Seizing the Key to Achieve High-Level Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance and Self-Strengthening

Multiple articles in the first volume of *Selected Economic Works of Xi Jinping* offer profound discussions on scientific and technological innovation. “Deepening Understanding of Major Issues Concerning Medium- and Long-Term Economic and Social Development” points out that “to achieve high-quality development, it is necessary to realize innovation-driven endogenous growth.” “Chinese-Path Modernization Must Be Supported by Scientific and Technological Modernization” emphasizes that “we must fully recognize the strategic leading role and fundamental supporting role of science and technology, anchor the strategic goal of building a leading power in science and technology by 2035, strengthen top-level design and overall planning, and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.” These important discussions provide scientific guidance for advancing China’s scientific and technological endeavors and accelerating the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.

《习近平经济文选》第一卷中多篇文章对科技创新作出深刻论述。《深化对中长期经济社会发展重大问题的认识》指出，“实现高质量发展，必须实现依靠创新驱动的内涵型增长”。《中国式现代化要靠科技现代化作支撑》强调，“必须充分认识科技的战略先导地位和根本支撑作用，锚定二〇三五年建成科技强国的战略目标，加强顶层设计和统筹谋划，加快实现高水平科技自立自强”。这些重要论述为推动我国科技事业发展、加快实现高水平科技自立自强提供了科学指引。

Looking at the rise and fall of major powers throughout world history, science and technology are among the most important and fundamental driving forces and variables. Consolidating a nation’s scientific and technological foundation and enhancing its capacity for independent innovation are inevitable laws of great-power development. Achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening is an urgent requirement for China to address major risks and challenges and safeguard national strategic interests, and it is also a strategic choice to seize the strategic opportunity period, make the first move, and gain new advantages. It is necessary to seize the key links, accelerate the advancement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, and place the development of the nation and the people on the foundation of our own strength.

纵观世界主要大国兴衰史，科技是其中最重要、最根本的推动力和变量之一。筑牢国家科学技术基础和提高自主创新能力是大国发展的必然规律。实现高水平科技自立自强是我国应对重大风险挑战和维护国家战略利益的迫切要求，更是进一步抢抓战略机遇期下好先手棋和赢得新优势的战略选择。要抓住关键环节，加快推进高水平科技自立自强，把国家和民族发展放在自己力量的基点上。

Improve the system of centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over scientific and technological work, and consolidate a strong synergy for promoting scientific and technological innovation. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the fundamental political guarantee for the continuous progress of scientific and technological innovation with Chinese characteristics. Strengthening the Party’s leadership over scientific and technological work hinges on fully leveraging the political advantages of the Party’s leadership. It should be recognized that China still has shortcomings in forming a scientific and effective science and technology management system that conforms to national conditions, meets national strategic needs, combines top-down and bottom-up approaches, and fully leverages the roles of all parties. There is still room for continuous improvement in mechanisms such as “who sets the questions,” “how to set good questions,” “who answers the questions,” and “who evaluates” for national science and technology plans and projects. It is imperative to place greater emphasis on strengthening effective coordination in strategic planning, policy measures, major tasks, scientific research forces, resource platforms, and regional innovation, and to build a collaborative and efficient decision-making command system and organizational implementation system.

完善党中央对科技工作集中统一领导的体制，凝聚推动科技创新的强大合力。中国共产党领导是中国特色科技创新事业不断前进的根本政治保证。加强党对科技事业的领导，关键要把党的领导政治优势充分发挥出来。应该看到，我国在形成符合国情、满足国家战略需求、自上而下与自下而上相结合、充分发挥各方面作用、科学有效的科技管理体制上仍有不足，国家科技计划和项目“谁出题”“如何出好题”以及“谁答题”“谁评价”等机制还有持续改善的空间。务必更加重视加强战略规划、政策措施、重大任务、科研力量、资源平台、区域创新等方面的有力统筹，构建协同高效的决策指挥体系和组织实施体系。

Strengthen the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces, and leverage the advantages of the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources. National strategic scientific and technological forces are the backbone of science and technology that embody national will, serve national needs, and represent the national level. In some key core technology areas, China still does not master certain underlying, basic, and general-purpose technologies, and the situation of being controlled by others urgently needs to be reversed. It is necessary to fully leverage the advantages of the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources, accelerate the improvement of the organizational methods of strategic scientific and technological forces, and focus on playing a good role in key links where market forces “cannot do” or “are unwilling to do.” Strengthen the strategic effectiveness of national laboratories, improve the organizational management and funding support mechanisms, and coordinate the promotion of the reform and reorganization of national key laboratories and national research institutions. Organize advantageous forces to deploy and concentrate on tackling key problems in strategically contested areas in advance, adopt asymmetric catch-up strategies in key areas, and seize the commanding heights of future economic and technological development.

加强国家战略科技力量建设，发挥新型举国体制优势。国家战略科技力量是体现国家意志、服务国家需求、代表国家水平的科技中坚力量。在一些关键核心技术领域，我国仍未掌握部分底层、基础和通用技术，受制于人的局面亟需加力扭转。需充分发挥新型举国体制优势，加快完善战略科技力量组织方式，重点在市场化力量“干不了”和“不愿干”的关键环节发挥好作用。强化国家实验室战略效能，完善组织管理和经费支持机制，统筹推进全国重点实验室和国家科研机构改革重组。组织优势力量在战略必争领域超前部署集中攻关，在关键领域采取非对称赶超战略，抢占未来经济科技发展制高点。

Fully leverage the decisive role of the market in allocating scientific and technological resources, and stimulate the strong vitality of market forces in original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation. Currently, about 80% of China’s total R&D investment and personnel come from enterprises. Since the reform of the registration-based IPO system, nine out of ten listed companies on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market) and the Beijing Stock Exchange, and more than half of the listed companies on the ChiNext Board, have received support from private equity and venture capital funds. These market forces are the backbone for promoting original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation, opening up new fields and tracks, and participating in international scientific and technological competition. It is necessary to more prominently highlight the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, support more enterprises to lead or participate in major national science and technology projects, jointly refine scientific and technological issues, collaboratively cultivate scientific and technological talents, and promote enterprise-led industry-university-research integrated innovation.

充分发挥市场在科技资源配置中的决定性作用，激发市场化力量在原创性颠覆性科技创新中的强大活力。当前，我国全社会研发投入和人员有80%左右来自企业。注册制改革以来，九成科创板、北交所上市公司，超过半数的创业板上市公司，都获得过私募股权创投基金的支持。这些市场化力量是推动原创性颠覆性科技创新、开辟新领域新赛道和参与国际科技竞争的中坚力量。必须更加突出企业科技创新主体地位，支持更多企业牵头或参与国家重大科技项目、共同凝练科技问题、协同培养科技人才，推动企业主导的产学研融通创新。

Adhere to the combination of goal orientation and free exploration, and consolidate the foundation and base for building a world-leading power in science and technology. Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system. In recent years, China’s basic research and original innovation capabilities have been continuously improving. The number of highly cited papers and international patent applications ranks among the top in the world. In some fields such as quantum technology, biological sciences, and artificial intelligence, China is achieving a historic leap from following and running alongside to leading. At the same time, it should also be noted that China’s investment intensity in basic research still lags behind that of major developed countries, there are relatively few major original achievements, and the scientific research ecosystem is not yet complete. To enhance the level of basic research, on the one hand, it is necessary to pay more attention to improving the degree of organization of basic research, strengthen collaborative research on major scientific issues, increase support for the transformation of the scientific research paradigm driven by artificial intelligence, and strengthen the construction of scientific databases and resource platforms. On the other hand, it is also necessary to actively encourage free exploration, improve the basic research investment mechanism that combines competitive support and stable support, focus on the construction of the scientific community, establish a non-consensus project screening mechanism with expert real-name recommendations, and provide greater support for enterprises to carry out basic research.

坚持目标导向和自由探索相结合，夯实世界科技强国建设的根基和底座。基础研究是整个科学体系的源头。近年来，我国基础研究和原始创新能力不断提升，高被引论文数、国际专利申请量均位于世界前列，在量子科技、生物科学、人工智能等部分领域正在实现从跟跑、并跑向领跑的历史性跨越。同时也要看到，我国基础研究投入强度与主要发达国家相比仍有差距，重大原创性成果偏少，科研生态尚不完善。提升基础研究水平，一方面要更加注重提高基础研究组织化程度，强化面向重大科学问题的协同攻关，加力支持人工智能驱动的科研范式变革，加强科学数据库和资源平台建设。另一方面也要积极鼓励自由探索，完善竞争性支持和稳定支持相结合的基础研究投入机制，注重科学共同体建设，建立专家实名推荐的非共识项目筛选机制，更大力度支持企业开展基础研究。

(The author is Director and Researcher of the Third Research Office of the Innovation and Development Research Department of the Development Research Center of the State Council)

（作者系国务院发展研究中心创新发展研究部第三研究室主任、研究员）

Online editor: Tongxin

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