Strengthen basic research to achieve high level scientific and technological self-reliance

Strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving self-reliance in high-level science and technology, and is the only way to build a world power in science and technology. The Party and the state have always attached importance to basic research. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CPC Central Committee issued a call to "march to science", and the majority of scientific and technological workers worked hard and independently, and achieved major basic research achievements such as "two bombs and one star" key scientific problems, artificial bovine insulin, breakthroughs in the theory of multiple complex functions, and proof of Goldbach's conjecture. After the reform and opening up, China ushered in the "scientific spring", and successively implemented the "863 plan", "climbing plan" and "973 plan", and the overall research strength and academic level of basic research were significantly enhanced. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee has placed the improvement of original innovation ability in a more prominent position, successfully organized a number of major basic research tasks, built a number of major scientific and technological infrastructure, and major original achievements in the direction of basic frontier have continued to emerge.

At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, the integration of disciplines is advancing, the paradigm of scientific research is undergoing profound changes, the integration of science and technology and economic and social development is accelerating, the transformation cycle of basic research is significantly shortened, and international competition in science and technology is moving to the forefront of basic research. To cope with international competition in science and technology, achieve self-reliance in high-level science and technology, promote the construction of a new development pattern, and achieve high-quality development, it is urgent that we strengthen basic research and solve key technological problems at the source and at the bottom. Because of this, the report of the Party's 20th National Congress highlights the need to strengthen basic research, highlight originality, encourage free exploration, make strategic plans, and effectively implement them.

First, we need to strengthen the forward-looking, strategic and systematic distribution of basic research. Basic research is at the beginning of the scientific research chain from research to application and then to production, and only when the foundation is laid firmly can the building of science and technology be built high. To strengthen basic research, it is necessary to highlight forward-looking and strategic demand-oriented, optimize resource allocation and layout structure, and provide basic theoretical support and technological source supply for innovative development.

It is necessary to adhere to the "four aspects", adhere to the "two legs" of goal-oriented and free exploration, combine the world's scientific and technological frontiers with the major strategic needs of the country and the goals of economic and social development, coordinate the cutting-edge issues raised by the law of scientific development and the theoretical issues abstracted from major applied research, and condenze key scientific issues in basic research. It is necessary to grasp the development trend of science and technology and the national strategic needs, strengthen the feasibility evaluation and selection of major basic research projects, fully respect the opinions of scientists, grasp the general trend, and play a good "first hand". We will strengthen national strategic scientific and technological strength, and systematically promote strategy-oriented systematic basic research, leading-edge exploratory basic research, and market-oriented applied basic research. We will give full play to the leading role of national laboratories, the institutional role of national scientific research institutions, the main force role of high-level research universities and the role of leading scientific and technological enterprises as "question makers", "answer takers" and "examiners". We need to improve the layout of basic disciplines, support the development of key disciplines, emerging disciplines, unpopular disciplines, and weak disciplines, promote interdisciplinary integration and interdisciplinary research, and build a high-quality discipline system with comprehensive and balanced development.

Second, we need to deepen institutional reform of basic research. The world has entered the era of big science, the degree of organization of basic research is getting higher and higher, and the influence of institutional guarantee and policy guidance on the output of basic research is getting greater and greater. China's institutional mechanisms to support basic research and original innovation have been basically established, but they are not yet perfect. We must optimize and refine reform plans, and give full play to the value driving and strategic leading role of institutions and policies.