Strong basic research is the root of a country’s ability to innovate independently – its level and strength shape the depth and staying power of technological innovation, and with it high-quality economic and social development.
At the start of the year, the newly revised Law on Scientific and Technological Progress took effect. As the basic law of China’s science and technology field, it now adds a dedicated chapter on basic research – placed second, right after the general provisions – a clear signal of how much weight basic research now carries.
Basic research is the source
Beyond exploring nature and expanding human knowledge, basic research is the key switch for solving bottleneck technologies. Deep roots make lush leaves: without clear basic understanding and well-understood principles, original, revolutionary, disruptive core technologies are hard to produce. China’s ‘artificial sun’ fusion device set world records – 101 seconds of burning at 120 million degrees Celsius, then 20 seconds at 160 million – precisely because researchers understood nuclear physics at a deeper level. Optimising one parameter can lift a ship’s loading efficiency; one successful experiment can raise a rocket’s safety margin. A small step in basic research is a great leap in technology – the crewed spaceflight and deep-sea programmes stand on that support.
China’s basic research investment keeps rising and major discoveries accumulate yearly. Compared with scientifically advanced countries, though, investment is still low, original results few, and leading talent scarce. Strengthening basic research is imperative.
Three requirements
Encourage free exploration while strengthening goal orientation. Basic research’s first function is new knowledge, new discoveries, new principles – it needs a long view, respect for scientific laws, and care for researchers’ curiosity. At the same time, with limited total investment and many bottleneck technologies, researchers should be guided toward the major technical problems constraining economic and social development.
Optimise the discipline layout. Translating basic research into applications is highly uncertain – you never know which cloud will rain – so long-term stable support for niche, foundational and cross-disciplinary fields matters. The National Natural Science Foundation’s new interdisciplinary division is developing well and worth learning from; funding mechanisms for cross-disciplinary research should keep improving, and the talent base should broaden accordingly.
Create a healthy research ecology. Basic research is long-cycle, hard and uncertain – it cannot be rushed. Beyond raising and diversifying investment, a scientific evaluation system that fits basic research’s laws is needed quickly: one centred on academic contribution and innovation value, tolerant of failure and encouraging of exploration, so more researchers will sit on the cold bench and venture into uncharted territory.
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