Laws of the People's Republic of China

    The Science and Technology Award System constitutes an important part of our national science and technology policies, and is the actual embodiment of the China Communist Party's guidelines of respecting knowledge and the talent. This Plan is formulated with a view to fully realize our Party's ideas at its Fifteenth National Congress with respect to "developing a set of incentive mechanisms favoring the training and use of the talent ", to effectively enforce the , to form and enhance a state science and technology innovation evaluation system, and to promote the implementation of strategy of developing a country through science and education.

    I. The guidelines on furthering the reform to science and technology award system

    Since the National Meeting of Science in March 1978, China has restored and restructured the state science and technology award system, which has played an important role in improving the creative initiatives of vast science and technology staff and promoting the emerging of able persons and thriving of leaders in various scientific subjects, and has become a powerful lever for the country in exercising macro adjustment and control to science and technology development.

    With the formation of the socialist market economic system, the old science and technology award system is facing new conditions and new problems. First, the excessive award projects and the appreciable quality decrease of awarded projects have relatively weakened their functions in driving the economic development and social advancement. Second, there is no authentic highest award and lacks magnitude in spiritual and material incentives. Third, the awarded projects are loose away with the economic and social development and have powerless beacon function in promoting technology innovation, achievement realization and high-tech industrialization. Fourth, overlapping awards granted by departments, local authorities and social forces both within and outside China prevail, and excessive and disorderly kinds of awards heavily exist. Therefore, we must carry out reform and duly enforce the to fully utilize the important adjustment, control and beacon functions of science and technology award, facilitating the healthy development of our administration of science and technology award.

    The guidelines of reform to science and technology award system are as follows: encouraging innovations, encouraging reaching the summit of science and technology, creating and improving incentive mechanisms for the training and use of the talent, promoting the close combination between scientific research , technology development and economic and social development, promoting the commercialization and industrialization of science and technology achievements, and accelerating the enforcement of strategy of developing a country through science and education and sustainable development.

    The main contents of reform include: complete enforcement of the , adjustment of award setting, award magnitude, evaluation standard , judging method and so on, reinforcement of management and guiding to the various departmental, local and social science and technology awards, and propelling the smooth proceeding of our reform to science and technology award system.

    II. Reforming award setting and adjusting award structure

    1. Creating state highest science and technology award

    To boost and ensure the solemnity and authority of state science and technology award, in accordance with the , the state highest science and technology award has been established since 1999. As the highest award in science and technology in China, it will grant generous award to excellent and outstanding persons in science and technology, to encourage comprehensive science and technology staff reaching the summit thereof, devoting themselves to the grand cause of developing our country through science and education.

    The state highest science and technology award shall be granted to the science and technology workers who have made remarkable breakthrough in modern science and technology frontier or have extraordinary achievement in science and technology development; or those who have created substantial economic benefits or social benefits in the course of science and technology innovation, science and technology achievement realization and high-tech industrialization. The number of the awarded persons shall not exceed 2 each year. Pursuant to Section 20 of the , subject to approval by the State Council, it's provided that: the individual prize amount of the state highest science and technology award shall be 5 million Yuan, of which 500,000 Yuan shall be owned by the individual receiving the award for improvement of living conditions, and 4.5 million Yuan shall be used as scientific research funds supporting the subject chosen by, at the discretion of, the awarded person.

    The state highest science and technology award shall be reported to and signed by the State Chairman with issuance of certificate and prize.

    2. Perfecting four major science and technology awards at state level

    The four major science and technology award at state level refer to the State Natural Science Award, State Technical Invention Award, State Science and Technology Advancement Award and International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China. The reform today shall, in accordance with the provisions of , adjust the internal structure of the awards, improve judging mechanisms and reinforce policy direction. For the actual realization of "fewer but essential" principle, only first and second grade awards shall exist in the State Natural Science Award, State Technical Invention Award, and State Science and Technology Advancement Award. The total sum of annual awarded projects shall be reduced from previous over 800 to not more than 400. The main points of adjustment of relevant Awards are respectively as follows:

    (1). State Natural Science Award

    The award will be accorded to citizen who formulates the phenomena, characteristics and law of nature and makes significant scientific discovery in basic research and application basic research.

    The judging standard will be close to the general international conventions, and the scientific level, scientific value, the number of published articles on domestic and foreign authentic periodicals and the number of quotation thereof will be important indexes, and international scholars will be invited to participate in the judging as appropriate.

    (2). State Technical Invention Award

    The award will be accorded to citizens who make significant technical invention in product, technics, material and system by applying science and technology.

    The judging standard will be further stressed in threefold. First is the connection to intellectual property and requires the awarded project having invention patent right, computer software copyright, new plant species right and so on or qualifying to the related intellectual property after examination; second is the requirement that the application of the technical invention will provide great economic benefits or social benefits; and third is the appropriate inclination to strategic high-tech invention.

    (3). State Science and Technology Advancement Award

    The State Science and Technology Advancement Award will be accorded to citizens or organizations that make outstanding contributions in the application and popularization of advanced science and technology achievement or accomplishing key science and technology engineering, program or project. In consideration of the wide coverage, wide influence and strong policy direction of the State Science and Technology Advancement Award, many problems reflected in every respect exist. During the reform today, we will further clarify the policy direction of the State Science and Technology Advancement Award and make the evaluation standard more scientific by formulating different judging principles and methods.

    Award in technical development will be accorded to citizens or organizations that accomplish key science and technology innovation or science and technology achievement realization and creates substantial economic benefits in carrying out technical development project. The achieved economic benefits, input and output ratio, market share rate and the actual performance of intellectual participation in distribution as an element of productivity are the main judging standards.

    Award in basic public welfare will be accorded to citizens or organizations that have engaged long in basic work in science and technology and created significant social benefits after being examined by reality in carrying out social welfare projects. The values of those contributions and science and technology achievements created to the scientific advancement of the general society are the main judging standards.

    Award in national security will be accorded to citizens or organizations that have made significant science and technology contributions to the promotion of national security modernization drive and to the protection of national security in carrying out national security projects. The level of the science and technology innovation and the strategic significance are the main judging standards.

    Award in key engineering will be accorded to organizations that ensure the engineering up to the international advanced level. The general science and technology level of the unit and the collective, cooperativeness, cracking volume complicated and critical technical problems and whether the key engineering up to the international advanced level are the main judging standards.

    Award in key engineering of the State Science and Technology Advancement Award will be limited to organizations. Citizens that make contributions to the awarded project may be praised or rewarded by the awarded unit or its competent authorities. Citizens that make scientific discovery or significant invention in accomplishing the key engineering may be separately recommended for the State Natural Science Award or the State Technical Invention Award.

    (4). International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China

    The International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China will be accorded to the following foreigners or organizations that make significant contributions to our cause of science and technology, that: (a) research, develop and create significant science and technology achievement in cooperation with Chinese citizens or organizations; (b) introduce advanced science and technology to Chinese citizens or organizations and train human resources with significant effect; or (c) make significant contributions to the promotion of international science and technology exchange and cooperation between China and foreign counties. This Award is more of honor. The trend is to the setting of bilateral or multilateral science and technology cooperation award.

    The State Council will issue the certificate and prize for the State Natural Science Award, the State Technical Invention Award and the State Science and Technology Advancement Award. The State Council will issue the certificate for the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China.

    III. Strengthening the management to the science and technology awards set by departments, local authorities and social forces

    The excessive and disorderly status in science and technology awards set by departments, local authorities and social forces shall be tackled by forming rules and regulations and strengthening management. We shall formulate fair, open and just examination rules, establish scientific evaluation standards, strictly regulate the procedures and activities regarding recommendation, nomination, examination and voting, and subject the science and technology award work to science and legality. The science and technology awards set by the departments under the State Council and the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central authority shall be streamlined in accordance with "fewer but essential" principle in great quantities to overcome the negative effect caused by the layers of awards set.

    All regions and all departments shall cooperate with every effort to make the state science and technology award a success, ensure its level and enhance its social effect. The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central authority may consider to form local science and technology award commission and other organizations, pay attention to the functions of professional or discipline intermediaries, and duly safeguard the examination work of science and technology award to be scientific, fair and authentic. In accordance with the , the relevant departments under the State Council shall, based on the particular condition of national security, set departmental science and technology award. The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central authority may set one provincial science and technology award. Except aforesaid awards, no other awards shall be set. The number of projects of science and technology award will be streamlined in great quantities too. All regions and departments shall, strictly in accordance with the  , clean the existing science and technology award.

    There are more and more science and technology awards set in China by domestic or foreign organization or individual. The underlying ideas and desires are mostly sound, and, especially, the oversee patriots' generosity to donate for the awards and enthusiasm to support the prosperity of the nation's science and technology shall be fully confirmed and protected. But some science and technology awards in society are blind and unregulated due to lagging management and direction. We shall, in accordance with "strong support, active direction, regulatory management and orderly process" principle, conforming to their trend and by conductive direction, establish necessary registration system to enhance their healthy development and make them a beneficial supplement of the state science and technology award. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall, in accordance with the  , formulate concrete rules to orderly manage and direct the activities regarding science and technology award in society.

    Problems of non-observance of laws and regulations exist in the current science and technology award work. Especially, there exist formalism, eyewash and even nepotism and cheating during the course of verification, recommendation, nomination and examination, which, although occurring in limited unit and place, have adverse effect and strong erosion. We shall extend scientific and moral education, reform the existing verification methods regarding science and technology achievement and new product, rectify the misfeasance, and ensure the science and technology award reform up to the planed target.

    IV. Award standards of state science and technology award

    In the old state science and technology award system, the first grade prize for the State Natural Science Award and the State Technical Invention Award is 60,000 Yuan, and 45,000 Yuan for the State Science and technology Advancement Award. The second grade prize for all the awards is 300,00 Yuan. Now, we adjust the prize standard for the State Natural Science Award, the State Technical Invention Award and the State Science and technology Advancement Award to 90,000 Yuan for first grade and 60,000 Yuan for second grade.

    The funds for the state science and technology award will derive from the financial budget of the central government with specific account.

    V. Responsibilities and structure of the State Science and technology award Commission

    In accordance with the , a State Science and technology award Commission shall be formed to perform macro management and direction of state science and technology award. The Examination Committee, consisting of related experts and scholars employed by the State Science and technology award Commission, is formed to be responsible for examination work and proposing examination opinions to the State Science and technology award Commission. The State Science and technology award Commission shall, based on the examination opinions, make a resolution about the award receivers, award category and award grade, and submit them to the Ministry of Science and Technology for review. After being approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the results of examination shall be ratified by the State Council.

    The Chief Commissioner of the State Science and technology award Commission shall be assumed by the minister of Science and Technology; the leaders in relevant departments of science and technology, education and etc., renowned scientists and relevant experts in number of 15 to 20 shall be the members thereof to ensure the examination work is scientific, fair and authentic. The members shall be nominated by the minister of Science and Technology, and be reported to the State Council for ratification.