"The state formulates policies, gives full play to the decisive role of the market in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and establishes a market-oriented mechanism and a benefit distribution mechanism for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements." The "Draft Amendment to the Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements" (hereinafter referred to as the "Amendment"), which was recently discussed and adopted by the the State Council executive meeting, emphasizes that the Amendment has improved the information release and income distribution system of scientific and technological achievements, highlighted the main role of enterprises in the selection of scientific research direction and project implementation, and strengthened the protection of intellectual property rights.
It is noteworthy that university professors will be more free to engage in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The "Amendment" stipulates that scientific and technological personnel of scientific research institutions and institutions of higher learning may engage in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements part-time after completing their jobs, or leave their jobs to engage in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements within a certain period. Scientific research institutions and institutions of higher learning shall establish the rights and obligations stipulated in the system or agreed upon by scientific and technical personnel to transform scientific and technological achievements during or after part-time or full-time activities.
The promulgation of the Amendment is undoubtedly a practical step for China's economy to enjoy the demographic dividend and release the reform dividend. Far away, it is Needham's question. The British scholar, who has studied China society, asked: "Although ancient China made many important contributions to the development of human science and technology, why didn't there be a scientific and industrial revolution in modern China?"
Among the many answers to this question, "transformational application" is a key word with high frequency. Mr. Lu Xun hated iron and wrote: "Foreign countries used gunpowder as bullets to defend the enemy, but China used it as firecrackers to worship the gods;" Foreign countries use a compass to sail, but China uses it to see Feng Shui; Foreign countries use opium to cure diseases, while China uses opium as food. "
There is creation, but there is no innovation; There is entrepreneurship, no industry. This has to be regrettable. Putting aside the dispute between Chinese and western nations, how to move from intelligent creation to intelligent application is a problem we must face.
On the one hand, no matter how onlookers lament that a university is not what it used to be, the moon abroad is really not so round as far as the scientific research results are concerned. The real data proves that the universities with buildings and master's degrees in China, especially the top universities, are unambiguous in the world PK.
On the other hand, in this era of national entrepreneurship. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Science and Technology, there are currently 5 100 universities and research institutes in China, and 30,000 scientific research achievements are completed every year, but only about 20% can be transformed and mass-produced, and only 5% can form an industrial scale. According to the statistics released by the education department, the transformation rate of scientific and technological achievements in Chinese universities is less than 20%, and the patent implementation rate is less than 15%, while it is as high as 70%~80% in developed countries.
Then, the next question is, how to apply the good articles published in core journals with high impact factors and great academic influence, as well as the patents that have been won in experiments and practice? Who will apply?
The "amendment" provides a possibility: university professors work part-time or leave their jobs to start businesses.
Ideally, creators are most familiar with their achievements. They devote themselves to the market, exert the value of their wisdom in the market, and polish their products through the test of practice. The setting of part-time jobs and vacation periods can also retain the status of scholars for professors and reduce the cost of failure.
Scientific research and entrepreneurship are completely different concepts. Many achievements were born without knowing what changes the future would bring to the world. Pythagoras explained Pythagoras theorem, and someone asked him: What's the use? He gave the man some money and sneered, This is what you want. There must be many people who are interested in scientific research, such as Yan Gengwang's saying, "Work hard at any time and live happily". They are not interested in the market outside the ivory tower. Protecting the purity of their work is also one of the responsibilities of universities.
At the same time, for a considerable number of researchers, learning from things to be practical is also one of the pursuits of life. The strict financial and personnel system in colleges and universities is somewhat a constraint. Do the school project honestly, and you need to rack your brains to collect invoices after the project is over, not to mention entering the market with real money every day. Being a teacher and a boss is nothing. What is the evaluation? Will it affect the promotion of associate professors and professors in the future?
The amendment opens a window for such people. But this is just the beginning. Next, the detailed rules formulated by the school according to its own situation are particularly important. It is necessary to put an end to the speculative behavior of grasping identity while grasping money, and to prevent poor policy communication, and entrepreneurial teachers are indignant at both ends. More importantly, the financial and personnel assessment mechanisms have changed and the rules are clear.
In addition, after all, being able to engage in scientific research does not mean being able to operate. It may be good for personal growth, but it is a bit dangerous to improve the efficiency of scientific and technological transformation in the whole country. The connection between the market and the entrepreneurial service of colleges and universities may be a key step to be grasped.