HIGH TECH RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT (863) PROGRAMME I. ORIGIN |
Since the 1980s
new tides of technical revolution with the high technologies of information,
biology, new materials , etc. at the core have pounded at the whole
world. In 1983 the United States put forward the Strategic Defence
Initiative (i. e. the Star Wars Initiative), then came the EURICA
of Europe, the Comprehensive Outline of Science and Technology Progress
in Year 2000 of the member countries of the Council of Mutual Economic
Assistance (CMEA) at that time, the Policies for the Promotion of
Science and Technology in the Next Ten Years of Japan, etc., which
are all strategic plans aimed at the 21st century. The implementation
of those plans have created impacts on the great development of high
technologies in the world. How China,
as a large developing socialist country, keeps abreast of the new
situation of rapid development of high technologies in the world,
trace the world advanced level and reduce the gap between China and
foreign countries has become the focal point attracting the attention
of scientic and also the Party Central Committee and the State Council.
In March 1986, in view of the impacts of competition in the fields
of high technologies in the world on China, four scientists, Wang
Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi and chen Fanyun, submitted a letter
to the central government to suggest that China adopt appropriate
countermeasures to trace the development of high technologies in the
world. This letter received great attention of Mr. Deng Xiaoping,
who gave the written instruction "Quick decision should be made
on this smatter without any delay ".The instructions of Mr. Deng
were a great decision with far reaching significance. Since then the
development of research on high technologies has entered a new stage
in China. Because the letter of the scientists and the written instructions
were both put forward in March 1986, hence came the name of "863"
for the magnificent programme The High tech Research and Development
(863) Programme has entered the Ninth Five-year Plan period as a phase
of the most intensive work, after the Seventh Five-year Plan period
as a phase of coming into normal operation and the Eighth Five-year
Plan period as a phase of tackling the most difficult problems.At
present, the second high-tech research and development programme of
China for the 21st century is being formulated. At present there are
totally eight fields and 20 subjects with the 863 programme, in which
the Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for organizing
implementation in the six fields of biology, information , automation,
energy, materials and marine technologies. |
| II GUIDING PRINCIPLES, GOALS
AND OBJECTIVES |
| 1. Guiding Principles |
| China is a developing
country, It is impossible and also unnecessary for China to invest
large amounts of manpower, materials and financial resources to develop
high technologies comprehensively on a large scale in a long period.
Therefore, the general policy for the selection of objectives of research
and development for the 863 Programme is "Combine military use
with civil use, with stress on the latter".The development of
high technologies is mainly for developing the national economy, training
is mainly for developing the national economy, training talents; the
policy "Limit objectives and concetrate on focal points"
is applied to the selection of projects |
| 2. Strategic Goals |
| With the efforts
of 15 years, the 863 Programme will reach the following goals:(1)
Trace the international level and reduce the gap between China and
foreign countries in the several most important fields and strive
for breakthroughs in the fields in which China holds superiority so
as to create conditions for the economic development and national
defence around year 2000, in particular the early next century;(2)
Train a new generation of high level scientific and technological
talents;(3) Promote the development of science and technology in related
fields through "umbrella radiating " effect;(4) Lay an advanced
technical basis for the economic and social development in the early
next century and create favourable conditions for the development
of high technologies;(5) Closely link the phasic achievements with
other programmes of extension and application so that they can be
quickly transformed into productive force and create economic benefits. |
| 3. Objectives for the Ninth Five-year
Plan Period |
Comprehensively achieve the strategic
goals of the 863 Programme, make eight to ten breakthroughs in important
basic technologies that are colsely related with the national economy
and the people's livelihood and have the prospects of industrialization
so as to make contribution to the solution of the pressing problems
limiting the national economic development and to the achievement
of the second phase strategic goals of the state, and lay a solid
basis for the sustainable, rapid development and industrialization
of high technologies in China in the next century.
(1) Join the advanced ranks in some aspect of the fields of biology
, information , automation, energy and new materials and strive to
retain or reach the internationally advanced level in some aspects,
promote the technical development in related fields and industries,
increase the strength of science and technology and integrated national
power of China.
(2) Provide technical support to the development of high yield agriculture,
biological medicine industry, information industry, new materials
industry and advanced manufacture industry, to the establishment of
future energy industries and the national security, accelerate the
application of acehievement of laboratories to industries, prop up
and develop a batch of new type industries of high technologies and
reform traditional industries by linking the 863 Programme with other
programmes and economic sectors, localities and enterprises so as
to achieve higher economic and social benefits and make significant
contribution to the solution of hot, difficult problems of the country.
(3) Establish and improve a few of research and development bases
of high technologies in order to create favourable conditions for
the study , development and sustainable advancement of high technologies
in China.
(4) Train talents of high technologies, particularly complex leader
type talents of straegic thinking and inter-discipline synthesis ability
who will work into the next century, bring up and retain a team of
about 10000 persons for the study and dvevlopment of high technologies
and a great deal of scientists of great acadmic attainments to take
up a position in the frontiers of research of high technologies in
the world; bring up a batch of experts of engineering technology with
a solid technical basis and strong innovation ability and a batch
of entrepreneurs of high technologies who are capable of enterprise
operation and management and a batch of experts of modern sicentific
and technological management.
|
| III. THE MAIN CONTENTS |
| During
the Ninth Five-year Plan period, the 863 Programme is implemented
by two levels. One level is to directly contribute to achievement
of the objectives of national economic and social development for
year 2000 and conduct the three campaigns of promoting the level of
science and technology and production of agriculture, reforming traditional
industries and promoting the industrialization of high technologies
by concentrating the whole force of the 863 Programme and closely
cooperating with departments and localities; and the other level is
to make breakthroughs in the main key technologes in selected fields,
promote the transformation of research achievements into productive
force and achieve the defined strategic goals of every field. |
| The three campaigns
of the first level are to : |
1. Energetically develop
new/high technologies for the agriculture of high yield high quality
and high effectiveness and promote the extension and application of
those technologies so as to contribute to the achievement to the state
objectives to increase agricultural output by year 2000.
Develop the key technologies for agricultural biological engineerign
and organize extension and application of those technologies on a
large scale so as to make them important elements promoting the agricultural
development in china and lay a solid basis for the achieveiment of
the state objectives to increase grain production and for the promotion
of agricultural production level. For example, cultivate a batch of
high quality , high yield and stress resistant varieties of grain
cops, cash crops and horticultural crops and conduct demonstrative
planting on a large scale; and cultivate several new varieties of
animals needed by the people's daily life in large quantities and
conduct pilot tests. Strive by every means to make more contribution
to the increase of grain output in the Ninth Five-year Plan period.
2. Study and develop automation technologies suitable for the conditions
of China and provide a technical platform for the modernized management
of enterprise to meet the needs by manufacture industry and service
trades.
Make automation technologies, particularly CIMS, a propeller to promote
the innovative and international competitive capacities of industrial
technologies, and guide industries to shift form the traditional mode
of economic growth to the intensive growth type. During the Ninth
Five-year Plan period, for example, engineering for demonstrative
application of CIMS will be constructed in dozens of representative
enterprises of above ten sectors and the CIMS technologies will be
extended to about 100 large and medium-sized enterprises, with the
support of departments and localities and in combination with the
technical reform of robot will be implemented in the national mainstay
industries of automobile, electronics, etc..
3. Make breakthroughs in the high technologies with the Chinese characteristics
and intellectual property rights to lay a basis for the formation
of high-tech industries of biological medicine, information, new materials,
etc.,
Select several high technologies in which China has superiority for
the breakthrough of industrialization, support the establishment and
development of high-tech industries and make the 863 Programme a starting
Point of high tech industries, With the support of the 863 Programme,
the industry of biological high technology should be initially formed
and a batch of high tech enterprises of information, manufacture and
new materials with international competitive capacity should be established,
For example it is planned to put above the biological engineering
medicines and vaccines into production with all products to be sold
to markets and the planned output value is 5 billion yuan; the industrialization
of above the important new materials will be promoted to replace imported
products and create 5 billion yuan of output value; dozens of mainstay
enterprises of industries of high performance computers, large digital
programme-controlled exchanger, etc . will be fostered so as to help
increase the share of domestic information equipment products in domestic
and foreign markets in the Ninth-Five year Plan period.
|
| The main tasks of
the second level are to : |
1. Continue to develop the
research on agricultural biological and medical biological technologies
and further reduce the gap between China and developed countries in
the overall level of biological technologies;
2. Study and develop the large scale parallel processing technology,
develop key optoelectronic components , make breakthroughs in the
new type earth observation technology, master modern communication
technology and acquire local superiority in international competition.
3. Master parallel engineering and application technology, develop
the key and supporting technologies needed by industrial robot and
join the internationally advanced ranks in the main aspects of industrial
automation;
4. Develop advanced nuclear reactor technologies and establish corresponding
experimental rectors for peace purpose;
5. Develop the key, new materials urgently needed by the development
of national mainstay industries, provision of accessories for national
defence type engineering and nationalization of production with imported
equipments (production lines ), and raise the overall level of research
on material sciences in China
|
| IV THE MAIN MEASURES |
| 1. Concetrating Resources on Important
Projects |
| During the Ninth
Five-year Plan period, the 863 Programme will be managed by two levels,
important projects and subject projects. It will be ensured that more
than 50% of funds will be used for important projects and the annual
per capita investment intensity will be over 75000 to 10000 yuan.
The management of important projects will be conscientiously strengthened
and every effort will be made to ensure the achievement of the objectives
of important projects. |
| 2. Strengthen the Extension and
Application of Achievements |
| Strengthen the
research on the application of achievements in laboratories to engineering,
accelerate the extension and application of mature technologies and
products, extend the support to the projects with promise of extension
application and industrialization beyond the completion of the projects,
pay attention to attracting enterprises or users to participate or
invest in the transformation of achievements, in particular encouraging
early participation and investment, and further mobilize the investment
and support of governmental departments, sectors and localities |
| 3. Strengthen Management, Improve
Managerial Institution and Operational Mechanism |
| Expand the range
of experts and improve the overall structure of expert teams by drawing
in more entrepreneurs, market analysis and managerial experts to participate
in the decision making and management of the 863 Programme, Strengthen
evaluation, standardize and institutionalize evaluation. Improve the
existing evaluation and monitoring systems, strengthen the monitoring
and evaluation of expert organizations and experts , conduct engineering
supervision or other supervision mechanism for important engineering
type projects. Give play to the function of economic lever |
| 4. Improve Base Construction and
Training |
| Conscientiously
summarize the experiences of construction of bases for the research
and development of high technologies, reform the operational mechanism
and conduct management by kind. Formulate concrete measures to retain
talents and stabilize a team of about 15000 members , dominated by
youths, for the research and development of high technologies, well
construct post-doctor floating stations, continue the youth foundation
and network foundation and increase the intensity of input. Entrust
youths important tasks, provide multiple approaches for training youths,
and give awards and honors to those with achievements |
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