He Minghong The National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)

The Science Governance and

Planning for future in new stage

Science and Technology for Society Forum

Sri Lanka, Sept. 7-10, 2016

Outline

▓ Background：S&T policies evolution

▓ Reform： Governance and New S&T&I System

▓ Strategy：the Five-Year Plan for NSFC

To link with Society and Economy

To meet Challenges and Opportunities

1978-1984 1985-1994 1995-2005 2012- 2006-2011 1949-1977

•Soviet mode

(institutions,

discipline, team)

•Explore Chinese mode

(concentrate resources to

accomplish large

undertakings, focus on

national defense)

•Stagnation by

destruction

•Restore order;

•Attaches great

importance to

the economy

• Rejuvenating the country

by science and education;

• Scientific development

•Rely on the market：From Plan to Market

•Independent innovation

•Innovation-driven development;

•Deepen reform comprehensively

1. Background：S&T policies evolution of China

More market-driven based on innovation

More concern to frontiers and hot issues

More concern to variety of talent

More opening and collaborative

More flexible in Governance of funding

• Since 2012, China implement the strategy of innovation-driven development as the core.

• Now is the second national S&T strategy for new stage.

• Core of the strategy:

Strength interaction between S&T innovation with the social and economical development

Break through the core and key technological bottleneck for future.

Improve the talent system

Build favorable policy environment.

Upgrade S&T openness and cooperation level

• Special Strategies: Internet +, Made in China 2025 etc.

The innovation-driven development strategy

The innovation-driven development strategy

Become one of top countries

with strong S&T innovation

and output to society.

Become one of leading

countries in innovation

Enter the teams

of innovative

nations

2020

2030

2050

In May 2016, the Chinese government published the Outline of the

National Strategy of Innovation-Driven Development, which maps out

three major steps to promote the country’s innovation-driven development.

The national strategic goals

• Strengthening the reform of S&T project management and

improving the S&T fund application benefit in public finance

• Improving S&T macro management system, such as the

governance, scientific organization system and collaborative

innovation of industry, university and research

• Improving the cultivation and mobility mechanism of

innovative talents and forming the favorable atmosphere

beneficial to talent innovation and creation

• Intensifying the construction of S&T basic system and

promoting the opening and sharing of S&T resources

▓Deepening the Reform of S&T System and

Establishing the National Innovation System

2. Reform: Governance of S&T Innovation System in China

NSFC: plays active role in China’s National Innovation System, and now is the main funding agency for basic research in China.

The State Council

The National Steering

Group for S&T and

Education

Other ministries MoE MoST CAE NSFC CASTCAS

Research

institutionsUniversities

Research

institutes

MOE MoST CAS NSFC

National key R&D programs

National S&T major projects

National Natural Science Fund

Technology innovation guidance

programs (foundations)

Bases and talent related programs

Approximately 100

S&T programs by

Central Government

Finance (fund and

special programs,

etc)

▓ Optimize and focus on the new structure of S&T programs

2. Reform：New governance system of China’s S&T

Budget of NSFC: 30 Years

Year

0.08 0.10 0.11 0.13 0.16 0.18 0.23 0.31 0.41 0.51 0.65 0.76 0.89 1.09 1.35 1.66 1.97 2.05 2.25 2.70

3.62 4.33

5.36

6.43

10.38

14.04

17.00 16.17

19.40

22.23

24.87

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Billio

n C

NY

76%

23%

1%

Research Institutes

Universities

Others

Rapid Growth of R&D in China

2005: 245B 2015: 1422B

The 13th Five-Year Development Plan

of the National Natural Science Fund of

China

The NSFC – which is the major strategic support

for fostering innovation and supports the national

strategic goals – published the 13th Five-Year

Development Plan for National Natural Science

Fund in June 2016, which aims to promote basic

science in China and encourage innovation.

NSFC’s Mission

Support basic researches

Foster talented researchers

Strengthen international cooperation

Promote social and economic development

Strategic orientation: three concentrations

▓ Concentrating efforts on forward-looking deployment:

from the view of long term, cultivate new disciplinary

growth points, focus on major scientific issues, carry out

preliminary research, and nurture next generation talent for

national economic and social development.

▓ Concentrating efforts on scientific breakthroughs:

provide more fund to support cutting-edge scientific

research and encourage scientists to carry out important

research work.

▓ Concentrating efforts on precise management: integrate

using of funding tools, optimize the review process to

reflect the disciplinary differences, enhance efficiency and

performance.

Funding system: 4-in-1

Funding System

• Young Scientists Program

• National Distinguished

Young Scholars

• Creative Research Teams

• Research Instruments and

major Facilities .

• Major Program

• Major Research Plan

• Joint Funds

• Science Centers

• General Program

• Key Program

• Joint Research Program.

Five strategic tasks

Strategic

tasks

Based on the 4-in-1

funding system of

exploration, talents, tools

and convergence

1

2

3

4

5

Focusing on pushing the boundaries of

science and strengthening planning

Strengthening intellectual support

and fostering scientific talents

development of scientific

instruments and facilities

for novel researches

Focus on some key themes

and promote

interdisciplinary research

Promote cooperation

partnerships on a global scale

Strategic Goal: Three Parallels

Some special funding policy

• Create more opportunities for young scientists for their early research, especial after their PhD degrees and Post –Doctoral researches.

• More concern to women talents, including top women scientists.

• Concern to local researchers and excellent teams for some “under-developing” areas.

• more problem-oriented researches and innovation-driven development, with different merit reviews.

• stronger linkage to social and economical development, including joint fund with big enterprises.

• focus on priorities for some big and integrated issues

• Initial some new fundamental centers for frontiers

-------------------------

• Maintain enough concerns to the bottom-up ideas and curious-driven researches

• Balance the themes researches and the discipline

developments, to promote interdisciplinary researches

Priorities connect to disciplines

▓ Disciplines is important fundamentals for S&T developments.

▓ NSFC issued strategies for 18 disciplines, such as

mathematics, physics, chemistry, nano science, life, medicine

sciences, earth, space, marine, resources and environmental

sciences, and materials, energy, engineering, information, data

and computing sciences, and management science.

▓ Focus on16 interdisciplinary priority areas and 118

disciplinary priority issues in the 13th Five-Year period.

• Inner -

• Inter -

• Trans -

• Merge -

The NSFC’s institutional development vision

▓ Be FRIEND of scientists

• More flexible in management of S&T funding, to cut down unnecessary evaluations, so that scientists have more times to do research.

• Share more information among different funding agencies.

• More concern to scientific integrity and research credit.

Thank you!