Yang Yumin: Demonstrating the Responsibility of Universities in Promoting the Deep Integration of Scientific and Industrial Innovation
Promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation is an inherent requirement for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system. It is also a strategic choice for shaping new drivers and advantages for high-quality development. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [1] emphasized the need to strengthen breakthroughs in original innovation and key core technologies; promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation; advance the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent; and further promote the construction of a Digital China. As the intersection point of education, science and technology, and talent, universities shoulder the important mission of supplying the source of innovation and providing high-end talent support, becoming the core hub connecting the innovation chain with the industrial chain. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026–2030) is a critical period for laying a solid foundation and launching a comprehensive effort to basically achieve socialist modernization. Facing the "15th Five-Year Plan," universities must give full play to their comprehensive advantages in education, science and technology, and talent, and courageously shoulder their responsibilities [2] in promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.
Build cooperation platforms and create strategic hubs for the integration of factors. Building platforms is an effective way to promote the convergence and integration of innovation factors and achieve a seamless connection between the innovation chain and the industrial chain. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must implement breakthrough plans for basic and interdisciplinary subjects, create joint innovation platforms between universities, enterprises, and localities, and improve the efficiency of transforming scientific and technological achievements." Universities should focus on key fields and industries, innovate organizational methods for scientific research, and create multi-party cooperation platforms. First, proactively layout frontier interdisciplinary research platforms. Universities should closely center on national strategic emerging industries and the development direction of future industries. Relying on their own disciplinary advantages, they should deeply participate in the construction of high-level scientific innovation platforms such as national laboratories, major scientific and technological infrastructure, and frontier science centers. They must aim squarely at "0 to 1" original innovation, using disruptive and frontier technologies to give birth to new industries, new models, and new drivers, thereby accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. Second, focus on building platforms for technical development and pilot-scale testing [3] and transformation. To a certain extent, industrial pilot testing capacity determines industrial technological innovation and profoundly affects the integration of technological and industrial innovation. Enhancing pilot testing capacity is an important handle [4] for promoting the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation. To address the difficulties in translating scientific and technological achievements, universities should focus on building industrial technology research institutes, concept verification centers, and pilot bases that integrate technology maturation, pilot-scale scale-up, and corporate incubation functions. By insisting on facing "real industrial problems" and providing engineering and process verification capabilities, they can reduce the risks and costs for enterprises to adopt frontier technological achievements, allowing the platforms to become the key bridge for scientific achievements to move from the "bookshelf" to the "market shelf." Finally, systematically create platforms for industrial docking and collaborative talent cultivation. Universities and enterprises can jointly build modern industrial colleges and joint laboratories to introduce corporate R&D needs, technical problems, and advanced industrial culture into campuses and classrooms. They should construct platforms for the two-way flow of university teachers, corporate engineers, and researchers, achieving "resonance at the same frequency" [5] between innovative talent cultivation and industrial technological innovation.
Improve systems and mechanisms to stimulate the endogenous motivation for innovation and creation. Improving systems and mechanisms is an important guarantee for breaking down integration barriers and stimulating the innovation and creative vitality of various subjects. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [1] proposed that "we must deeply implement the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country through talent, and the innovation-driven development strategy; coordinate the integrated reform of systems and mechanisms for education, science and technology, and talent; improve the new-type system for mobilizing resources nationwide; and enhance the overall efficiency of the national innovation system." Universities must promote deep-level reforms with a high degree of historical self-awareness and responsibility, breaking down invisible barriers that restrict innovation, improving the mechanism for collaborative education through science and teaching, and releasing innovation potential. First, deepen the reform of the scientific research evaluation system. Centering on national major strategic needs and key common technological problems in industry, universities should form cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional stable research teams. They should construct a diversified evaluation system with innovation value, ability, and contribution at its core, guiding researchers to both "reach the sky" (pursue academic excellence) and "touch the ground" (address practical needs) [6]. Second, optimize the mechanism for achievement transformation and rights distribution. This involves clarifying the definition of property rights for scientific and technological achievements, simplifying the transformation process, and establishing a systematic plan that includes "rights-granting reforms" (giving researchers ownership or long-term usage rights), contributing technology as equity, and revenue rewards. This ensures researchers receive a reasonable share of the benefits, fundamentally eliminating the concerns of being "unwilling or afraid to transform" [7], and directing innovative wisdom toward the "main battlefield" of serving industrial development. Third, innovate talent management and coordination mechanisms. Establish and improve mechanisms for the two-way flow of talent between universities and enterprises. Encourage teachers to take temporary positions in enterprises to understand engineering needs on the industrial front lines, while attracting high-level corporate experts to hold positions or teach in universities. This brings the latest technical dynamics, market trends, and real cases into the classroom, achieving complementary advantages between academic and industrial teachers. Establish regularized docking and decision-making consultation mechanisms between universities, governments, and enterprises to ensure that university reform and development always move in the same direction as regional economic and industrial upgrading.
Empower corporate innovation and build a collaborative pattern of symbiosis and shared prosperity. Enterprises are the micro-level subjects of the modern industrial system and the vital force in promoting innovation and creation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in technological innovation, give play to the leading and supporting role of leading science and technology enterprises, create a favorable environment for the growth of small, medium, and micro-sized tech enterprises, and promote the deep integration of the innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains." Universities play foundational, pioneering, and strategic roles in the national innovation system. They should actively dock with [8], support, and serve the dominant position of enterprises in innovation, and promote the construction of communities for the integration of industry and education. First, strengthen high-quality technical supply for enterprises. New knowledge and technologies are the sources of corporate technological innovation. Universities should actively leverage their deep basic research and interdisciplinary advantages to produce original and leading results of strategic significance for the mid-to-long-term development of enterprises. Through joint scientific research breakthroughs and undertaking commissioned R&D from enterprises, universities can explore frontier technologies for companies and empower their technical upgrading. Second, promote the process of enterprises absorbing advanced technologies. The transformation of scientific and technological achievements is the key link in moving from science to application. During the transformation process, universities should deeply participate in secondary technology development and customized services, set up professional technology transformation teams, accurately grasp enterprise needs, and help enterprises digest, absorb, and re-innovate. This allows scientific achievements to be smoothly embedded into corporate product development and process improvement, increasing the success rate of transformation. Third, extend the service chain for corporate technological innovation. Tracking research is the test of the results of corporate technological innovation. Universities should actively participate in the practical application and iterative optimization of corporate innovation results. Through mechanisms such as co-building joint testing platforms and user feedback analysis centers, they can track and evaluate the performance and benefits of results in real-world scenarios, providing data-driven optimization suggestions and continuous technical support for enterprises. At the same time, relying on the scientific research advantages of universities, they can help enterprises respond to new problems and challenges arising in the application of results, promoting the better implementation and transformation of innovation results to maximize innovation value.