前沿技术差距与科学研究的创新效应——基础研究与应用研究谁扮演了更重要的角色

Technology Distance to Frontier and the Innovative Effect of Scientific Research——Which One Plays More Important Role,Basic Research or Applied Research

当中国的科研投入总量开始被归入世界第一梯队、总体科技水平逐步接近世界前沿水平(前沿差距缩小)时,国家的科研投入方向(偏向应用还是偏向基础)开始在越来越大的程度上决定着科学研究对创新增长的贡献度。本文从理论与经验两个层面证明,面对不同的前沿差距水平,客观上存在一个最优技术差距水平,当前沿差距小于最优技术差距时,应用研究投入持续维持在一个过高水平上将会对创新增长产生抑制作用;持续加大基础研究投入则可通过增强本国企业自主创新能力,缩小最优技术差距,扭转应用研究对创新增长边际递减的负面效应。本文的政策含义是,中国产业发展正处在一个新的历史性拐点之上,只有持续保持对基础研究投入的强劲势头,才能最终使得中国的产业创新实现从模仿创新向原始创新的转变。

When China＇s total scientific research spending began to be classified as the first tier of the world, and the science and technology were closing to the world frontier, the country＇s R＆D spending direction （toward application research or basic research） also began to be important to determine the industrial innovation in a large extent. This paper testifies from both theory and experience aspects that there objectively exists an optimal technology distance level to frontier among all level of distance to frontier. When the technology distance to frontier is smaller than the optimal one, overmuch application research spending will have inhibitory effect on industrial innovation. Continuing to increase investment in basic research can enhance the ability of innovation among Chinese companies and reverse diminishing marginal negative effect of application research to industrial innovation by narrower the optimal gap between Chinese technology and the world frontier. The policy implication is that when the development of Chinese industries are at a historic turning point, only increasingly invest in the basic research can finally make China＇s industrial innovation transform from the imitation innovation to the original innovation.