21st Century Business Herald reporter Liu Xi, intern Shu Yunhan, Wuhan report
China's national innovation index world ranking rose from 22nd place in 2017 to 12th place in 2021, and the whole society's R&D investment was 2.79 trillion yuan. Recently, a set of data revealed by China's Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang shows that the Chinese government is focusing on improving the level of global scientific and technological innovation opening up and actively contributing Chinese wisdom to cope with common global challenges.
When technological innovation is placed in an increasingly important position, planning and building a science city has become a common direction that many places aim at. 21st Century Business Herald reporter found that nearly 20 cities across the country are currently building or planning to build science cities. Beijing alone has three science cities including Zhongguancun Science City, , Future Science City, and Huairou Science City.
As Hubei, which undertakes the heavy responsibility of the rise of the central region and the economic traction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, launched the construction of the Optics Valley Science and Technology Innovation Corridor with Donghu Science City as the core in 2021. Donghu Science City has become the main area of Hubei Donghu Comprehensive National Science Center and the core carrier area of Wuhan National Science and Technology Innovation Center. From the perspective of planning, the construction of Donghu Science City means that Hubei is planning a 30-year future, and with the perspective of scientific and technological innovation, it will comprehensively enhance Hubei's competitiveness across the country and even the world.
As an important part of the national strategic scientific and technological force, Huazhong University of Science and Technology has undertaken the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure, Hubei laboratories, national-level innovation platforms, etc. in Donghu Science City. Both are located in Wuhan East Lake High-tech Zone, known as " China Optical Valley ".
On May 27, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Huazhong University of Science and Technology You Zheng said in an interview with a reporter from 21st Century Business Herald that the construction of a world-class science city is becoming an important track for the new round of urban development competition. He put forward many constructive opinions on this new track from the aspects of platform construction, original leadership, breakthroughs in key core technologies, building an open innovation ecosystem, and stimulating the innovative vitality of talents.
(Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Huazhong University of Science and Technology You Zheng was interviewed by a reporter from 21st Century Business Herald. Photo by Zhang Canlong)
Exploring organized innovation mechanism
"21st Century": Judging from the experience of building science cities around the world, innovation and reform of the science and technology system are the only way to promote development. What suggestions do you have for Donghu Science City in the new round of innovation and reform of the science and technology system?
You Zheng: From a macro level, we must boldly explore a new national system. Taking the lithography machine as an example, an EUV lithography machine contains more than 100,000 parts and requires systematic support from more than 5,000 enterprises from all over the world. In order to achieve independent research and development of lithography machines in China, it is by no means possible to complete the technical problems such as independent research and development of lithography machines in China. It is necessary to boldly explore a new national system and promote deeper, more comprehensive and more complete industrial chain collaboration.
Optical Valley 's "optical core screen terminal network" industry scale is nearly 600 billion yuan, but compared with world-class optoelectronics industry cluster areas such as Silicon Valley , we must achieve extraordinary breakthroughs in innovation, and boldly explore the organized innovation mechanism.
From a meso-level perspective, National Laboratory , national scientific research institutions, high-level research universities , and leading science and technology enterprises are all important parts of the national strategic scientific and technological forces and are also strategic forces in building a world-class science city. How to better lead, serve, organize and support all innovation entities to burst out with innovative vitality requires bold exploration from the mechanism and system.
From a micro perspective, we must boldly stimulate the innovative vitality of all kinds of talents. One of Hubei's biggest advantages is its talents, which is the third largest gathering place for talents in the country. Innovative talents are not limited to scientists, but also engineers and related industry personnel. Different types of scientific and technological personnel must be evaluated reasonably and change the organizational methods and scientific research systems of talents. I think the innovation of Donghu Science City must be at the forefront of the country in order to have greater impact and build Optics Valley into an international high-level Optics Valley.
《21st Century》: Donghu Science City has put forward the concept of "science + scientist + innovation ecology" in its construction. What suggestions do you have for doing a good job in this aspect?
You Zheng: This term is very good. The competition between countries is ultimately a struggle between science and technology and innovation. Whoever has innovative technology will lead the future. Aiming at innovations from 0 to 1, our position, vision and mind will be different. How to stimulate the momentum of innovative activities and innovative talents is indeed worth thinking about. From the perspective of the main body of technological transformation, the professors feel that their research is good and if they have to incubate them themselves, it is like they are reluctant to eat delicious popsicles. As a result, when the weather is hot and melts, there is nothing left.
Science City is going to become a place to turn scientists' ideas into applied technology. That is to say, scientific researchers can concentrate on conducting innovative research, engineers can turn scientists' ideas into applicable technologies, and industrial personnel can turn these technologies into products. To succeed in transformation, it is not that one person does all three things, but that through the construction of an innovative ecosystem, three people do three things at the same time, so that people can return to their original position and innovate at the main point.
《21st Century》: In September last year, " East Lake Science City Construction Development Plan " was officially released. What suggestions do you have for the planning content itself and implementation?
You Zheng: Donghu Science City has set development goals for 2025, 2035 and 2050, which also means that it is impossible to achieve overnight and we must be prepared for a protracted war. Especially some of the core technical problems and major scientific problems encountered in the current field of science and technology are not solved in the short term. We must pay attention to the integrity of the system and establish a complete innovation chain.
The development of each region must form an agglomeration effect, rather than blindly pursuing popularity. This "high-level repetition" is more wasteful than "low-level repetition". For example, at least four of the Hubei laboratories are related to information technology. Instead of distracting the energy to build a few, it is better to concentrate on building one to avoid becoming an isolated island between laboratories and lacking the motivation to develop to the top.
In the national system and organized scientific research, it is very important to gather technologies, industries and talents through reasonable layout to form advantages and ecology. If Donghu Science City has sufficient advantages in the optoelectronic information industry, it should focus on its main business and make key breakthroughs.
In addition, in terms of people's lives and health, from the perspective of my country's national conditions and Wuhan's existing discipline layout, Donghu Science City can incorporate high-end medical equipment independent innovation and medical equipment industry into its strategic layout. Among the domestic universities, Huazhong University of Science and Technology is one of the few double first-class universities that have both first-class engineering and first-class medical sciences. How to establish a complete basic scientific system closely related to medical equipment, and how to solve the problem of "low originality and incomplete industrial chain" has become the biggest problem in solving the problem of independent and controllable medical equipment in my country.
At the same time, the huge Chinese medical equipment market is enough to support China's medical equipment industry, and it is an important strategic opportunity for Optics Valley to leverage its comprehensive medical advantages and create a new industrial growth pole.
National Laboratory Construction is a major opportunity
《21st Century》: What are the characteristics of the current construction of domestic science city and what experiences do you think are worth learning from in Donghu Science City?
You Zheng: At present, the construction of domestic advanced science cities reflects some characteristics, all focusing on and serving the national strategic needs, focusing on serving the construction of national strategic scientific and technological strength, focusing on gathering and cultivating first-class scientific and technological talents, and focusing on the integration of industry, academia and research.
For Donghu Science City, the construction of national laboratories is a major strategic opportunity at present and has an irreplaceable scientific research status and role. Beijing, Shanghai and Hefei have been approved as a comprehensive national science center for . They are all based on the construction of major facilities and major platforms to carry out high-level concentrated construction, with the goal of forming a world-class innovation highland with highly concentrated innovation elements.
Donghu Science City can be based on the Wuhan National Optoelectronics Research Center, jointly with relevant major scientific platforms and major infrastructure, etc., to fully promote the implementation of national laboratories.At the same time, we will seize the opportunity of the new round of national key laboratories restructuring reform, comprehensively promote the implementation of relevant new national-level platforms and major infrastructure, strive for continuous progress in the new track of the construction of major infrastructure groups and major scientific research platforms, and build core competitiveness.
《21st Century》: Looking at the world, science and technology competition is now constantly extending to basic science. How to lay out the construction of a science city in this area?
You Zheng: The construction of major national scientific and technological infrastructure is the strategic layout of the country towards the world's innovation center. Especially from a longer-term perspective, major scientific and technological infrastructure will definitely support some major scientific discoveries and produce some major technologies. If China wants to become a gathering place for world talents, major scientific and technological infrastructure is one of the important measures to attract world's top talents.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology is the first university among the Ministry of Education to own two major scientific and technological infrastructure and pass the acceptance. For example, the construction of a major scientific and technological infrastructure, a pulsed strong magnetic field, can lead to more scientific discoveries. Taking the hospital's MRI as an example, the most used 3T ( magnetic field intensity ) at this stage. The higher the magnetic field intensity and the higher the imaging accuracy, it can create greater value in basic medical research. When top talents conduct research in this field, they need to use our experimental environment, so they must come to work here.
With the permission of the national financial resources, we have several high grounds that can drive original innovation and the gathering of world talents, which is of strategic significance for China to move towards the center of the world.
《21st Century》: In the new round of scientific and technological industry development, how will Huazhong University of Science and Technology continue to play the role of university science and technology and large platforms to support the construction of Donghu Science City?
You Zheng: The construction of world-class universities and world-class science cities is born in response to the needs of the national strategic, and the two coexist, prosper, strengthen and develop together. In the construction of East Lake Science City, Huazhong University of Science and Technology can provide discipline support, talent support, innovative industry support and national strategic forces.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology is planning a future technology science and technology park with Donghu Science City, and put the school’s most representative technologies in the three major fields of optoelectronics technology, intelligent manufacturing, and medical equipment into this science and technology park. Through the secondary development of technology, enterprises will have more opportunities to choose products.
The innovation ecosystem I hope can be built is to encourage teachers to transfer technology to enterprises through technology shareholding and other means, and enterprises purchase teachers' intellectual property rights and form industrialization, realize the deep integration of the entire chain of science and technology chain, industrial chain, and capital chain, promote collaborative innovation between industry, academia and research, and create a closed loop of high-tech innovation.
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