Tang Guiyao is the Vice Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the School of Management of Shandong University as well as the Executive Dean of the Shandong Institute of Talent Development Strategy and Director of the Global Strategic Talent Development Research Center at Shandong University. She was selected as the Young Experts of TaiShan Scholars and the candidate of the Shandong Hundreds of Theoretical Talents Project. Professor Tang has long been dedicated to research and teaching in the fields of strategic human resources management, green human resources management, and development strategy for leadership and talents. She has published more than 70 papers in high-level academic journals at home and abroad, including Management World, Nankai Business Review, Journal of Management Sciences in China, Chinese Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, etc. Professor Tang’s 6 papers are honored as “Highly Cited Paper” and she has been listed as a Highly Cited Chinese Researcher 2022 by Elsevier. She has published several textbooks and academic monographs, including Strategic Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Within Enterprise Group, A Study on the Strength of Human Resource Management System in Small and Medium Enterprises in China, etc. As project leader, she has undertaken and participated in one project supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (Youth Program), two projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program), as well as several projects at the provincial and ministerial levels. Additionally, she has participated as the sub-project leader in a major program supported by the National Social Science Fund of China. She has won the second prize of the Philosophy and Social Science Achievement Award of Shandong Province, the first prize for Outstanding Research Achievements in Human Resources and Social Security of Shandong Province, and the first prize of the Philosophy and Social Science Achievement Award of Liaoning Province. She has been awarded the Shandong University Excellent Teacher and March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters of Shandong University. She is also the Director of the China Talent Research Society, Vice Chairman of the Shandong Higher Education Talent Research Society, Director of the Shandong Province Soft Science Association (Director of the Talent Specialization Committee), a member of the editorial board of several academic journals, including European Management Journal, Management and Organization Review, and a reviewer of academic journals, including Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Nankai Business Review and Chinese Journal of Management.
In April, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, emphasized during his inspection in Guangdong Province that achieving high-standard self-reliance in science and technology is the key to advancing Chinese modernization. It is necessary to fully implement the innovation-driven development strategy, strengthen the construction of regional innovation systems, take further steps to enhance the self-dependent innovation capacity, and make greater progress in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. The Report to the 20th CPC National Congress of the Communist Party of China stressed that by setting our sights on the global frontiers of science and technology, national economic development, the major needs of the country, and the health and safety of the people, we should speed up efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. To meet China’s strategic needs, we will concentrate resources on original and pioneering scientific and technological research to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. In September 2022, General Secretary Xi chaired the 27th meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform. He reiterated that “Improving a new system for mobilizing the resources nationwide to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields..., we should strengthen strategic planning and systematic layout, adhere to the orientation of national strategic objectives, focus on several key fields and major tasks that are related to China’s industry, economy, and national security, clarify the priority and breakthroughs in core technologies, and aim for key technologies with first-mover advantages and basic frontier technologies leading future development.” The overall national strategic distribution highlights the importance and urgency of achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.
Opportunities and Challenges in Key Fields for China’s Core Technologies
Currently, from a global perspective, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is redrawing the map of world innovation and reshaping the global economic structure. Inter-state relations are complex and dynamic, while diverse civilizations are flourishing. From a domestic perspective, China is at the period in which the timeframes of the Two Centenary Goals converge, embarking on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects. The profound change unseen in a century has provided opportunities for China to catch up with advanced technology and overcome technical challenges in core technologies in key fields. Against the backdrop, China has achieved new heights in science and technology development. Both in terms of the capability and pace of innovation, China has achieved historic breakthroughs. And the country is now leading or co-leading the world in some frontier fields.
However, at the same time, there are still weaknesses in scientific and technological innovation in terms of originality, high-end talent, and key and core technologies. Although China’s scientific and technological strength continues to grow, shortcomings in several key fields such as engines and precision instruments are becoming increasingly evident, apart from the chip. Against the backdrop of the increasing complexity and uncertainty of current international relations, the major science and technology bottleneck has become a key factor hindering China’s progress toward becoming a world leader in science and technology. It is one of the important issues that China must address in the face of comprehensive technological blockades and containment. It is also a major practical problem that China faces as it moves towards the forefront internationally during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. For key and core technologies, we must enhance our sense of responsibility and crisis awareness, wage key battles in key and core technologies, and move faster to achieve breakthroughs in key fields.
Targeting National Major Strategic Needs, Accelerating the Independent Cultivation of Talents with Core Technologies in Key Fields
General Secretary Xi emphasized that “scientific and technological research should apply a problem-oriented approach, and address the most urgent problems.” The problems in scientific and technological research are reflected in two aspects:
Firstly, it is necessary to fully focus on key fields related to the urgent and long-term needs of the country, such as core technologies in fields like petroleum and natural gas, basic raw materials, high-end chips, and medical equipment.
Secondly, attention should be paid to fundamental core fields that are crucial for overall development and national security. Targeting the high ground of future science and technology and future industrial development, such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, integrated circuits, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and brain science. The breakthroughs, advancements, and innovations in the key technologies of these fields can not only enhance China’s position in the industrial globalization supply chain but also guarantee China’s economic and national security. Therefore, in addressing key and core technological issues, it is essential to target major national needs while considering both key fields for current development and frontier fields for future development.
The development of science and technology relies heavily on talent. Without talent, the advancement of any technology is akin to a fountain without a source. Only with the talent can we tackle scientific and technological challenges and grasp core competencies. Currently, China’s talent pool is rapidly expanding, with the effectiveness of talent continuously increasing, and the comparative advantage in talent steadily growing. However, the pattern of being constrained in core technologies in key fields has not fundamentally changed. Practice repeatedly proves that key and core technologies can only be achieved through self-reliance. Therefore, solving the problem of key and core technologies requires the independent cultivation of a group of talents capable of meeting the country’s major needs in key and core technologies. It involves cultivating internationally leading scientific and technological talents and innovative teams, as well as nurturing a reserve force of young scientific and technological talents with international competitiveness. By leveraging the advantage of talents, seizing the high ground of scientific and technological competition and future development, continuously expanding new development spaces, shaping new development advantages, and pushing China to break through scientific and technological constraints, the country can advance towards becoming a leader in science and technology.
Cultivation of Talent in Core Technologies in Key Fields Based on National Major Strategic Deployment
The innovation and restructuring of talent cultivation models in core technologies in key fields must be carried out around China’s major strategic deployment. “Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is secured when people put their heads together.” Achieving fruitful results in developing core technologies in key fields is the central task for the new system that mobilizes the resources nationwide. In the new nationwide system characterized by coordination among various parties, the cultivation of talent in core technologies in key fields should adhere to the guidance of national strategic objectives, targeting major national needs and key fields crucial for national development and security.
Based on a sound assessment of the stage, environment, and conditions for China’s development, the country has made the policy decisions of a double development dynamic with the domestic economy as the mainstay and the domestic economy and international engagement providing mutual reinforcement. Under the significant strategic deployment, we should move faster toward greater self-reliance in science and technology, which is crucial for ensuring the smooth operation of domestic circulation and shaping new advantages for China in international circulation. As for the cultivation of talent, on the one hand, we can independently cultivate a group of talents targeting the major needs of the country in core technologies in key fields. On the other hand, for key fields where China needs to catch up with leading countries, we can enhance international exchanges and cooperation through joint training, academic visits, and studying abroad, thereby improving the capabilities and quality of talent in relevant fields.
Promoting Innovative Talent Cultivation Models in Core Technologies in Key Fields through Four-chain Integrated Development
General Secretary Xi made the remarks while presiding over the 27th meeting. “To improve a new system for mobilizing the resources nationwide to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, we should integrate three parties, including the government, the market, and the society,” he said. He stressed on more than one occasion that “We must closely follow the industrial chain and supply chain to deploy an innovation chain, and continuously improve scientific and technological support capabilities.” Guided by it, many local governments have introduced models of integrated development across multiple chains, particularly in core technologies in key fields. For instance, Shenzhen, focusing on industries such as artificial intelligence, is committed to the coordinated and integrated development of the industrial chain, innovation chain, education chain, and talent chain. Similarly, the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Shandong Province has issued “Several Measures on Promoting the Integration of the Four Chains,” supporting the development of strategic emerging industries and actively promoting the integration of the talent chain, education chain, industrial chain, and innovation chain across the province. It can be seen that the integrated development of the four chains provides a direction for cultivating talents in core technologies in key fields and addressing key and core technology issues in China. Therefore, to meet the urgent demand of the country for talent in core technologies in key fields, the goal should be to enhance the quality of talent in these fields. It can be achieved by innovating talent cultivation models, deepening the Four-chain integration, and promoting the tripartite collaboration of the “government, academia, and industry”.
Under the “tripartite collaboration,” the integrated talent cultivation model across the four chains should pay attention to the following three points: Firstly, the government should be responsible for strategic planning and decision deployment, clarifying the priority and breakthroughs, and promoting the development of core technologies in key fields; secondly, the market should play a role in resource allocation and collaborative research, promoting the efficient allocation of innovative resources and strengthening interdisciplinary and cross-field collaborative development; thirdly, universities should, based on the needs of the government and the market, integrate and merge the four chains, and adopt a collaborative approach to talent cultivation, which should be tailored to train talent in core technologies in key fields that can meet both national and market demands, thereby providing talent support for addressing key and core technology issues in China.
Empowering Enterprises to Lead Deep Integration of Industry, Academia, and Research
The Report proposes to strengthen the deep integration of industry, academia, and research led by enterprises. Enhance the status of enterprises as the main body of scientific and technological innovation, leverage the leading and supporting role of science and technology-based backbone enterprises, create a favorable environment for the growth of science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and promote the deep integration of the innovation chain, the industrial chain, the capital chain, and the talent chain. The Central Economic Work Conference at the end of 2022 and the Report on the Work of the Government at the beginning of 2023 also emphasized highlighting the status of enterprises as the main body of scientific and technological innovation. China is increasingly emphasizing the status of enterprises as the main body of innovation and encouraging and guiding enterprises to play a leading role in the integration of industry, academia, and research. The expectation is for enterprises to become one of the main forces in overcoming the “bottleneck” challenges of key and core technologies.
However, in practice, there are still issues regarding the inadequate implementation of the status of the main body of scientific and technological innovation, as well as the lack of discourse power and R&D initiative in enterprise-academia-research cooperation. The reason for this is that, on the one hand, the scientific and technological innovation capabilities of Chinese enterprises still have areas for enhancement, and their basic research capabilities are relatively weak. Particularly, some SMEs lack innovation talents, research capabilities, and financial resources. Meanwhile, some capable large enterprises lack innovation drive due to constraints in institutional mechanisms and a profit-oriented market economy. On the other hand, the previous institutional systems and scientific and technological layouts have led to a relatively weak position of Chinese enterprises in major scientific and technological innovation activities. In major national scientific and technological projects, universities and research institutes often play leading roles, while enterprises mainly engage in the commercialization of technological achievements. In the enterprise-academia-research cooperation, enterprises are in a relatively passive position and have not effectively played the roles of “problem proposers,” “problem solvers,” and “evaluators.”
At the international level, particularly in the United States with Silicon Valley as a representative hub of advanced technology, numerous world-renowned high-tech companies have emerged. It is partly attributed to the establishment of a collaborative innovation model among multiple actors involving universities, enterprises, and research institutions as core elements, supported by governmental bodies, financial institutions, intermediary organizations, and innovation platforms. Additionally, enterprises consistently hold a critical position in the innovation chain, leading the entire process from scientific and technological innovation to commercial innovation and industrialization. At the domestic level, there is still ample room for improving the status of Chinese enterprises as the main body of scientific and technological innovation. Some regions have made notable explorations, such as Shenzhen, which has carried out successful innovations precisely because of the innovative genes and innovative capabilities rooted within enterprises. Data indicates that over 90% of R&D institutions, personnel, funds, and major scientific and technological project patents in Shenzhen originate from enterprises. Huawei, headquartered in Shenzhen, has consistently prioritized scientific and technological innovation. In recent years, especially amid the increasingly competitive global environment for China’s science and technology, under the leadership of Ren Zhengfei, the company’s founder, Huawei has actively engaged in deep integration between industry and research, collaborating closely with top universities such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, to seek breakthroughs in core technologies. However, overall, there is still a need to strengthen the status of Chinese enterprises as the main body of innovation.
To promote the leading role of enterprises in the integration of industry, academia, and research and support the independent cultivation of talent in core technologies in key fields, future efforts can be considered from the following aspects:
Firstly, give science and technology-leading enterprises greater authority in major scientific and technological innovation projects and the construction of major scientific and technological innovation platforms to support enterprises in participating in major scientific and technological decision-making processes and top-level designs of major projects, guiding them to lead or participate in high-level innovation platforms such as national laboratories and national technology innovation centers.
Secondly, encourage science and technology-leading enterprises to take the lead and collaborate with universities, research institutes, and science and technology-based SMEs in the industrial chain to engage in research on major scientific projects and construct enterprise-led innovation consortiums of in-depth cooperation among the industry, academia, and research for tackling key and core technology challenges. For instance, Haier Group in Shandong Province actively collaborates with universities and research institutions to establish over 20 national-level research platforms, such as the National High-end Intelligent Home Appliance Innovation Center and forms innovation consortiums with universities like the Ocean University of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology to collectively address industrial technical challenges.
Thirdly, endeavor to create a favorable policy environment to attract more high-level innovation talents to enterprises, enabling them to lead major scientific and technological tasks in industry-academia-research cooperation. For example, compile a catalog of science and technology innovation talent demands in key fields and leverage government talent attraction programs to help enterprises discover, connect with, and attract high-end talents domestically and internationally. Encourage more outstanding PhDs in Science and Engineering to enter enterprises by offering high subsidies, competitive salaries, and dual identities in enterprise and public institutions. Establish a bidirectional flow mechanism for research personnel between enterprises and universities/research institutes, develop rational benefit distribution mechanisms and mobility systems, and facilitate orderly talent exchanges to stimulate their innovative vitality.
Fourthly, cultivate high-level technical brokers to enhance their role as bridges between enterprises, universities and academic institutions. Strengthen the roles of enterprises as “problem proposers” and “evaluators” by timely and effectively matching the industrial needs of enterprises with the research and technologies of universities and academic institutions.
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