Strengthening the Leading Role of Science and Technology Leading Enterprises in Tackling Key Core Technologies

With the accelerated evolution of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, international scientific and technological competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the world’s major innovative powers are all vying to seize the commanding heights of science and technology. The Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, deliberated and approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2025, focusing on further deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. The “Proposal” mentioned here is a key document outlining the strategic direction for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030)., explicitly sets “a substantial increase in the level of scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening” as one of the main goals for China’s economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period [2]2 The 15th Five-Year Plan refers to China’s national economic and social development plan for the period 2026-2030.. It proposes strengthening original innovation and tackling key core technologies, emphasizing “coordinating the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces to enhance systematic tackling capabilities” and “cultivating and strengthening science and technology leading enterprises, supporting high-tech enterprises and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises.” As an important component of national strategic scientific and technological forces, science and technology leading enterprises possess prominent advantages such as high levels of technological innovation, ample reserves of scientific and technological talent, and strong industrial leadership capabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the leading role of science and technology leading enterprises in tackling key core technologies, especially their leading role in four aspects: innovation decision-making, R&D investment, tackling cooperation, and achievement transformation. This is not only an inevitable choice for responding to the current situation of international scientific and technological competition but also a strategic measure to accelerate the construction of a leading country in science and technology, achieve a high level of scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, and win the battle to tackle key core technologies.

随着新一轮科技革命和产业变革加速演进，国际科技竞争日益激烈，世界主要创新大国都在竞相争夺科技制高点。党的二十届四中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》明确将“科技自立自强水平大幅提高”作为“十五五”时期我国经济社会发展的主要目标之一，提出加强原始创新和关键核心技术攻关，强调“统筹国家战略科技力量建设，增强体系化攻关能力”，“培育壮大科技领军企业，支持高新技术企业和科技型中小企业发展”。科技领军企业作为国家战略科技力量的重要组成部分，具备技术创新水平高、科技人才储备足、产业引领能力强等突出优势。因此，要强化科技领军企业在关键核心技术攻关中的引领作用，尤其是其在创新决策、研发投入、攻关合作、成果转化四个方面的引领作用。这不仅是应对当前国际科技竞争态势的必然选择，更是加快建设科技强国、实现高水平科技自立自强、打赢关键核心技术攻坚战的战略举措。

1. Strengthen the Leading Role of Science and Technology Leading Enterprises in Innovation Decision-Making, and Improve the Demand-Driven Decision-Making Mechanism

1.强化科技领军企业在创新决策中的引领作用，健全需求牵引的决策机制

Enterprises are at the forefront of industrial practice and market competition. Science and technology leading enterprises not only grasp the cutting-edge technologies of the industry but also keenly perceive technological change trends and future market demands. Science and technology leading enterprises should be positioned as the “source proposers” of major technological needs, fully leveraging their role as “question-setters,” and improving the demand-driven decision-making mechanism for tackling key core technologies. This ensures that the goals and directions of tackling key core technologies can always focus on major strategic needs and anchor on real technological bottlenecks, avoiding the “two separate skins” phenomenon of technology supply and industrial demand. Promote science and technology leading enterprises to become the proposers of the direction for tackling key core technologies, strengthen the rapid response to the urgent technological needs of science and technology leading enterprises, and encourage and guide them to take the lead in proposing projects for tackling key core technologies. Promote science and technology leading enterprises to take the lead in undertaking major national strategic scientific and technological tasks, establish a regular communication mechanism for participating in key core technology decision-making, and increase their voice in activities such as the formulation of science and technology plans, the refinement of scientific and technological tackling tasks, and project consultation and demonstration. Increase the proportion of key core technology tackling projects led by science and technology leading enterprises, and increase the number of experts from such enterprises in expert databases. Promote science and technology leading enterprises to jointly draw up tackling task lists with the government and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, reducing the risk of “market failure” caused by information asymmetry. At the same time, the government should provide support through various means such as targeted entrusted projects, strengthening the dominant position of science and technology leading enterprises in key core technology innovation decision-making. Leverage the “shock absorber” role of science and technology insurance by providing risk compensation in areas such as identification of technology directions and selection of technology routes, thereby enhancing the confidence of science and technology leading enterprises in participating in innovation decision-making.

企业处于产业实践和市场竞争的最前沿。科技领军企业不仅掌握行业的前沿技术，更能敏锐洞察技术变革趋势与未来市场需求。应将科技领军企业定位为重大技术需求的“策源者”，充分发挥科技领军企业“出题人”作用，健全需求牵引的关键核心技术攻关决策机制，从而确保关键核心技术攻关目标和攻关方向能够始终聚焦重大战略需求、锚定真实技术瓶颈，避免技术供给与产业需求“两张皮”。推动科技领军企业成为关键核心技术攻关方向的提出者，强化对科技领军企业紧迫技术需求的快速响应，鼓励和引导科技领军企业牵头提出关键核心技术攻关项目。推动科技领军企业牵头承担国家重大战略科技任务，建立常态化参与关键核心技术决策的沟通机制，提高科技领军企业在科技规划编制、科技攻关任务凝练、项目咨询论证等活动中的话语权。提高科技领军企业牵头承担关键核心技术攻关项目的比例，增加专家库中科技领军企业专家的数量。推动科技领军企业联合政府及产业链上下游企业共同绘制攻关任务清单，降低因信息不对称导致的“市场失灵”风险。同时，政府应通过定向委托项目等多种方式予以支持，强化科技领军企业在关键核心技术创新决策中的主体地位。发挥科技保险的“减震器”作用，通过对技术方向识别、技术路线选择等方面给予风险补偿，提高科技领军企业参与创新决策的信心。

2. Strengthen the Leading Role of Science and Technology Leading Enterprises in R&D Investment, and Increase the Intensity of Technology R&D Investment

2.强化科技领军企业在研发投入中的引领作用，加大技术研发投入力度

Compared with ordinary enterprises, science and technology leading enterprises have a stronger willingness to conduct R&D, can bear higher R&D expenditures, and play an irreplaceable role in addressing the challenges of high investment and long cycles brought about by tackling key core technologies. Guidance and support should be provided for science and technology leading enterprises to continuously increase R&D investment in key areas. On the one hand, establish and improve a long-term mechanism for sustained R&D investment by science and technology leading enterprises. Link the intensity of R&D investment with policy support, incentivizing science and technology leading enterprises to continuously invest resources in R&D activities. Enhance the supply of original innovation sources from science and technology leading enterprises, and increase the proportion of basic research in R&D investment. Support science and technology leading enterprises in building high-level R&D platforms such as national key laboratories and national technology innovation centers. Increase the openness of scientific instruments and equipment, major scientific and technological infrastructure, and patent basic information resources from universities and research institutes to science and technology leading enterprises. Support science and technology leading enterprises in establishing overseas R&D institutions, utilizing advantages in overseas talent, technology, and environment to conduct R&D activities. On the other hand, comprehensively utilize fiscal, tax, financial, and other policy tools to incentivize enterprises to continuously increase R&D investment. Promote the shift of R&D investment by science and technology leading enterprises from “passive response” to “active planning,” and explore the establishment of an R&D reserve fund system. Strengthen fiscal subsidies for science and technology leading enterprises, providing direct financial support based on the classification and grading of enterprise R&D expenditure. Further increase the proportion of additional deduction for R&D expenses of science and technology leading enterprises, explore including more types of R&D activities in the scope of additional deduction, and strive to reduce the R&D tax burden on enterprises. Strengthen science and technology financial support, and enhance the application of new science and technology financial policy tools such as the enterprise innovation points system [3]3 The enterprise innovation points system is a policy tool that uses quantitative indicators (innovation points) to evaluate and incentivize enterprise innovation activities, often linked to financial support and preferential policies.. Promote the joint construction of a multi-level science and technology financial service ecosystem by the government, technology-based enterprises, financial institutions, venture capital funds, and third-party intermediary service institutions. Promote the establishment of seed funds and science and technology innovation funds by the government or state-owned investment funds in conjunction with social capital, increasing the investment intensity in the R&D of science and technology leading enterprises.

相较于一般企业，科技领军企业具有更强的研发意愿，能够承担更高额的研发支出，在应对关键核心技术攻关带来的高投入、长周期等挑战时具有不可替代的作用。应引导和支持科技领军企业聚焦重点领域持续加大研发投入力度。一方面，建立健全科技领军企业持续研发投入的长效机制。推动研发投入强度与政策支持挂钩，激励科技领军企业将资源持续投向研发活动。增强科技领军企业原始创新源头供给，提高基础研究在研发投入中的占比。支持科技领军企业建设国家重点实验室、国家技术创新中心等高能级研发平台。加大高校、科研院所的科学仪器设备、重大科技基础设施和专利基础信息资源向科技领军企业开放力度。支持科技领军企业建立海外研发机构，利用海外人才、技术及环境等优势开展研发活动。另一方面，综合利用财税、金融等政策工具，激励企业持续加大研发投入。推动科技领军企业研发投入从“被动响应”转向“主动规划”，探索建立研发准备金制度。加强对科技领军企业的财政补助，按照企业研发经费投入分类分档给予直接资金支持。进一步提高科技领军企业研发费用加计扣除的比例，探索将更多类型的研发活动纳入加计扣除范围，着力降低企业的研发税负。加强科技金融支持，强化企业创新积分制等新型科技金融政策工具的应用。推动政府、科技型企业、金融机构、创业投资基金、第三方中介服务机构等共建多层次科技金融服务生态体系。推动政府或国资投资基金联合社会资本设立种子基金、科创基金，加大对科技领军企业研发的投资力度。

3. Strengthen the Leading Role of Science and Technology Leading Enterprises in Tackling Cooperation, and Build Industry-University-Research Innovation Consortia

3.强化科技领军企业在攻关合作中的引领作用，构建产学研创新联合体

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes, “Science and technology leading enterprises must leverage their advantages in market demand, integrated innovation, and organizational platforms to open up the channel from strong science and technology to strong enterprises, strong industries, and a strong economy.” Science and technology leading enterprises possess both a sense of the big picture and mission to serve the national strategy and the coordination and mobilization advantages to promote organized scientific research tackling. Therefore, it is necessary to guide science and technology leading enterprises to bravely shoulder heavy burdens and take the lead, targeting “bottleneck” technical problems and cutting-edge fields of science and technology, actively undertaking national scientific and technological tackling tasks, taking the lead in forming systematic, task-oriented innovation consortia, and jointly conducting collaborative tackling with universities, research institutes, and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain. Leverage the dominant position of science and technology leading enterprises in innovation consortia, enhancing their autonomy in areas such as technology roadmap planning, member selection, project fund allocation, and resource scheduling. Centered on the goals of tackling key core technologies, fully leverage the industrial chain coordination and system integration functions of science and technology leading enterprises, enhance the enthusiasm of participating members, and promote resource sharing and complementary advantages. At the same time, by constructing market-oriented and institutionalized tackling cooperation governance mechanisms, strive to overcome “organizational failure” problems such as “free-riding.” Strengthen regular communication among participants in joint tackling, establishing an organizational coordination mechanism led by science and technology leading enterprises; clarify the functional responsibilities of participants in joint tackling, establishing task division and performance assessment mechanisms; promote the equity-based and entity-based operation of innovation consortia, build a community of shared interests, strengthen intellectual property management, and establish a mechanism for distributing the benefits of technological tackling achievements; increase the fault tolerance rate for innovation failure, strengthen regular risk monitoring, and establish risk assessment and risk-sharing mechanisms. Strengthen cross-regional joint tackling cooperation, strive to break through market and institutional barriers, and promote the flow of innovation elements on a larger scale. Encourage science and technology leading enterprises to “go global,” actively integrate into the global innovation network, and enhance their voice and influence in the global innovation system. Carry out high-level international technical cooperation, build open joint innovation entities, and form an open innovation ecosystem with deep integration of industry, academia, and research led by science and technology leading enterprises.

习近平总书记强调，“科技领军企业要发挥市场需求、集成创新、组织平台的优势，打通从科技强到企业强、产业强、经济强的通道”。科技领军企业既拥有服务国家战略的大局观、使命感，又具备推动有组织科研攻关的协调动员优势。因此，要引导科技领军企业勇挑重担、敢打头阵，瞄准“卡脖子”技术难题和科技前沿领域，主动承担国家科技攻关任务，牵头组建体系化、任务型创新联合体，联合高校、科研院所和产业链上下游企业开展协同攻关。发挥科技领军企业在创新联合体中的主导地位，增强科技领军企业在技术路线规划、成员选择、项目经费支配、资源调度等方面的自主权。围绕关键核心技术攻关目标，充分发挥科技领军企业的产业链协调与系统集成功能，提高参与成员的积极性，促进资源共享与优势互补。同时，通过构建市场化、制度化的攻关合作治理机制，着力克服“搭便车”等“组织失灵”问题。加强联合攻关参与主体常态化沟通，建立以科技领军企业为引领的组织协调机制；明确联合攻关参与主体的职能责任，建立任务分工和绩效考核机制；推动创新联合体股权化、实体化运行，构建利益共同体，加强知识产权管理，建立技术攻关成果收益分配机制；提高创新失败容错率，加强定期风险监测，建立风险评估和风险共担机制。加强跨区域联合攻关合作，着力突破市场和制度壁垒，促进创新要素在更大范围内流动。鼓励科技领军企业“走出去”，积极融入全球创新网络，增强其在全球创新体系中的话语权与影响力。开展高水平国际技术协作，构建开放型联合创新体，形成以科技领军企业为引领的产学研深度融合的开放式创新生态。

4. Strengthen the Leading Role of Science and Technology Leading Enterprises in Achievement Transformation, and Open Up the Full-Chain Achievement Transformation Pathway

4.强化科技领军企业在成果转化中的引领作用，打通全链条成果转化路径

The key to promoting the transformation of achievements in tackling key core technologies lies in achieving the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and sci-tech leading enterprises are precisely the important carriers that integrate the innovation chain and the industrial chain. Sci-tech leading enterprises possess a keen insight into market demands and industrial trends, enabling them to effectively align the transformation of technological achievements with industrial needs. At the same time, sci-tech leading enterprises often lead or participate in standard-setting, which can promote the diffusion and application of new technologies and achievements within the industrial chain. Therefore, it is necessary to guide sci-tech leading enterprises to open up the entire chain path of technological achievement transformation, actively lay out and build technology transformation platforms, and enhance the efficiency of transforming technological achievements and their industrialization capacity. Leverage the leading role of sci-tech leading enterprises to change the traditional orientation of evaluating scientific and technological achievements that "emphasizes theory over application," adopting "hard indicators" such as the import substitution rate, market share, and economic benefits of scientific and technological achievements as criteria for acceptance, thereby promoting the better application of achievements on the ground. Fully utilize the advantages of China's super-large market and rich application scenarios, leverage the supporting role of government procurement, and promote the application of new technologies, new products, and new scenarios. Strengthen the coordination and linkage between scenario cultivation and opening up and various innovation support policies for first (set) technical equipment, first batch of new materials, and first edition high-end software, opening up an initial market for independent innovation products formed by sci-tech leading enterprises leading technological breakthroughs. At the same time, guide sci-tech leading enterprises to increase the construction and opening up of application scenarios, providing broad iteration space and testing grounds for new technologies and new products, forming a scenario-driven model for achievement transformation. Leverage the leading role of sci-tech leading enterprises in talent aggregation and cultivation, promoting the concentration of high-level innovative talents in sci-tech leading enterprises. Support sci-tech leading enterprises to precisely recruit leading sci-tech talents and high-level innovation teams, establish positions such as technology managers and technology transfer specialists, and boost the transformation of technological achievements into actual productive forces.

推动关键核心技术攻关成果转化的关键在于实现科技创新与产业创新深度融合，而科技领军企业正是融合创新链和产业链的重要载体。科技领军企业具有对市场需求和产业趋势的敏锐洞察力，能够有效促进技术成果转化与产业需求相适配。同时，科技领军企业往往主导或参与标准制定，能够推动新技术新成果在产业链中扩散与应用。因此，要引导科技领军企业打通科技成果转化的全链条路径，积极布局和搭建技术转化平台，提升技术攻关成果转化效率和产业化能力。发挥科技领军企业的引领作用，改变传统科技成果评价的“重理论轻应用”导向，将科技成果的进口替代率、市场占有率、经济效益等“硬指标”作为成果验收标准，促进科技成果更好落地应用。充分发挥我国超大规模市场和丰富应用场景优势，发挥政府采购的支持作用，促进新技术、新产品、新场景应用。加强场景培育开放和首台（套）技术装备、首批次新材料、首版次高端软件等各类创新支持政策协同衔接，为科技领军企业牵头技术攻关形成的自主创新产品开辟初期市场。同时，引导科技领军企业加大应用场景建设和开放力度，为新技术、新产品提供广阔迭代空间和试验场所，形成场景驱动的成果转化模式。发挥科技领军企业在人才集聚与培养方面的引领作用，推动高水平创新人才向科技领军企业集聚。支持科技领军企业靶向引进科技领军人才和高水平创新团队，设立技术经理人、技术转移专员等岗位，助推技术成果转化为现实生产力。

(Authors: Huo Chunhui, He Di, respectively Distinguished Researcher of the Liaoning Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Vice President of Liaoning University, and Associate Professor of the Asia-Australia Business School of Liaoning University)

（作者：霍春辉 何 地，分别系辽宁省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心特约研究员、辽宁大学副校长，辽宁大学亚澳商学院副教授）