| - S & T Programmes - |
|
Spark programme |
| I. BACKGROUND AND PRUPOSES |
| At the end of
the 1970s, the reform of economic institution first started in rural
areas in China. Th e family output related contract responsibility
system was established and has aroused the farmers' enthusiasm for
getting rich through hard working and brought about a significant
change to the production relations in the rural areas, Since the beginnig
of the 198s, the township industries have dvevloped rapidly and the
rural economy has become unprecedently active, The specialization
and commericalization of agricultural production have made the framers
more and more aware of the impotance of science and technology, and
hence the requirements for sciences has widely emerged in the rural
areas, In March 1986, the Chinese government started the reform of
scientific and technolgical institution in the whole country , further
clarifying the policy for the development of science and technology,
"Economic construction must rely on science and technology and
scientific and technological workers to be oriented toward rural economy,
extend research achievements of science and technology to rural areas
and help deveolp the rural economy China is a large agricultural country
with the rural population occupying 80% of the national total , and
to solve the problems of agricultural, rural areas and farmers is
neeeded by realizing the modernization of China and promoting the
development of rural productive force. In May 1985, the Ministry of
Science and Technology submitted to the State Council a suggestion
to "implement a batch of scientific and technological projects
of quick benefit so as to promote Iocal economy ", in which the
proverb "A single spark can start a prairie fire " was qutoted,
hence came the name of Spark Progrmme, meaning that the spark of science
and technology will extend over the vast rural areas of China. The
Chinese government approved the implementation of this programme in
early 1986. The Spark Progamme is the first programme approved by the Chinese government to promote the development of rural economy by relying on science and technology and is an important component of plans for the national economic and scientific and technological development, The purpose of the programme is to introduce advance, appropriate technologies into the rural areas and lead the farmers to rely on science and tecnnology of science and technology in the rural areas, promote rural producitivty, and expedite the sustainable, rapid and healthy development of agiriculture and ruaal economy |
| II THE MAIN CONTENTS |
| 1. Support a large number of technical projects that use rural resources, need small amounts of investment, have quick benefits and advanced and approproate in technology. |
| (1) Establish demonstrative science and
technology guided enterprises in order to guide township enterprises
to develop healthily and provide demonstration for the adjustment
of rural industrial and product structures; (2) Develop a batch of complete sets of equipment appropriate for rural areas and township enterprises and organize batch production; (3) Train rural technicians, managerial talents and farmer entrepreneurs; (4) Develop high yield, high quality and highly effective agriculture and promote the construcion of rural socialized service systems and the devlopment of rural economy of scale. |
| 2. Establish spark technology intensive zones. |
| They are demonstrative zones for comprehensive
regional economic devlopment of rural areas, that is, in certain economic
areas, the quality and benefits of economic growth are realized based
on the progress of science and technology according to the purpose
of the Spark Programme, the elements of management, technology, talents
and funds are integrated , the elements of production are funds are
integrated, the elements of production are optimally allocated to
form industries, the structrue of products is rationalized, and progress
is realized in all the aspects of economy, science and technology
and society |
| 3. |
| Develop spark regional mainstay industries.
They are the industtries in certain economic areas that develop ,
step by step , based on the progress of science and technology, play
a guiding function for extending science and technolgy to rural areas
on a large scale, develop the dominant products baset on regional
resource superiority, carry out intensive , appropriate scale and
industrialized management and occupy a considerable proportion in
regional economy. |
| 4. |
| The implementation of the Spark Programme has attracted attention of many countries, in particular developing countries, Foreign countries and international organization, such as UNDP, ESCAP, the World Bank and EEC , MAKE CONTACT WITH THE Chinese government on this programme, The loan from the World Bank in support of this programmein in 1991 has resulted in significant benefits. The implementation of the Spark Programme has gained support internationally and the advanced technologies and products of the programme have been exported to and are popular in various places in the world. The Spark enterprises have a sound environment for investment and foreign capital is welocome to invest in the programme, The experiences of success of the Spark Programme have been consulted by many countries, in particular leaning their experiences of manaement of medirmand small sixed enterprises and technicla development, and learning and importing advanced, appropriate technologies and equipments fit for rural development, The Spark Program will also conduct more extensive cooperation and exchange with foreign countries and international organizations to make joint contribution to the prosperity and progress of the world. |
| III. GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND FOCAL POINTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF SPARK PROGRAMME |
| The overall goals of the
programme are to guide the rural areas to get onto the track of development
based on the progress of science and technology and the improving
of labourers' quality, help the rural areas to realize the goals of
rich material life, developed public utilities and synchronous development
of material and cultural civilization and construct socialist, modernized
new rural areas. |
| 1. The Development Objectives of the Programme for Year 2000 |
| (1) Totally bring
up 300 rural regional mainstay industries with main technical economic
indexes reaching the advanced level of same industries in the country,
in which 100 each have more thea 1 billion yuan of annual output; (2) Establish 100 national level spark tech nology intensive zones and make the rate of science and technology progress contribution reach 50% (3) Totally train 30 million man times of rural practical technology and mamagerial persooel and emphatically bring up 5,000 township entrepreneurs and rural economic klead personnel ; (4) Totally implement 100.000 middle level Spark projects, including 800 projects at the national level, with more than 90% of the national counties covered by the rpogramme; (5) Bring up a batch of Spark demonstrative enterprises adopting modern enterprise systems and international practices; (6) Form few sectoral Spark enterprise groups; (7) Develop a number of famous brands Spark proiducts holding certain shares in domestic and foreign markets; and (8) Produce 500 billion yuan of annual added value and 50 billion yuan of tax and profit, and produce or save US $ 10billion . |
| 2. Focal Fields of Technical Development
in the Ninth Five Year Plan Period |
| During the Ninth Five year Plan period,
the Spark Programme will follow the principles of man agement by level,
guidance by kind and stressing key fields while paying attention to
others and emphatically support ten fields of technical development
in the country as follows: Crop planting, breeding , deep processing of agricultural products, agricultural chemical industry, new agricultural equipment, light and texitle industries, rural building materials, industries as support to major industries, environmental protection, development of mineral resources. |
| IV MANGENENT |
| IV THE MAIN SUPPORTIVG CONDITIONS AND MEASURES |
| The implementation of the Torch Programme is domestic and overseas market oriented, adopts multiple methods to raise funds, including bank loans, self financing, absorbing social and foreign funds, etc., with the support of the state and local preferential policies, guide and promote the commercialization, industrialization and internalization of the achievements of China's new/high technologies |
| 1. Policies |
| (1) If an enterprise in the development
zone is confirmed as new/high tech enterprise the income tax will
be collected at the reduced rate of 15% since the date of confirmation. (2) If the output value of export products of a confirmed new/high tech enterprise in the development zone accounts for more than 70% of the total output value in the same year, the income tax will be collected at the reduced rate of 10% after checked by the tax authority. (3) A confirmed newly opened new /high tech enterprise in the development zone can be exempted form income tax within the wto years since the year when it is put into production after an exemption application is made by the enterprise and approved by the tax authority |
| 2. Financing Sources |
| (1) The projects of the programme can
use the special loan for scientific and technological development. (2) The projects of the programme have priority in getting financial support form the New Product Programme. (3) The projects, of the programme can get financial support from the Chinese Torch Foundation and the Chinese Scientific and Technological Development Foundation. (4) The new/high tech industrial development zone can use the special construction loan. |
| V MANAGEMENT |
| Management by the four levels of the state,
province (including province, autonomous region and ministry) prefecture
and county is implemented for the Spark Programme , The Office of
Spark Programme in the Ministry of Science and Technology is the department
in charge of the overall manaement of the Spark Programme in the country,
responsible for the formulation of related general and specific policies,
development strategies and medkium to long term deveopment plands
and the national annual plans for the Spark Programme, and responsible
for the guidance and coordination of the implementation, The departments
for the management of the Spark Programme in the science and technology
commission of provinces, prefecture and counties are responsible for
the formulation of related general and specific policies, development
strategies and medium to long term development plans for the Spark
Programme of the region, department or sector and responsible for
the management work such as organization of evaluation and application
of project.. The Spark Programme sticks to standard of selecitng advanced and appropriate technologies and selects projects for the programme according to the plrinciple of advanced technologiesm, small amount of investment and quick benefits. Usually, it is an enterprise that applies for and assumes tihe project, but the enterprise must guarntee that there are one to tow research agencies, The funds of the Spark Programme are mainly raised at local levels, dominated by loans, and the state provides appropriate amounts of fund to serve as guide. |
| V The GUARNANTEE MEASURES |
| 1. To persist in taking the Spark Programme
as one of the governmental actions and strengthen the governmental
leadership and coordination;p 2. To expand sources of technologies and promote the technical level; 3. To extablish and improve market support systems; 4. To expand investment channels and increase investment; 5. To stabilize the teams for the programme and strengthen the management; 6. To consolidate and improve enabling policy systems; 7. To stregthen spark training and the research on soft scienees. |
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