Liu Chunsen, a young researcher at Fudan University's Institute of Chip and System Frontier Technology, was only 29 years old when he was selected into the school's "Basic Research Special Zone" project. At that time, he received millions of yuan in scientific research funding support. Now, he leads a team of 11 people to carry out related research in the field of chip basic research.

In the Shaw Science and Technology Building of Fudan University, Liu Chunsen recalled this experience and said: "Our young researchers can sit on the 'cold bench' thanks to the 'basic research special zone' established in Shanghai."

Only when the foundation of basic research is firmly laid, can the building of scientific and technological undertakings be built tall. In 2021, Shanghai issued the "Several Opinions on Accelerating the High-quality Development of Basic Research", set up a pilot "basic research special zone" to create a scientific research environment that encourages dedicated research and long-term research, and supports young scientific research talents to challenge cutting-edge scientific issues. Improve the energy level of Shanghai's basic research and enhance the function of the source of scientific and technological innovation.

"Basic research special zone", where is the "special"?

The "special" lies in the intensity and cycle of funding.

Song Yang, director of the Basic Research Division of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, said that Shanghai relies on six institutions including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to establish "basic research special zones." The municipal government invests 10 million to 20 million yuan in each "special zone" RMB 10,000 for 5 years, and the pilot units will invest together at a ratio of not less than 1:1. At present, the special funds for individual projects that have been established range from 1 million to 10 million yuan.

"Frontier basic research takes a long time and has high risks. With short time and low funds, it is difficult to produce results." Yan Dapeng, a professor at the School of Basic Medicine of Fudan University, said: "After the establishment of the 'Special Zone', the funding problem has been solved, and we have a lot of concerns. Sit firmly on the 'cold bench' and insist that Qingshan will not relax."

The "special" is to loosen the power for scientific research.

In the field of basic research, there is no particularly clear path. Nie Ming, a professor at the School of Life Sciences at Fudan University, said that the more significant the innovation is, the higher the possibility of failure is. It will also get smaller."

To create a scientific research environment that tolerates trial and error and allows failure, Shanghai encourages the "basic research special zone" to boldly explore appropriate scientific research management and achievement evaluation systems. Each pilot unit can freely select topics, select candidates, and use funds independently according to its own advantageous disciplines and majors.

Each pilot unit has also accelerated the establishment of a quality, performance, and capability-oriented project management and evaluation system. Fudan University is not simply guided by the success or failure of scientific research in the process of project application, process management and final assessment, but also gives project leaders full autonomy in scientific research routes. Tongji University has reformed the assessment and evaluation mechanism. During the implementation of the project, according to the type of selected personnel, the annual assessment and appointment assessment will be canceled.

There are less constraints on rigid indicators, and researchers have fewer worries, and there are more divergent and forward-looking scientific research projects. At present, 37 projects of Fudan University focus on research fields such as basic mathematics, material science, life science, environment and climate, and information intelligence. East China University of Science and Technology mobilizes the strength of the whole school to support the first batch of 9 free explorations and disruptive innovations in the disciplines of chemistry, materials, computers, mathematics, and physics for carbon neutrality.

The "special" is the support for the talent team.

The key to basic research lies in people. How to select a group of outstanding young scientific research talents who dare to gnaw at the "hard bones" and venture into the "no man's land" and provide them with more support?

In terms of scientific and technological evaluation, each pilot unit pays attention to "human innovation potential". By inviting top scientists from all over the country to participate in the evaluation, a group of outstanding young leaders with certain basic research accumulation and high growth potential stand out. Taking Fudan University as an example, in the first year of its "special zone" plan, the average age of the 17 selected project leaders was only 37 years old.

In order to support these scientific research teams to carry out basic research in a solid manner, the relevant supporting support provided by the pilot units is also sufficient. The Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences established a super mentor team and implemented a project specialist system; East China Normal University relied on experts in the field across the country to carry out multiple rounds of selection in conjunction with the construction direction of the national key laboratory in the school, and considered non-consensus projects separately, adopting "ladder" flexibility Funding and support; East China University of Science and Technology has set up a basic research project jointly supported by leading companies, and opened a green channel for doctoral supervisors to the project leader to reduce the pressure of professional title promotion...

The "Basic Research Special Zone" has been piloted for two years and has been widely recognized by universities, scientific research institutions and scientific research teams. The relevant person in charge of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission said: "In the next step, Shanghai will further work on the word 'special', and make great efforts to build a systematic and high-level basic research talent training platform, so that more basic research talents will emerge."

(The original title was "Shanghai piloted the establishment of a "basic research special zone" in the past two years, and the foundation of the scientific research building has become more and more solid (high-quality development research trip)")