Think Tank Perspectives.
Chen Tao Wan Jinbo.
On September 8, 2023, during his inspection in Heilongjiang, the general secretary emphasized that "integrate scientific and technological innovation resources, lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerate the formation of new quality productivity." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the first general secretary has creatively put forward a series of important expositions such as "innovation is the first driving force to lead development", "science and technology is the first competitiveness" and "accelerating the formation of new quality productivity", which is a new development of the Marxist theory of productivity, and provides scientific guidance for strengthening scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation docking in the new era and new journey, constantly cultivating new industries with new technologies, leading industrial upgrading, building a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development.
New quality productivity is an advanced form of productivity. Technology exists in the form of general knowledge and has not yet been incorporated into the production process, when it is an indirect potential productive force;When science and technology are incorporated into the production process, transformed into labor skills, and materialized into labor tools and labor objects, they become direct real productive forces. The close integration of new technologies spawned through scientific and technological innovation with high-quality workers, new production tools, and modern finance will form high-quality advanced productive forces, which is not only a remarkable progress in transforming nature and social capabilities, but also a qualitative improvement of productive forces. "New quality" refers to high-quality knowledge production, that is, the source of scientific and technological innovation that drives and leads development;It also includes high-quality knowledge application, that is, new technologies, new products, new formats, and new industries, which are high-quality, high-efficiency and high-value industries. It is embodied in three aspects. First, the new driving force of scientific and technological innovation, that is, new fields and new tracks, such as emerging technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet, and cloud computing, as well as major original and leading achievements in frontier fields such as life and health, deep space and deep sea. The second is the new industry spawned by scientific and technological innovation, that is, through the two-way docking of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, upgrading traditional industries, leading and pillar industries, cultivating and developing strategic emerging industries and future industries, such as building a new generation of information technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, green environmental protection and a number of new growth engines. The third is to shape new kinetic energy and new advantages, that is, based on the scientific and technological and industrial foundation, through the "four-chain integration" and "digital and real integration", accelerate the promotion of new industrialization, and form new momentum and new advantages for high-quality economic development.
The new quality productivity is essentially the combination of scientific and technological innovation and production practice to form a new productive force with the characteristics of "intergenerational" leap. Accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces requires systematic advancement. First of all, there must be original innovation, source innovation and disruptive innovation as the underlying support and guidance. Second, it is necessary to build a modern industrial system, lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and consolidate the industrial foundation. Third, we should highlight innovative talents, which are the most active labor factors in the productive forces, and then form innovation based on talents. Fourth, it is necessary to build a high-standard unified market system to provide a good institutional environment and policy guarantee for the development of new productive forces. Fifth, we need to activate the potential of data as a new factor of production, promote the "integration of data and reality", accelerate the realization of new industrialization, and create new drivers and new advantages for high-quality development.
From the perspective of the components of productivity, the new quality productivity includes three elements. The first is the new worker. In 2021, 18 out of China's 1.4 billion people9% have a college degree or above, excluding the population over 60 years old and under 18 years old, this proportion is even higher. The number of R·D personnel is 8.58 million, which has changed from the traditional population advantage to the talent advantage with the ability to iterate quickly on knowledge. The second is the new labor materials. It includes labor tools such as high-end intelligent equipment, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality equipment, automated manufacturing equipment, etc., as well as data infrastructure such as 5G base stations, cloud service networks, computing power networks, data center networks, and intelligent networks, as well as new infrastructures such as smart cities and smart energy infrastructure. The third is the new object of labor. Data has become a new factor of production, and digitalization, intelligence, greening, and low-carbon are the leading directions for the transformation of global economic and social development. In 2022, the scale of China's digital economy will reach 502 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 103%, accounting for 41 percent of GDP5%, ranking second in the world. With the development of the new generation of information technology represented by mobile Internet, quantum information, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, etc., especially the development of generative artificial intelligence technology and the deep integration with financial capital, it is profoundly affecting the allocation of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation resources, as well as the transformation of production methods, lifestyles and organizational methods.
To speed up the formation of new quality productivity, the source is scientific and technological innovation, the foothold is industrial innovation, the key factor is innovative talents, and the process guarantee is institutional innovation.
First of all, integrate the elements of scientific and technological innovation resources and strengthen the supply of science and technology at the source. Lay out the industrial chain around the innovation chain, reshape the safe, controllable, resilient industrial chain and high-quality and high-level industrial system with major original and leading scientific and technological achievements and disruptive and key core technologies, and improve the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the industrial system. Aiming at the world's frontiers of science and technology, focusing on frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, life and health, integrated circuits, and biological breeding, we will promote the optimal combination of innovation systems guided by national strategic needs, give full play to the advantages of the establishment and systematization of national strategic scientific and technological forces, carry out guiding basic research, and produce major original and leading scientific and technological achievements. National laboratories, national scientific research institutions, and high-level research universities focus on the urgent needs of current development and the dangers of long-term development, focus on key core technologies in the fields of key components, components and basic materials, emerging infectious diseases, and biosecurity, organize superior resources and strength, give full play to the advantages of gathering wisdom to tackle key problems, and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance. Strengthen the main role of enterprise innovation, give full play to the strategic research and leading supporting role of science and technology leading enterprises in key links and bottlenecks in the industrial chain, take the lead in integrating resource elements, create new key common technology platforms, promote the development of integration and agglomeration, solve key common technical problems across industries and fields, make up for shortcomings, forge long boards, and promote the reengineering, transformation and upgrading of the industrial base. Systematically deploy basic research, technological innovation, and industrial innovation, promote original innovation, completed innovation, and open innovation in an integrated manner, and accelerate the construction of an innovation ecology of "four-chain integration".
Second, cultivate and develop strategic emerging industries and future industries, and build new momentum and new advantages for development. Deploy the innovation chain around the industrial chain, promote the agglomeration of innovative resource elements to strategic emerging industries and future industries, accelerate the opening of weak links in the development of the industrial chain and the path dependence on stuck points, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and build a new industrial ecology and business model. Focusing on strategic emerging industries such as intelligent manufacturing, high-end equipment, new generation information technology, green environmental protection, new energy, and new materials, we will accelerate the formation of a complete industrial chain and influential industrial clusters, and strive to achieve the goal of "the added value of strategic emerging industries accounts for more than 17% of GDP". Forward-looking layout of future industries such as quantum information, future networks, aerospace and marine, life and health, the establishment of the National Institute of Future Industrial Technology, the creation of future technology application scenarios, and the cultivation of new growth points for economic development and new advantages in the competition of new quality productivity. Give full play to the advantages of new kinetic energy of scientific and technological innovation, promote the systematic transformation and upgrading of the industry, accelerate the digital, networked and intelligent transformation of the traditional manufacturing industry, promote the upstream and downstream extension of the industrial chain, enhance the quality and efficiency of the industrial chain and industrial clusters and external competitiveness, and form a first-class industrial chain with stronger innovation, higher added value, and more safety and reliability. Cultivate more science and technology clusters and industrial clusters with international influence and competitiveness. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2023 Global Innovation Index report, China occupies three of the world's top five science and technology clusters. Among the top 100 science and technology clusters, China ranks first in the world with 24 clusters. There are 45 state-level advanced manufacturing clusters, with an output value of more than 20 trillion yuan in 2022. The first batch of national strategic emerging industrial clusters reached 66. All localities also attach great importance to the construction of industrial clusters.
Third, we should give full play to the key role of strategic scientific and technological talents and form a dividend of innovative talents. Whether it is scientific and technological innovation or industrial innovation, the key lies in talent. Promote the deep integration of the "four chains", stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of talents, and form a talent structure that is compatible with the development needs of new productive forces. Give full play to the role of talents as the first resource, and cultivate a high-level talent team. Improve the quality of independent training of talents, vigorously cultivate innovative young scientific and technological talents, encourage interdisciplinary and cross-field cross-cooperation, and cultivate more world-class strategic scientific and technological talents and innovative teams. Relying on the implementation of high-level talent plans, undertaking major national scientific and technological innovation projects, major infrastructure platforms, and industrial common technology platforms, we will cultivate strategic scientific and technological talents, key technical talents, industrial leading talents and innovation teams, so that talents can grow into talents in the practice of scientific and technological research. We will build a number of cutting-edge basic research centers and interdisciplinary platforms, implement the training plan for top-notch talents, and cultivate a group of innovative talents with strong innovative thinking and the courage to create no man's land. Optimize the structure of the strategic talent team, create a systematic and multi-level talent growth platform, promote the integration of science and education, industry and education, and promote the work of educational science and technology talents in an integrated manner. We will launch a group of talents to work in international institutions, deeply participate in international scientific and technological cooperation, and improve the internationalization level of talents. Implement a more open talent policy to attract world-class talents. Vigorously carry forward the spirit of science, scientists, craftsmen and entrepreneurship in the new era, improve the trial-and-error tolerance and correction mechanism, create an innovation-friendly social atmosphere, and promote high-level and high-quality scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.
Fourth, it is necessary to establish an innovation ecology suitable for the development of new quality productive forces and stimulate the motivation and vitality of innovation. The key to the development of new quality productivity lies in institutional innovation, conceptual understanding, institutional environment, and industrial ecology. To further promote the integration of the "four chains", it is necessary to give full play to the guidance and leverage of policies, the guarantee and promotion of the capital chain, and form an innovation environment conducive to the development of new productive forces. Break the shackles of rules, processes and conceptual thinking that hinder innovation, further liberate the new quality of productive forces, form a policy system conducive to the development of new quality of productive forces, form the chemical effect of combined policies, and vigorously develop new quality of productive forces. Cultivate the thinking and ability to dare to lead research and make breakthroughs, create a scientific research environment that ensures that talents devote themselves to research, and provide a platform and opportunities for talents to dare to do things. Improve the science and technology governance system, give full play to the role of the baton of science and technology assessment, and truly solve problems around real scientific problems, key technical problems and industrial common technical problems. Promote the integrated allocation of projects, bases, talents, and funds in key areas, and improve the overall efficiency of the innovation system. Accelerate the construction of an industrial ecology that is synergistically interactive, integrated and supported by strategic emerging industries, future industries and modern high-end manufacturing. We will give full play to the advantages of comprehensive national science centers, international science and technology innovation centers and regional science and technology innovation centers, and create demonstration areas and new engines for the development of new quality productive forces. Give full play to the role of various major scientific and technological research platforms, promote the effective application of scientific and technological research results in economic activities, and improve new momentum for development. Give full play to the boosting role of the capital market, promote the flow, sharing and optimal allocation of innovative resource elements, and play a booster role in activating the advantages of new quality productivity.
In short, to accelerate the formation of new quality productivity is to lead the creation of strategic emerging industries and future industries with original and leading scientific and technological innovation, form high-quality real productivity and advanced productivity, promote the deep integration of innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain and talent chain, build a modern industrial system, promote the strategic remodeling, systematic upgrading and overall transformation of the traditional industrial system, and open up a high-quality development channel from strong education, strong talents, and strong science and technology to strong industry, strong economy, and strong country.
Chen Tao, Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Wan Jinbo, Institute of Science and Technology Strategy Consulting, Chinese Academy of Sciences).