工程创新视野下的应用基础研究

On Applied Basic Research from the Perspective of Engineering Innovation

本文讨论了应用基础研究的性质与类型、应用基础研究与工程创新的关系以及应用基础研究的治理机制,并对当下我国应用基础研究的政策问题进行了讨论。研究表明,应用基础研究是基础研究的主战场;应用基础研究包括自由探索的应用基础研究和组织化的应用基础研究两种类型;应用基础研究与工程创新之间存在着一种纠缠关系,并不是单纯的谁先谁后的关系;针对应用基础研究,需要进行特殊的治理安排,充分发挥集中力量办大事的“他组织”优势和分散力量办大事的“自组织”优势,而我国企业和产业部委应该在应用基础研究中以及相关联的重大工程创新中发挥关键作用并担负可考核的重大责任。

Currently,the world is undergoing unprecedented and far-reaching changes,and the competition between countries in the realm of science and technology is intensifying.It is imperative for a nation to achieve a prominent position in international competition that it achieves significant technological breakthroughs.These breakthroughs are reliant on robust support for basic research.However,simply prioritizing the allocation of funds towards basic research,particularly in universities and independent research institutions,although resulting in the generation of new knowledge,may struggle to effectively translate this knowledge into practical applications within the industrial sector.Consequently,this may lead to a phenomenon known as“idle research,”where basic research fails to contribute to the solution of major technical challenges.Therefore,it is crucial to emphasize the significance of“applied basic research”,which refers to basic research conducted within engineering application scenarios and geared towards practical engineering applications.Only through this approach can we find better solutions to these challenges.This paper examines the nature and status of applied basic research,explores the relationship between applied basic research and engineering innovation,discusses the governance mechanism of applied basic research,and specifically analyzes the policy issues of applied basic research in China.The findings reveal that applied basic research is the primary battleground for basic research and can be classified into two types:free exploration applied basic research and organized applied basic research.Furthermore,there exists a complex relationship between applied basic research and engineering innovation,which is not a straightforward causal relationship.In terms of governing applied basic research,it is crucial to leverage the advantages of both centralized power,which enables coordinated efforts to achieve significant advancements,and decentralized power,which allows for greater autonomy and initiative.These two approaches complement each other and interact to establish a mutually beneficial“big innovation pattern”for applied basic research.To achieve this,deeper system reforms are necessary to empower Chinese enterprises and industry ministries to take the lead in applied basic research and related major engineering innovations,thereby bearing significant responsibilities,rather than overemphasizing the importance of universities,research institutes and even the Ministry of Science and Technology in innovation activities.Such reforms will effectively reduce institutional barriers and foster true integration between applied basic research and major engineering innovation.