The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has entrusted Beijing with a strategically important task – to move faster to develop an International Center for Science and Technology Innovation, and thus provide strategic support for China’s efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and build itself into a global leader in science and technology.
The Regulations on the Development of an International Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Beijing (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) was voted through at the Second Session of the 16th People's Congress of Beijing Municipality on January 25, 2024. It provides institutional safeguards for Beijing to develop the Center and fundamental support for the city to promote science and technology innovation. It is a significant milestone in science and technology development and the evolution of related legislation in Beijing.
Purpose and Function
The Regulations thoroughly embodies the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and of President Xi Jinping’s important speeches on Beijing, as well as the recently revised Law of the People's Republic of China on Scientific and Technological Progress and other relevant laws and regulations.
The legislation provides
safeguards for the development of
an International Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Beijing
and fundamental support for the promotion of science and technology innovation in the city.
Safeguards
The Regulations focuses on the nature of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation and the methods employed for its development and lays out a framework for its development, covering the strategic goals and guiding principles, mechanisms for leadership and execution, development plans and strategic arrangement, innovators and innovation activities, talent for innovation, a supportive environment for innovation, and international openness and cooperation, along with other core elements.
Fundamental support
The Regulations is made to promote scientific and technological innovation, strengthen institutional innovation, and provide robust support for innovation. Following the way technological innovation should be carried out, it contains provisions covering the whole innovation chain: basic research, technological advancement, the commercialization of achievements, and the growth of the high-end, precision and sophisticated industries. Meanwhile, it is also well-coordinated with other related laws and regulations.
The main principle of the Regulations is to encourage innovation, delegate power, and stabilize expectations;
Four Highlights:
Highlighting
the need to serve major national strategies,
the leading role of reform and innovation,
advancement on the basis of practical experience,
and Beijing features
Vigorous efforts will be made to create an innovation-friendly institutional environment featuring a well-functioning market, a competent government, social participation and growing efficiency.
Highlights and Innovations
The Regulations consists of 76 articles in seven chapters. These include General Provisions, Strategic Planning and Development Arrangements, Innovators and Innovation Activities, Talented Minds for Innovation, Ecosystem for Innovation, International Openness and Cooperation, and Supplementary Provisions. It can be summarized as:
One principle,
Two clarified points, and
Five areas of focus.
One principle
It adheres to the principle of turning into legislation and institutional arrangements President Xi Jinping's important instructions about the development of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Beijing, along with the CPC Central Committee’s major decisions and plans.
◆Embrace the capital’s strategic position, move faster to build the city into a global hub for science and innovation, and provide strategic support for China’s efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and build the country into a global leader in science and technology.
◆Let talent lead development and build a hub for high-caliber personnel.
◆Deepen the reform of the science and technology management system, advance pilot programs at Zhongguancun, and build a world-leading science park.
◆Advance the building of a community of collaborative innovation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to strengthen collaborative innovation and industrial collaboration in the region.
◆Take active steps to fit into the global innovation network, support ZGC Forum in playing its role as a state-level platform for global exchanges and collaboration in the field of science and technology innovation.
Two clarified points
The first is to clarify the leadership framework for the development of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation, and fully leverage the central government's scientific and technological resources in Beijing to build strong synergy.
◆Improve systems and measures for tapping into the central government's scientific and technological innovation resources in Beijing for their involvement in building the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation, and promote collaboration among the ministerial, municipal and district levels.
◆Strengthen connections with the central government’s fiscal input in science and technology, and promote cooperation between central and local departments in national science and technology programs and the development and operation of major national science and technology infrastructure.
◆Support and secure the development of national laboratories and state key laboratories in Beijing and establish a laboratory network with them and Beijing’s key laboratories as pillars.
◆Support and facilitate the development of Huairou Science City in Beijing.
The second is to clarify the strategic plans and development arrangements for the development of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation, which will serve as the guide for future work.
◆ Ensure mutual reinforcement and interconnected development among the following five aspects: building Beijing into an international center for innovation, promoting the development of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, building a global digital economy benchmark demonstration zone, creating new demand through supply-side structural reform, and coordinating the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Integrate into the new development dynamic..
◆Make it clear that the Zhongguancun Science Park, Zhongguancun Science City, Huairou Science City, Future Science City, and the Innovative Industrial Cluster Demonstration Zone are the major platforms; draft development plans for the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Beijing and the major platforms.
◆Make plans for basic research activities and high-end, precision, and sophisticated industries.
Five areas of focus
The first is to focus on the essential elements and basic needs so as to provide effective safeguards for the development of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation.
Send a clear signal that support will be provided for the development of innovation talent:
◆ Improve policies for the introduction and settlement of innovation talent.
◆ Establish a mechanism to provide consistent support and well-connected training for young talent in science and technology.
◆ Step up efforts to recruit innovation talent who are urgently needed and in short supply, make a catalog to clarify the scope of such talent, and update the catalog as appropriate.
Make science and technology a priority for fiscal spending:
◆ Increase fiscal input by ensuring the growth in funding in science and technology outstrips that in regular fiscal revenue.
Make sure to meet the demand for land use in science and technology innovation and the development of high-end, precision and sophisticated industries:
◆Keep the cost of land use in high-end, precision and sophisticated industries at a reasonable level, and encourage the use of land for industrial purposes to perform mixed functions, and support the lawful use of collectively-owned land for construction purposes for the development of industries related to science and technology innovation.
Unlock the potential of data:
◆Improve open sharing of public data along with the mechanism for the development and utilization of data by a diversity of public entities.
◆Strengthen international cooperation in the digital sector and establish and improve regulation and service mechanisms for cross-border data transfer.
Promote open sharing of scientific infrastructure and instruments:
◆Open to the public major scientific and technological infrastructure and large scientific instruments and equipment built or purchased with fiscal funding in accordance with relevant regulations.
The second is to focus on achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology by establishing supply systems for reinforcing basic research and resolving critical challenges facing core technologies in key fields.
About basic research:
◆Improve the mechanism under which reliable support is provided for basic research, and promote systematic basic research for strategic purposes, exploratory basic research for pushing scientific boundaries, and applied basic research for the market.
◆Beijing Natural Science Foundation may establish joint funds with the National Natural Science Foundation of China, district people's governments, enterprises, and industry associations.
About achieving technological breakthroughs:
◆Establish a mechanism to pool resources for the development of core technologies in key fields.
◆Quick-response research may be organized for major scientific and technological projects crucial to national security and public interest.
◆Leading sci-tech enterprises are encouraged to establish innovation consortia to conduct joint research on core technologies in key fields and frontier technologies.
About the development of high-end, precision and sophisticated industries:
◆Promote the growth of strategic emerging industries and future industries and foster globally competitive high-end, precision and sophisticated industrial clusters.
The third is to focus on delegating power and fully motivate all kinds of innovators.
For higher education institutions and research institutes:
◆The People's Government of Beijing Municipality and competent departments should grant them greater autonomy in regard to fund use, staffing, and remuneration.
◆Relevant departments should create new approaches to fund management, audit and supervision, and eliminate redundant inspections and evaluations.
For enterprises:
◆Reinforce the major role enterprises play in driving scientific and technological innovation, improve the services system for scientific and technological innovation by enterprises, encourage private enterprises to participate in the development of major scientific and technological infrastructure and key innovation platforms, and to undertake projects included in science and technology development plans, and explore ways to establish research and development reserve systems in state-owned enterprises.
For new-type R&D institutions:
◆Adopt more flexible and effective systems and mechanisms in operation and management, recruitment, investment, fund use, and intellectual property incentives; donations and subsidies can be accepted as a way to have more funding sources.
For non-governmental organizations:
◆Encourage them to carry out academic exchanges, sci-tech consultation, dissemination of science and technology, the development of standards, the establishment of innovation platforms, and other activities.
For sci-tech professionals:
◆Establish a system where scientists of strategic importance take full responsibility so that they have greater autonomy over human resources, funding, and supplies, as well as in the choice of which technological route to follow.
◆Sci-tech professionals may take up part-time or temporary positions in enterprises, participate in joint projects, or leave their current post to work on the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and receive remuneration in accordance with the law.
The fourth area of focus is developing an open innovation ecosystem which promotes all-round international cooperation and exchanges in science and technology.
Strengthen international cooperation in the field of big science:
◆Encourage organizations and individuals to initiate or engage in international big science plans and projects.
Support the establishment and growth of foreign-funded R&D centers:
◆Encourage foreign-funded R&D centers to undertake a variety of projects, including sci-tech research and development, international sci-tech collaboration, and demonstrations of key application scenarios, among others.
For international sci-tech organizations:
◆Support organizations and individuals to initiate or set up international sci-tech organizations or international industrial and standardization organizations relevant to sci-tech innovation in Beijing, and form clusters of headquarters of international sci-tech organizations.
Attract foreign sci-tech professionals:
◆Support non-governmental sci-tech associations to accept foreign sci-tech professionals as members, and encourage such people to hold positions in these associations.
Work for open sharing of academic resources for scientific research around the world:
◆Develop internationally influential platforms for sci-tech literature and data sharing, and encourage the launching of international academic journals on science and technology in Beijing.
The fifth area of focus is forward-looking and leading institutional breakthroughs with opens space for further reforms and explorations in the future.
In accordance with relevant arrangements made by the State and Beijing's pioneering practices, the Regulations introduces 20 pioneering systems.
Regarding the commercialization of achievements
◆It requires improving the system for managing the assets of job-related scientific and technological achievements as a separate category of state-owned assets.
Regarding innovative talent
◆ It encourage high-level research-oriented universities to launch joint postgraduate programs with new-type R&D institutions.
◆Grant eligible enterprises, public institutions, and non-governmental organizations the authority to confer intermediate and senior professional titles.
◆Allow state key laboratories, national technological innovation centers, leading sci-tech enterprises, and other relevant entities to recommend technical heads for professional titles of the corresponding levels as exceptional cases in accordance with relevant regulations.
Regarding the TechFin sector
◆Establish government investment funds for the sci-tech field, proportion government contributions based on reasonable grounds, and improve existing mechanisms for supervision, assessment, and exit of government funds.
Develop and expand a group of angel investors.
Develop and improve the entry and exit mechanism for state-owned venture capital.
◆Have provisions to guide long-term capital sources, such as commercial insurance funds, to contribute to venture capital investment.
◆Support the development of new credit solutions such as subscription agreement-based loans, annexation loans, and loans for eligible professionals.
For the creation of an innovation-friendly environment
◆Professional titles or academic awards should not be prerequisites for sci-tech personnel to apply for funding for sci-tech projects.
◆Due diligence and liability exemption systems should be improved for public institutions and state-owned enterprises engaging in sci-tech innovation.
◆Innovations in regulatory reforms should be supported while upholding the principles of inclusiveness and prudence, and innovators shall be encouraged to conduct application tests of new technologies, products, services, and models in a controllable range.
◆Create reasonable risk-sharing and incentive mechanisms to support the initial purchase and procurement of innovative products and services.
For openness and cooperation
◆Establish and improve a mechanism for the cross-border use and management of funds allocated to sci-tech projects.
◆Set up comprehensive bonded zones focusing on research, development, and innovation.
◆Explore ways to establish a system to directly grant professional titles for high-level talented individuals from overseas.
For other aspects
◆Leave room for future reforms and strengthen collaboration with Customs and other relevant national authorities in Beijing to streamline the customs clearance process for sci-tech research materials.
◆Advance structural reform and institutional innovation in science and technology, continue to release new pilot policies that support and encourage innovative activities, and establish a fault-tolerant mechanism for science and technology innovation.