Visitors view models of China-developed bullet trains at the 26th China Beijing International High-tech Expo on July 13. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By LIU Yin & ZHONG Jianli

Over the past decade, China has prioritized structural scientific and technological reform as a crucial aspect of comprehensively deepening reforms, laying the foundation for a systemic framework to support sci-tech innovation.

This focus has assisted the country to enter the ranks of innovative nations on the global stage.

In 2023, China's total social R&D expenditure exceeded 3.3 trillion RMB, ranking second globally. It has also led the world in the number of patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, while the scale of its manufacturing industry has maintained global dominance for 14 consecutive years.

These impressive statistics underscore China's strides towards becoming a technological powerhouse. By driving technological and institutional innovation in tandem, China has cultivated a favorable environment for innovation, allowing both a diverse innovation drive and an opportunity to boost the national innovation system.

Removing institutional barriers

The call to deepen structural sci-tech reform has spurred actions across various sectors and regions, focusing on top-level design and meticulous execution of measures.

The Several Opinions on Deepening Structural Reform to Accelerate the Implementation of the Innovation-Driven Development Strategy, issued by the State Council in 2015, articulated 30 reform proposals across eight areas, fostering innovation vigor and vitality throughout society.

Revision and implementation of laws, including the Law of the People's Republic of China on Scientific and Technological Progress and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Patents, have made reform achievements legal.

"In accordance with the arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) will further deepen the reform of the science and technology system, continuously remove institutional barriers that restrict the vitality of sci-tech innovation, and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system," said Yin Hejun, minister of science and technology.

Yin also noted that the MOST will continue to improve the governance mechanism for sci-tech innovation, the legal system for the research, development and application of new technologies, and the market environment for fair competition that encourages innovation.

Driving economic growth

The structural reform in the sci-tech field has driven reforms in various other sectors including the economy, culture and society.

"The technological system reform has always revolved around promoting the integration of science and technology with the economy and mobilizing the enthusiasm of researchers," said Ding Minglei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development.

During the 2023 Central Economic Work Conference outlining the economic agenda for 2024, emphasis was placed on using sci-tech innovation to lead the construction of a modern industrial system and enhancing the role of enterprises in innovation.

This not only signifies a crucial step in deepening structural scientific and technological reform but also signals the importance of integrating technological and industrial innovation.

In terms of bolstering the role of enterprises in sci-tech innovation, China has continuously improved policies, resources and projects. For instance, almost 80 percent of the national key R&D plans are involved in or led by enterprises. In addition, the proportion of deductible R&D expenses of eligible enterprises has been largely increased from 75 percent to 100 percent.

The country has also accelerated the commercialization of technological achievements, seeing a number of R&D achievements going from the "shelf" to the market.

Igniting talent creativity

Renewing the project and talent appraisal systems to better stimulate researchers' innovative potential has been another reform focus.

On July 3, 2018, China issued a guideline on deepening the reform of project evaluation, talent appraisal, and institution assessment. This 14-page document aimed to explore categorized evaluation and establish a scientific, standardized, efficient and trustworthy sci-tech assessment system.

In the subsequent four years, the country carried out three rounds of actions to reduce researchers' burdens, including addressing reimbursement complexities, and issues related to the overemphasis on publications, professional titles, academic degrees, and awards.

With these efforts, researchers can focus on research while relieved from tedious administrative work. More young sci-tech talent is also enabled to take the lead in major national R&D tasks.

A talent evaluation system oriented towards innovation value, capability, and contributions is taking shape, empowering scientists with greater decision-making authority over their research plans and funding usage.

Looking ahead, the country will keep perfecting its sci-tech innovation system to unleash the potential of technology as its main productive force, thereby speeding up technological achievements.