Strengthen Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance and Independent Cultivation of Talent

On April 7, General Secretary Xi Jinping replied to all faculty and students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xi’an Jiao Tong University, Southwest Jiao Tong University, and Beijing Jiao Tong University, expressing ardent expectations for the development of the schools, emphasizing “focusing on the nation’s major strategic needs, strengthening scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent, achieving more breakthroughs in promoting deep integration of industry, academia, and research, and making new contributions to building a strong education nation, a strong science and technology nation, and a strong talent nation.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important reply, based on the great cause of building a strong nation and rejuvenating the Chinese nation, sets clear requirements for universities in the New Era to answer the fundamental question of education—“what kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them”—and to support high-level scientific and technological self-reliance through high-quality school operation. It points the way forward for accurately grasping the coordinated and integrated relationship among education, science and technology, and talent, and for promoting a positive interaction between scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent.

4月7日，习近平总书记给上海交通大学、西安交通大学、西南交通大学、北京交通大学全体师生回信，对学校发展提出殷切期望，强调“聚焦国家重大战略需求，加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养，在促进产学研深度融合上实现更多突破，为建设教育强国、科技强国、人才强国作出新贡献”。习近平总书记的重要回信立足强国建设、民族复兴伟业，对新时代高校回答好“培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人”这一教育的根本问题，以及以高质量办学支撑高水平科技自立自强等提出明确要求，为准确把握教育、科技、人才三者协同一体的关系，推动科技自主创新和人才自主培养良性互动指明了前进方向。

“We must strengthen basic research with greater intensity and more concrete measures, enhance our country’s original innovation capacity, further consolidate the foundation for building a strong science and technology nation,” and “advance the development of education, science and technology, and talent as an integrated whole.” On April 30, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized this at a symposium on strengthening basic research.

“要以更大力度、更实举措加强基础研究，提升我国原始创新能力，进一步打牢科技强国建设根基”“要一体推进教育科技人才发展”。4月30日，习近平总书记在加强基础研究座谈会上强调。

At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, and international competition is increasingly manifested as competition in education, science and technology, and talent. Facing the goals and tasks of economic and social development during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, universities must actively integrate their own development into the overall national development landscape, accurately comprehend the internal logic and practical requirements of “strengthening scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent,” firmly grasp the objective laws of the inherent consistency and mutual support among education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation, closely combine teaching and educating people, scientific research and tackling key problems, and talent introduction and cultivation with the nation’s major strategic needs, and continuously transform our country’s advantages in education, science and technology, and talent into strategic advantages for achieving high-quality development.

当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革加速演进，国际竞争越来越体现为教育竞争、科技竞争、人才竞争。面对“十五五”时期经济社会发展的目标任务，高校必须主动将自身发展融入国家发展全局，准确领会“加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养”的内在逻辑和实践要求，牢牢把握教育发展、科技创新、人才培养内在一致、相互支撑的客观规律，把教书育人、科研攻关、人才引育等与国家重大战略需求紧密结合，持续推动我国教育优势、科技优势、人才优势转化为实现高质量发展的战略优势。

Anchor Development Goals, Consolidate the Foundation for Self-Reliance

锚定发展目标，夯实自强根基

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Only through innovation can we become self-reliant and take the lead; we must unswervingly follow the path of independent innovation and firmly grasp the initiative in innovation and development in our own hands.” Strengthening the “two self-reliance” of scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent is the key to grasping the initiative in development and the dominant position in competition. At present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and international competition in science and technology and talent is becoming increasingly fierce. For our country to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, it ultimately depends on high-level innovative talent. We must pay more attention to the independent cultivation of talent, and to the cultivation and nurturing of scientific spirit, innovation ability, and creative thinking.

习近平总书记指出：“只有创新才能自强、才能争先，要坚定不移走自主创新道路，把创新发展主动权牢牢掌握在自己手中。”加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养这“两个自主”，是把握发展主动权与竞争主导权的关键。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，国际科技竞争和人才竞争日趋激烈。我国要实现高水平科技自立自强，归根到底要靠高水平创新人才，必须更加重视人才自主培养，更加重视科学精神、创新能力、创造性思维的培养培育。

Strengthening scientific and technological self-reliance focuses on enhancing independent innovation capability. Practice has proven that key core technologies cannot be begged, bought, or bargained for; blindly following others leads nowhere. The more complex and changing the external environment, the more we must adhere to the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics and form an innovation foundation that supports long-term development. By improving the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources, coordinating the construction of the national strategic scientific and technological strength, strengthening original and leading scientific and technological research, and accelerating the resolution of problems such as our country’s relatively weak original innovation capability and dependence on others for some key core technologies, we can truly hold the lifeline of science and technology firmly in our own hands. At the same time, it should be noted that strengthening scientific and technological self-reliance does not mean building behind closed doors; rather, it means adhering to independence and self-reliance within high-level opening up, enhancing innovation resilience through open cooperation, and cultivating strategic determination in global scientific and technological competition.

加强科技自主创新，重在提升自主创新能力。实践证明，关键核心技术是要不来、买不来、讨不来的，一味跟跑没有出路。越是面对外部环境的复杂变化，越要坚持走中国特色自主创新道路，形成支撑长远发展的创新底座。通过完善新型举国体制，统筹国家战略科技力量建设，加强原创性、引领性科技攻关，加快解决我国原始创新能力相对薄弱、一些关键核心技术受制于人等问题，真正把科技命脉牢牢掌握在自己手里。同时应当看到，加强科技自主创新不是关起门来搞建设，而是在高水平对外开放中坚持独立自主，在开放合作中提升创新韧性，在全球科技竞争中厚植战略定力。

Strengthening independent cultivation of talent focuses on accelerating the building of a national strategic talent force. Innovation-driven development is essentially talent-driven. Without a large number of independently cultivated top-notch innovative talents, outstanding engineering talents, and highly skilled talents, it is impossible to form a sustained capacity for innovation supply. Only by focusing on national strategic needs and scientific and technological development trends, improving the mechanism for adjusting discipline settings and the talent cultivation model, and strengthening the construction of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines, and interdisciplinary disciplines, can universities continuously improve their talent supply capacity. Young talents are the most dynamic and creative group. More attention must be paid to forging their practical ability, original ability, and cross-border integration ability, guiding them to integrate personal growth into national needs, integrate academic pursuits into the mission of the times, grow their abilities in serving the overall situation, and temper their skills in tackling difficulties.

加强人才自主培养，重在加快建设国家战略人才力量。创新驱动本质上是人才驱动。没有自主培养的大批拔尖创新人才、卓越工程人才和高技能人才，就无法形成持续不断的创新供给能力。高校只有围绕国家战略需求和科技发展趋势，完善学科设置调整机制和人才培养模式，加强基础学科、新兴学科、交叉学科建设，才能持续提高人才供给能力。青年人才是最具活力和创造力的群体，要更加重视对青年人才的实践能力、原创能力和跨界整合能力锻造，引导他们把个人成长融入国家需要，把学术追求融入时代使命，在服务大局中增长才干、在攻坚克难中锤炼本领。

Strengthening scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent is an inevitable requirement for grasping strategic initiative and enhancing core competitiveness. Facing the current global scientific and technological development landscape, it is necessary to simultaneously deploy talent echelon construction when laying out major scientific and technological tasks oriented towards the frontier; and simultaneously promote high-quality talent cultivation when advancing industrial innovation around key areas. How to transform talent advantages into innovation advantages, innovation advantages into industrial advantages, and industrial advantages into development advantages is a question of the times that the work on education, science and technology, and talent in the New Era must answer well. Our country possesses the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the advantages of a super-large market, the advantages of a complete industrial system, and the advantages of abundant talent resources. This determines that we are fully capable of forming our own characteristics in scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent. To transform existing advantages into actual victory and development effectiveness, we must grasp the strategic initiative, both addressing shortcomings and weaknesses in the short term and building systems and cultivating ecosystems with a long-term perspective, continuously enhancing the source supply capacity of scientific and technological self-reliance and the long-term support capacity of independent talent cultivation.

加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养，是把握战略主动和提高核心竞争力的必然要求。面对当前全球科技发展态势，必须在面向前沿布局重大科技任务时，同步布局人才梯队建设；在围绕关键领域推进产业创新中，同步推进高质量人才培养。如何把人才优势转化为创新优势，把创新优势转化为产业优势，把产业优势转化为发展优势，是新时代教育科技人才工作必须答好的时代考题。我国拥有中国特色社会主义制度优势、超大规模市场优势、完整产业体系优势、丰富人才资源优势，这决定了我们完全有条件在科技自主创新、人才自主培养上形成自己的特色。把已有优势转化为现实胜势和发展实效，必须把握战略主动，既立足当前补短板、强弱项，又着眼长远建体系、育生态，不断增强科技自主创新的源头供给能力和人才自主培养的长期支撑能力。

Promote Positive Interaction, Activate Integration Momentum

促进良性互动，激活融合动能

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized “promoting the positive interaction between scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent,” which points the way forward and provides fundamental guidance for building a strong education nation, a strong science and technology nation, and a strong talent nation. Strengthening systematic thinking and accurately grasping the relationship of positive interaction between the “two self-reliance” of scientific and technological self-reliance and independent cultivation of talent is conducive to advancing education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation as an integrated whole.

习近平总书记强调“推动科技自主创新和人才自主培养良性互动”，为我们建设教育强国、科技强国、人才强国指明了前进方向、提供了根本遵循。增强系统观念，准确把握科技自主创新和人才自主培养这“两个自主”良性互动的关系，有利于一体推进教育发展、科技创新、人才培养。

The “two self-reliance” are inherently unified. Scientific and technological self-reliance expands the target content and practical scenarios of independent talent cultivation, while independent talent cultivation provides sustained momentum support for scientific and technological self-reliance. Without high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, independent talent cultivation easily becomes detached from reality, from the frontier, and from national needs, making it difficult to truly form a cultivation system oriented towards the future and aligned with national strategic needs; without high-quality independent talent cultivation, scientific and technological self-reliance lacks a stable source of talent, sustained team support, and independent knowledge production capacity.

“两个自主”是内在统一的。科技自主创新拓展人才自主培养的目标内容和实践场景，人才自主培养为科技自主创新提供持续不断的动力支撑。没有高水平的科技自主创新，人才自主培养就容易脱离实际、脱离前沿、脱离国家需求，难以真正形成面向未来、符合国家战略需求的培养体系；没有高质量的人才自主培养，科技自主创新就缺乏稳定的人才来源、持续的团队支撑和自主的知识生产能力。

Promoting the positive interaction of the “two self-reliance” essentially means promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and promoting the deep coupling of scientific and technological innovation, talent cultivation, and modern industrial system construction. At present, the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation places new demands on the mode of innovation organization, the optimization of talent growth paths, and the enhancement of institutional coordination. The mode of scientific and technological innovation characterized by individual breakthroughs, fragmented lines, and working in isolation can no longer meet the demands of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. Further innovating organizational methods, optimizing talent growth paths, and enhancing institutional coordination levels to promote the positive interaction of the “two self-reliance” will help our country’s scientific and technological innovation achieve a leap from point breakthroughs to systemic advancement. This places new and higher demands on our deepening of the integrated reform of the education, science and technology, and talent systems and mechanisms. How to further smooth the effective connection between the innovation chain, the talent chain, and the industrial chain; how to further enhance the compatibility between discipline adjustment and setting, talent cultivation models, and technological change and industrial upgrading; how to further transform scientific research advantages into educational advantages and educational achievements into innovation advantages, thereby improving the overall effectiveness of education serving innovation, talent supporting innovation, and innovation feeding back education—these are all issues that must be properly addressed.

推动“两个自主”良性互动，实质上就是推动教育、科技、人才一体发展，推动科技创新、人才培养和现代化产业体系建设深度耦合。当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革对创新组织方式、优化人才成长路径、提升制度协同水平提出新要求。单兵突进、条线分割、各自为战的科技创新方式，已无法适应新一轮科技革命和产业变革的需求。进一步创新组织方式、优化人才成长路径、提升制度协同水平，促进“两个自主”良性互动，有助于推动我国科技创新实现从点状突破到体系跃升的跨越。这对我们深化教育科技人才体制机制一体改革提出了新的更高要求。如何进一步畅通创新链、人才链、产业链之间的有效衔接，如何进一步提升学科调整设置、人才培养模式与科技变革、产业升级之间的适配度，如何进一步推动科研优势转化为育人优势、育人成果转化为创新优势，从而提升教育服务创新、人才支撑创新、创新反哺教育的整体效能等，都是必须回答好的课题。

General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his important reply letter, demanded adherence to the school-running principle of “seeking practical learning and engaging in practical undertakings,” which provides important guidance for promoting the positive interaction between the “two independences.” “Seeking practical learning” emphasizes respecting laws, honing skills, and building a solid foundation, requiring that independent cultivation of talent be grounded in true knowledge, real problems, and genuine ability. “Engaging in practical undertakings” emphasizes serving the nation, addressing needs, and promoting transformation, requiring that independent scientific and technological innovation and school governance both embody a practice-oriented and contribution-oriented approach. For high-level research universities, “practical learning” and “practical undertakings” form an organic whole, unified in the practice of serving major national strategic needs. Only by more closely integrating classrooms, laboratories, engineering sites, and the front lines of industry, deeply merging the talent cultivation system with the scientific research and innovation system, and closely combining disciplinary education with industrial practice, can a virtuous cycle truly be formed where innovation promotes education and education strengthens innovation.

习近平总书记在重要回信中要求秉持“求实学、务实业”办学宗旨，这为推动“两个自主”良性互动提供了重要指引。“求实学”，重在尊重规律、锤炼本领、厚植基础，要求人才自主培养立足真学问、真问题、真能力；“务实业”，重在服务国家、面向需求、推动转化，要求科技自主创新和办学治校都体现实践导向、贡献导向。对高水平研究型大学而言，“实学”与“实业”是一个有机整体，统一于服务国家重大战略需求的实践之中。只有把课堂、实验室、工程现场、产业一线更紧密地贯通起来，让人才培养体系与科研创新体系深度融合、学科教育与产业实践紧密结合，才能真正形成以创新促育人、以育人强创新的良性循环。

General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his important reply letter, demanded “achieving more breakthroughs in promoting the deep integration of industry, academia, and research,” providing an action guide for promoting the positive interaction between the “two independences.” Universities must make sustained efforts to promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, focusing on collaborative breakthroughs, collaborative education, and collaborative transformation in key areas, building innovation consortia led by leading enterprises, supported by university research institutes, and coordinated by various entities. They must make sustained efforts in comprehensively advancing the integrated reform of the education, science and technology, and talent systems, strengthening planning alignment, policy coordination, resource integration, and evaluation linkage, forming a work pattern that advances education development, technological innovation, and talent cultivation in an integrated manner. They must improve the disciplinary setup adjustment mechanism and talent cultivation model driven by technological development and national strategic needs, promoting more research projects, innovation platforms, and major projects to become platforms for education; build a system of university-enterprise joint training, industry-education integrated development, and science-education collaborative education, allowing problems in innovation to enter the classroom, talent cultivation to connect with scientific research, and industrial application to reversely drive educational reform, constructing a collaborative path for the integrated advancement of education development, technological innovation, and talent cultivation.

习近平总书记在重要回信中要求“在促进产学研深度融合上实现更多突破”，为促进“两个自主”良性互动提供了行动指南。高校要在推动科技创新与产业创新深度融合上持续发力，围绕重点领域协同攻关、协同育人、协同转化，构建龙头企业牵头、高校科研院所支撑、各类主体协同联动的创新联合体。在统筹推进教育科技人才体制机制一体改革上持续发力，强化规划衔接、政策协同、资源统筹和评价联动，形成一体推进教育发展、科技创新、人才培养的工作格局。健全科技发展、国家战略需求牵引的学科设置调整机制与人才培养模式，推动更多科研项目、创新平台、重大工程成为育人平台；构建校企联合培养、产教融合发展、科教协同育人体系，让创新中的问题进入课堂，让人才培养接入科研，让产业应用反向牵引教育改革，构建一体推进教育发展、科技创新、人才培养的协同路径。

Uphold the leadership of the Party, gather the combined forces for building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation

坚持党的领导，汇聚强国建设、民族复兴伟业合力

The key to running China’s affairs well lies in the Party. Strengthening the Party’s leadership over universities, and strengthening and improving Party building in universities, is the fundamental guarantee for running socialist universities with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must fully recognize the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology, anchor the strategic goal of building a strong science and technology nation by 2035, strengthen top-level design and overall planning, and accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.” Looking to the future, whether it is seizing the commanding heights of technological development or promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, whether it is cultivating new quality productive forces or shaping new drivers and new advantages for development, none can be achieved without promoting the positive interaction and coordinated efforts of the “two independences.” Upholding the Party’s overall leadership provides the fundamental guarantee for promoting the positive interaction and coordinated efforts of the “two independences.” To this end, it is necessary to organically combine ideal and belief education, value shaping, ability cultivation, and knowledge transmission, guiding the vast number of young people to establish the ambition to serve the country and to practice the actions to strengthen the nation.

办好中国的事情，关键在党。加强党对高校的领导，加强和改进高校党的建设，是办好中国特色社会主义大学的根本保证。习近平总书记指出：“必须充分认识科技的战略先导地位和根本支撑作用，锚定2035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。”展望未来，无论是抢占科技发展制高点还是推动科技创新和产业创新深度融合，无论是培育新质生产力还是塑造发展新动能新优势，都离不开推动“两个自主”良性互动、协同发力。坚持党的全面领导，为推动“两个自主”良性互动、协同发力提供了根本保证。为此，要把理想信念教育、价值塑造、能力培养和知识传授有机结合起来，引导广大青年树立报国之志、砥砺强国之行。

Adhering to the socialist direction of running schools, educating people for the Party and cultivating talent for the country, closely uniting the vast number of teachers, scientific researchers, and young students under the Party’s banner, and combining the promotion of the Westward Relocation Spirit [3]3 The Westward Relocation Spirit (西迁精神) refers to the spirit of dedication and service to the nation demonstrated by faculty and students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University who relocated to Xi’an in the 1950s to support the development of higher education in western China. with the promotion of the spirit of scientists and the spirit of educators, can better guide the vast number of teachers, scientific researchers, and young students to cherish the motherland and serve the people, ensuring that independent scientific and technological innovation and independent cultivation of talent always advance in the correct direction. It is necessary to give full play to the important role of Party committees in setting the direction, managing the overall situation, making decisions, and ensuring implementation, focusing on optimizing the ecosystem, strengthening services, and stimulating vitality, leading high-quality development with high-quality Party building. Adhere to respecting labor, respecting knowledge, respecting talent, and respecting creation, optimize the entire chain mechanism of talent cultivation, use, evaluation, service, support, and incentives, create a good atmosphere of sincerely cherishing talent, carefully nurturing talent, wholeheartedly attracting talent, and meticulously using talent, forming a vibrant situation where everyone can become a talent and everyone can fully display their talents. Respect the laws of teaching, scientific research, and talent growth, further reduce the burden on scientific researchers, allowing all types of talent to focus on learning, concentrate on research, and calmly cultivate new people, directing their main energy toward the most valuable creations.

坚持社会主义办学方向，为党育人、为国育才，把广大教师、科研人员、青年学生紧紧团结在党的旗帜下，把弘扬西迁精神与弘扬科学家精神、教育家精神结合起来，才能更好引导广大教师、科研人员、青年学生胸怀祖国、服务人民，确保科技自主创新和人才自主培养始终沿着正确方向前进。要充分发挥党委把方向、管大局、作决策、保落实的重要作用，在优生态、强服务、激活力上下功夫，以高质量党建引领高质量发展。坚持尊重劳动、尊重知识、尊重人才、尊重创造，优化人才培养、使用、评价、服务、支持、激励全链条机制，营造真心爱才、悉心育才、倾心引才、精心用才的良好氛围，形成人人皆可成才、人人尽展其才的生动局面。尊重教学规律、科研规律和人才成长规律，进一步减轻科研人员负担，让各类人才能够安心做学问、潜心搞研究、静心育新人，把主要精力用在最有价值的创造上。

Strengthening independent scientific and technological innovation and independent cultivation of talent requires persistent and sustained effort. Universities must more consciously closely link school governance with major national strategic needs, closely link talent cultivation with technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and closely link school development with national strategy, regional development, and social progress, striving to produce a batch of high-level original achievements, cultivate a batch of high-level innovative talents, make positive contributions to serving high-quality development, enhance school-running capabilities in serving national strategy, demonstrate value pursuits in responding to the needs of the times, and nurture an educational ecosystem in promoting innovation. In recent years, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has transformed major projects, major platforms, and major projects into platforms for education, allowing students to grow real skills in solving real problems, allowing teachers to enhance their educational capabilities in undertaking major tasks, and continuously improving the quality and effectiveness of independent talent cultivation; it has integrated engineering education, industrial practice, frontier research, and innovation and entrepreneurship education, promoting students to enhance their comprehensive literacy and innovation capabilities in multidisciplinary crossovers, multi-subject collaboration, and multi-scenario practice.

加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养，必须久久为功、持续发力。高校要更加自觉地把办学治校同国家重大战略需求紧密联系起来，把人才培养同科技创新、产业升级紧密联系起来，把学校发展同国家战略、区域发展、社会进步紧密联系起来，努力产出一批高水平原创成果，培养一批高层次创新人才，为服务高质量发展作出积极贡献，在服务国家战略中提升办学能力，在回应时代所需中彰显价值追求，在推进创新中涵养育人生态。近年来，上海交通大学把重大项目、重大平台、重大工程转化为育人平台，让学生在解决真问题中增长真才干，让教师在承担重大任务中提升育人能力，不断提高人才自主培养质效；把工程教育、产业实践、前沿研究和创新创业教育统筹起来，推动学生在多学科交叉、多主体协同、多场景实践中提升综合素养和创新能力。

Promoting the positive interaction between the “two independences” requires universities to participate in the global innovation network at a higher level on the basis of self-reliance and capacity enhancement. It is necessary to organically unify open exchange with independence, adhere to open cooperation with a focus on self-reliance, actively engage in international academic exchanges, joint research, and talent cooperation, be adept at learning, borrowing, enhancing capabilities, and shaping advantages through open cooperation, better gather world-class educational resources and innovation factors, and strengthen independent scientific and technological innovation and independent cultivation of talent with a more composed and more determined posture.

促进“两个自主”良性互动，要求高校在立足自身、增强能力的基础上更高水平参与全球创新网络。要把开放交流同独立自主有机统一起来，坚持以我为主的开放合作，积极开展国际学术交流、联合研究和人才合作，善于在开放合作中学习借鉴、提升能力、塑造优势，更好汇聚世界一流教育资源和创新要素，以更加从容、更加坚定的姿态加强科技自主创新和人才自主培养。

(The authors are respectively the Party Secretary and President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

（作者分别为上海交通大学党委书记、校长）