlying technologies, while small and medium-sized enterprises focus on building application scenarios. The integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises facilitates feedback from problems discovered in application to technology development, driving technology iteration through scenario-driven evolution. For example, in the field of artificial intelligence, the competitive landscape of large enterprises is accelerating formation, while the participation of entities such as universities, research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises can accelerate technology maturation, opening up the channel from strong science and technology to strong enterprises, strong industries, and a strong economy.

促进场景驱动与技术迭代共生演进，加速原创性颠覆性成果竞相涌现。科技创新是新质生产力的核心要素，培育和发展新质生产力必须加强科技创新，特别是“从0到1”的原创性颠覆性科技创新。强化自主创新、突破关键核心技术，既是企业发展壮大的根本，也是推进原创性颠覆性创新涌现的关键驱动。一方面，以企业为主体联合高等院校、科研院所等组建创新联合体、创新联盟，可有效推进产学研一体化，实现从源头创新、成果转化到产业应用的全链条创新；另一方面，领军企业侧重新技术的底座开发，中小企业侧重应用场景的搭建，大中小企业融通发展有利于将应用中所发现的问题反馈至技术开发，以场景驱动技术迭代演进。例如，在人工智能领域，大企业竞争格局加速形成，而高校、科研院所、中小企业等主体的参与能够加速推动技术成熟，打通从科技强到企业强、产业强、经济强的通道。

Promoting the efficient linkage between scientific discovery and technology transformation, accelerating the deep integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain. Promoting the deep integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain is an important way to build a modern industrial system and an inevitable choice for promoting high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. This requires efficient linkage between frontier scientific discoveries and technological innovation transformation, opening up the chain from basic research to technology application. As the direct subjects of resource allocation and factor integration, enterprises are the main participants in economic activities and the main drivers of technological progress, and they are the most rapid and sensitive to market demands. Bringing into play the role of enterprises as the main body of innovation allows scientific and technological innovation to better face actual demands, and to promote the evolution of scientific and technological achievements into engineering, commercialization, and industrialization at the fastest speed. For example, in the development of synthetic biology, frontier scientific discoveries are inseparable from universities and research institutes, while the transformation of technological innovation is completed by numerous enterprises.

促进科学发现与技术转化高效衔接，加速推进创新链产业链深度融合。促进创新链产业链深度融合是构建现代化产业体系的重要途径，亦是推动高水平科技自立自强的必然选择，这要求科学前沿发现和技术创新转化高效衔接，打通从基础研究到技术应用的链条。企业作为资源配置和要素整合的直接主体，是经济活动的主要参与者以及技术进步的主要推动者，对于市场需求的反应最为迅速也最为灵敏。发挥企业创新主体作用，能够让科技创新更好地面向现实需求，以最快速度推动科技成果向工程化、商业化、产业化演进。例如，在合成生物学发展过程中，科学前沿发现离不开高校科研院所，而技术创新转化则由众多企业完成。

Promoting technology upgrading and standard leadership, enhancing the overall efficiency of the innovation system. The competition of innovation systems and the enhancement of innovation efficiency are not only reflected in the "hard breakthroughs" of key core technologies but also in the "soft improvement" of standard leadership. Lacking discourse power in standards will weaken global innovation competitiveness. Enterprises promote the patenting of technology, the standardization of patents, and the globalization of standards, playing an important role in leading industrial upgrading and enhancing the efficiency of the national innovation system. For example, in the field of brain science, while planning and deploying industrial development, the United States, the European Union, Japan, etc., all clarify the position of enterprises as important promoters in areas such as technology application, industrial innovation, and scenario building, strengthening the role of enterprises as explorers, organizers, and leaders of innovation development, and better constructing technological advantages.

促进技术升级和标准引领，提升创新体系整体效能。创新体系的竞争和创新效能的提升不仅体现在关键核心技术的“硬突破”，也体现在标准引领的“软提升”，缺少标准话语权，将会削弱全球创新竞争力。企业推动着技术专利化、专利标准化、标准全球化，在引领产业升级、提升国家创新体系效能等方面发挥着重要作用。例如，在脑科学领域，美国、欧盟、日本等在规划部署产业发展的同时，均明确企业作为技术应用、产业创新、场景搭建等领域重要推动者的地位，强化企业作为创新发展探索者、组织者、引领者的作用，更好地构筑技术优势。

Effective Pathways to Better Bring into Play the Role of Enterprises as the Main Body of Innovation

更好发挥企业创新主体作用的有效路径

Scientific and technological innovation is the source of industrial innovation, and industrial innovation is the carrier of scientific and technological innovation. Enterprises are both the birthplace of original technologies and the promoters of industrial innovation. Only by better bringing into play the role of enterprises as the main body of innovation can we promote the organic connection of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain, and promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.

科技创新是产业创新的源头，产业创新是科技创新的载体，企业既是原创技术的策源地，也是产业创新的推动者。更好地发挥企业创新主体作用，才能推动创新链产业链资金链人才链有机衔接，促进科技创新和产业创新深度融合。

Supporting enterprises to participate in major scientific and technological innovation projects. Focus on key core technology areas such as new-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, and biomedicine. Guide enterprises to increase R&D investment, especially in basic research, to structurally raise the intensity of basic research and enhance original innovation capability from the source. Fully release the vitality and motivation of private enterprises in innovation, support private enterprises to participate in the construction of strategic scientific and technological forces such as national laboratories and major scientific and technological infrastructure, establish access and exit mechanisms for private enterprises to participate in the construction of strategic scientific and technological forces, improve the new-type nationwide system for mobilizing resources for scientific and technological innovation [4]4 New-type nationwide system for mobilizing resources for scientific and technological innovation: a mechanism combining state planning with market forces to concentrate resources on strategic technological tasks, emphasizing enterprise-led innovation., perfect the national innovation system, and enhance overall innovation efficiency. Continuously optimize the innovation environment, form a good atmosphere that advocates and encourages innovation, establish fault-tolerance and incentive mechanisms, and reduce enterprise innovation risks.

支持企业参与重大科技创新攻关。聚焦新一代信息技术、人工智能、新能源、新材料、高端装备、生物医药等关键核心技术领域，引导企业加大研发投入力度，尤其是加大基础研究领域投入，从结构上提高基础研究强度，从源头上提升原始创新能力。充分释放民营企业创新的活力和动力，支持民营企业参与国家实验室、重大科技基础设施等战略科技力量建设，建立民营企业参与战略科技力量建设的准入和退出机制，健全科技创新新型举国体制，完善国家创新体系，提升整体创新效能。持续优化创新环境，形成崇尚创新、鼓励创新的良好氛围，建立容错激励机制，降低企业创新风险。

Building an integrated innovation ecosystem led by enterprises. Integrate and optimize innovation resources, promote the concentration of innovation factors in enterprises, and cultivate a number of market entities such as science and technology leading enterprises and flagship enterprises. Better leverage the role of leading enterprises, encourage leading enterprises to take the lead in establishing innovation organizations such as innovation centers, innovation consortia, and innovation alliances, support collaborative innovation among entities such as universities, research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the industry chain, establish and improve a long-term mechanism for the integration of industry, academia, research, and application, and form an integrated innovation ecosystem. Use government industrial funds to drive social investment, continuously strengthen "patient capital," and support small and medium-sized science and technology enterprises to grow bigger and stronger. At the same time, improve the scientific and technological innovation incubation system, optimize the full-chain incubation model of maker spaces, incubators, accelerators, and industrial parks, improve the batch cultivation system for enterprises, and form a pattern of collaborative innovation among large, medium, and small enterprises.

构建企业牵头的融通创新生态。整合优化创新资源，推动创新要素向企业集聚，培育一批科技型领军企业、龙头企业等市场主体。更好地发挥领军企业的作用，鼓励领军企业牵头组建创新中心、创新联合体、创新联盟等创新组织业态，支持产业链上下游的高校、科研院所、中小企业等主体协同创新，建立健全产学研用一体化长效机制，形成融通创新的生态。以政府产业基金带动社会投资，持续壮大“耐心资本”，支持中小科技型企业做大做强。同时，完善科技创新孵化体系，优化众创空间、孵化器、加速器、产业园区等全链条孵化模式，健全企业梯次培育体系，形成大中小企业协同创新的格局。

Guiding enterprises to lead and participate in standard setting. Fully leverage the important role of enterprises in standard setting, raise the strategic awareness of standardization development, systematically promote leading enterprises, flagship enterprises, and other qualified enterprises to become standard innovation enterprises, carry out intellectual property layout and standard creation work, simultaneously advance enterprise organizational innovation, technological innovation, and market innovation, and focus on enhancing the soft power of enterprise competition. Promote enterprises to take the lead in establishing patent pools and conducting patent navigation, guide enterprises to strengthen the construction of essential international standard patents, and promote the transformation of more independent intellectual property innovation achievements into group, industry, and national standards. Leverage the bridge and bond role of business associations and chambers of commerce, based on local opening-up advantages, actively participate in international standardization work, and when technologies, equipment, and products go global, promote the overseas application of standards, effectively supporting enterprises to participate in the formulation and revision of international standards and advanced standards.

引导企业主导和参与标准制定。充分发挥企业在标准制定中的重要作用，提高标准化发展的战略意识，系统化体系化推动领军企业、龙头企业等有条件的企业成为标准创新型企业，开展知识产权布局及标准创制工作，同步推进企业组织创新、技术创新和市场创新，着力提升企业竞争软实力。推动企业牵头建立专利池、开展专利导航，引导企业加强国际标准必要专利建设，推动更多拥有自主知识产权的创新成果转化为团体、行业、国家标准。发挥商协会桥梁纽带作用，立足地方开放优势，积极参与国际标准化工作，在技术、装备、产品走出去时，推动标准的海外应用，有力支持企业参与制定修订国际标准、先进标准。

(Authors: Pan Jiadong and Xiao Suping, both are Distinguished Research Fellows of the Zhejiang Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and respectively Associate Professor and Lecturer at the Party School of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC.)

（作者：潘家栋 肖素萍，均系浙江省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员，分别系浙江省委党校副教授、讲师）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧