Wu Yulong: Creating an Open Environment for Scientific and Technological Innovation with Global Competitiveness
Chinese-path modernization must rely on the modernization of science and technology for support, and achieving high-quality development depends on scientific and technological (S&T) innovation to nurture new kinetic energy [1]. Progress in science and technology is a global and epochal issue; only openness and cooperation represent the correct path.
On June 11, 2024, the fifth meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform pointed out the need to "build an open environment for scientific and technological innovation with global competitiveness." The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to "expand international S&T exchanges and cooperation" and "construct institutional mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation." Accelerating the construction of an open environment for S&T innovation with global competitiveness is vital for enhancing independent innovation capabilities and improving the overall efficiency of the innovation ecosystem; it is also an intrinsic requirement for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces.
Leading with major S&T innovation to comprehensively deepen the reform of the S&T system. S&T innovation is the core element of new quality productive forces, and promoting their development is inseparable from major S&T innovation. Using major S&T innovation as a guide to accelerate the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, and capital chain will help realize the efficient transformation of more high-quality S&T innovation achievements into actual productive forces. Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, and S&T application innovations are iterating rapidly. Only by further deepening the reform of the S&T system and removing institutional barriers can we inject strong momentum and support for nurturing and developing new quality productive forces.
First, we must improve the S&T innovation development planning and planning system. Facing the "main economic battlefield" [2] and major national needs, we should improve the management of S&T plans, optimize the organization mechanism for major S&T innovations, and move faster to build a group of major S&T innovation bases, national key laboratories, technical innovation centers, and major S&T platforms with international influence. We must coordinate and strengthen efforts to overcome "bottleneck" [3] core technologies, strive to build an independent and controllable technical support system, produce a batch of leading technological achievements, develop a batch of strategic products, and systematically reshape the S&T development system.
Second, we must increase investment and support for basic research. Facing the frontiers of world science and technology, we should strengthen the forward-looking and leading layout of basic research, cross-disciplinary frontier fields, and key areas. We must improve the open operation mechanism of cross-disciplinary research platforms oriented toward promoting collaborative innovation, establish basic research projects, and strive to realize more forward-looking, original, and disruptive major discoveries and high-tech supplies.
Third, we must reinforce the dominant position of enterprises in S&T innovation. We should accelerate the enhancement of enterprises' abilities to "build platforms, strengthen R&D, and promote coordination," guiding them to integrate independent intellectual property rights (IPR) with technical standards and form an independent IPR system centered on high-value invention patents. We should increase fiscal subsidies, promptly resolve policy needs and difficult issues regarding taxes and fees encountered by enterprises in major technological breakthroughs, digital transformation, and high-end, intelligent development. We should refine the credit restoration mechanism for enterprises, accelerate the cultivation of a group of leading digital enterprises and intelligent manufacturing brands, and shape new advantages for development. Through major measures such as reforming the establishment and management of major S&T projects, improving the management system for the use, disposal, and revenue of S&T achievements, and strengthening S&T security systems and risk prevention mechanisms, we will construct a more collaborative, open, and efficient S&T innovation system.
Taking the construction of national high-level talent hubs and talent attraction platforms as the target guide to accelerate the concentration of S&T innovation talent. Talent is the primary resource for innovation. Without a talent advantage, it is impossible to have advantages in innovation, technology, or industry. We should follow the laws of talent mobility and growth, establish a scientific outlook on talent, and accelerate the gathering of high-level S&T innovation talent to strengthen and expand the "primary resource" of new quality productive forces.
We must pursue the path of independent cultivation of S&T innovation talent. Focusing on the frontiers of world S&T development and the target requirements for developing new quality productive forces, we should enhance our capacity for the independent cultivation of S&T innovation talent. We should explore and establish academic disciplines and majors suited to new technologies, new industries, new business forms, and new models [4]. We must promote the deep practical application of diversified educational scenarios, and co-build industry-education integration bases, specialized research institutes, and specialized colleges with universities, enterprises, and scientific research institutions, constructing an integrated cultivation mechanism and system for the full life cycle of innovative talent. Relying on major S&T projects, scientific research bases and platforms, and off-campus studios, we should deeply promote the integration of science and education as well as industry and education. We should bridge stages to cultivate and create high-level, urgently needed, and backbone S&T talent and "Excellent Engineers," further enhancing their support and contribution to high-quality development.
We must increase efforts to introduce high-quality S&T innovation talent. Based on the needs of modernization, we should innovatively implement important measures such as the "high-end and sophisticated talent lead" and "urgently needed talent introduction" programs. We should implement more active, open, and effective talent policies, successfully host international talent exchange conferences, and accelerate the gathering of strategic scientists, first-class S&T leaders and innovation teams, young S&T talents, Excellent Engineers, "Great Country Craftsmen" [5], and highly skilled personnel. Furthermore, addressing the specific characteristics of S&T innovation talent services, we should improve the service system, reflecting individualization and precision in policy-making and service delivery, and achieving attentive service through dedicated specialist teams. We should improve mechanisms for discovering, selecting, and cultivating young innovative talent, carry out special actions to "reduce the burden" on young S&T talent, and better guarantee the treatment of young S&T personnel. We should perfect systems that ensure scientific researchers can focus on their research, and build a full-process, professional, "one-stop" talent service system to ensure all types of talent can be attracted, retained, and utilized effectively.
Actively integrating into the global innovation network to create a pattern of S&T innovation cooperation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "International S&T cooperation is a major trend. We must more proactively integrate into the global innovation network and enhance our own S&T innovation capabilities through open cooperation." Strengthening S&T cooperation and exchange is an important path for solving common development problems facing humanity. We must actively integrate into the global innovation network and create a comprehensive pattern of S&T innovation cooperation.
In terms of expanding high-level opening up to the outside world, we should steadily expand institutional opening up, innovate open platforms and cooperation mechanisms, and deepen cooperation in industrial and supply chains. We should constantly enhance the endogenous drive and innovation vitality of various types of market entities, optimize the allocation of innovation elements such as knowledge, technology, and data, and comprehensively create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized first-class business environment. This will build a new pattern of high-level opening up and enable the convergence of advanced, high-quality innovation resources on a broader scale.
In terms of improving S&T collaborative innovation capabilities, we should optimize the regional layout of opening up, further explore collaborative innovation cooperation models and mechanisms, and promote the sharing and common use of high-quality innovation resources. We should promote the complementary advantages and collaborative linkage between scientific research and industry, creating diverse forms of "open highlands." We should expand S&T innovation exchanges and cooperation, establish sharing and exchange mechanisms for information resources of major S&T R&D platforms, and optimize the management mechanisms for professional external exchange and cooperation of universities, research institutes, and S&T social organizations. We should initiate the establishment of multinational innovation cooperation plans, jointly build "Belt and Road" S&T innovation cooperation zones, encourage the establishment of international S&T organizations in China, and actively conduct deep-level international exchanges and cooperation by relying on high-energy S&T innovation platforms and influential scientists.
In terms of creating a robust innovation atmosphere, we should strengthen IPR management, plan ahead and participate deeply in S&T governance, and build a solid security barrier for S&T innovation. We should carry out diverse, rich, and distinctive activities centered on nurturing and expanding emerging industries and laying out "future industries" [6], enhancing the scientific literacy and innovation consciousness of the masses, and accelerating the creation of "cities of innovation" to guide the smooth flow of various advanced productive elements toward the development of new quality productive forces.
(Author: Wu Yulong, Researcher at the Chongqing Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Assistant Researcher at the School of Marxism, Southwest University)
Source: Guangming Daily (February 6, 2025, Page 06) Web Editor: Huihui