¡¡¡¡Generally speaking, the Pilot Project of KIP started well and proceeded smoothly with remarkable achievements and optimistic prospects.

¡¡¡¡1.Readjustment of its disciplinary layout and reorganization of relevant structure on the largest scale ever since the establishment of CAS

¡¡¡¡At the very beginning of its foundation in the 1950s, CAS focused its work on the establishment of various institutes in accordance with the needs for the development of science and technology in China.From the late seventies to the early eighties when ¡°the Cultural Revolution¡± ended, CAS laid its emphasis on the reconstruction work.And from the late eighties to the early nineties,the Academy tried hard to promote the industrialization of S£¦T research results. In line with the rapid development of world economy and science and technology, CAS focuses its work on the disciplinary layout and its structural reorganization under the Knowledge Innovation Program. By so doing, it is aimed at constructing an organizational management system of S£¦T innovation and a new structural system full of vitality,for meeting the demands of social and economic development of China in the 21st century. This is considered as the most extensive and influentia lendeavor ever since the establishment of CAS.

¡¡¡¡As for the readjustment of its disciplinary layout, the Academy will putth e stress on the following areas: information technology, advanced manufacturing, life science and technology, physical science and new materials, environmental science and technology, energy science and technology, marine science and technology, astronomy and space science, mathematics, mechanics and system science, etc. Research will also be reinforced in the fields of S£¦T history, science policy and its developmental strategies, megaª²science projects and important interdisciplinary subjects of frontier science.

¡¡¡¡In the spirit of readjusting CAS disciplinary layout, various institutes at CAS repositioned themselves with regard to its disciplinary orientation and developmental priorities. Some obsolete disciplines or research fields will be supported no more, thus being eradicated in the Academy. In this connection, institutes were reorganized on a large scale.
For example, the former Institute of Mathematics and other 3 CAS institutes have merged into the Academy of Mathematics and System Science of CAS. Another examples are: the former Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Institute of Cell Biology have merged into Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology; the former Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Institute of Entomology have merged into Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology; the former Shanghai Institute of Physiology and Brain Research Institute have merged into Shanghai Institute of Neuroscience.Thus, the Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, CAS, is formed on the basis of these newly merged institutes. Take one more example, the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute is formed by the mergers of the former Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Cryopedology, Lanzhou Institute of Desert Research and Lanzhou Institute of At mospheric Physics. In the meantime, the Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, was recently established, and the Institute of Water and Soil Conservation was also set up with joint efforts from the Ministry of Education of China.

Up to now, 37 institutes have been restructured into 17 research institutions, 39 institutes approved to enter the list of pilot units of the PPKIP as independent legal entities, and 10 innovation bases formed. Although the research institutions have been reduced in number, they have become more rational in disciplinary layout, more prominent in their advantages and smaller in number but highly trained as to their team construction. During the Implementing Phase of the PPKIP, CAS will continue to be engaged in the strategic structure reorganization , and to attach great importance to the deployment of research groups of interdisciplinary frontier science and some research institutions with regional characteristics.

In the meantime, the reform on the organizational mechanism in various ins titutes of CAS has been largely carried forward. A new personnel management sys tem has been built up with ¡°Contracted Appointment¡± and ¡°Post Assignment System¡± at its core, in accordance with common international management modes for science research institutions and the Academy's actual
situation as well. The condition of lifelong appointment with permanent positions, which long existed in scientific research institutions in China, has totally changed.

¡¡¡¡2. Notable progress in the contingent building for S £¦ Tinnovation

¡¡¡¡Science and technology innovation relies much on the availability of talented people. Attracting and training outstanding talents for S £¦ T innovation is, therefore, crucial to the enhancement of China's S £¦ T innovation capacity. To implement the PPKIP, major efforts have been made by CAS to use the limited resources available to build up a crossª²century professional contingent of science , technology and administration. As a result, notable progress has been achieved in this aspect.

¡¡¡¡During two years or more in the past, 210 young excellent scholars regarded as scientific £¦ technological backbones have been recruited directly by the Academy from abroad; and more than 100 young disciplinary leaders have been employed from domestic universities. Meanwhile, all the CAS institutes have invited large numbers of young researchers and administrators with at least bachelor's degree. According to statistics, young professionals below the age of 45 are now the primary force in S £¦ T innovation activities in the CAS institutes that made an early start in carrying out the Pilot Project; many of the scientific mainstays are holding the leading posts of these institutes. In a word, the age and knowledge structures of the CAS staff have been significantly optimized, and the pressure from the ¡°intergenerational discontinuity¡± in the CAS science and technology backbones has been eased considerably.

¡¡¡¡Another important aspect of the contingent building for S £¦ T innovation is to establish a mobile staff mainly composed of graduate students. In the past two years, postgraduate education has witnessed a dynamic development at an unprecedented rate. At present, CAS has a total enrollment of 12,000 graduate students and approximately 1,000 postdoctoral researchers. The University o f Science and Technology of China (USTC),affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sc iences and listed as one of the ¡°top Chinese universities¡± to be constructed w ith greater efforts, has made new progress in both teaching condition and quality.

¡¡¡¡3. Targets of S £¦ T Innovation Further Identified and some Major S £¦ T Achievements Obtained

¡¡¡¡Under the PPKIP, new targets of S £¦ T innovation aimed at the frontiers of world science and technology or adaptive to China's socioeconomic demands were successively identified by CAS through deliberate selection. The limited resources available were allocated in a more intensive way according to the overall designing by the Academy's top level. In the past two years, 654 projects aimed at making frontier exploration in new academic fields and disciplines as well as 81 proposals aimed at acquiring systematic knowledge and achieving important breakthroughs following the world trends of science and technology development and China's future strategic needs have been validated. Besides, 11 cross institute, interdisciplinary proposals have been approved, including the major projects on biochips, memory transmit mini satellites, nanometre materials, animal cloning technology, environmental evolution of China's western regions, etc. The Academy has also launched the construction of an astronomical telescope ( LAMOST ) and the reconstruction of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator, Hefei Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Device. Preª²study and preparations on the project of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility have been conducted according to schedule as well.

¡¡¡¡Through implementation of the Pilot Project of KIP, the competitiveness of the CAS institutes in bidding for various scientific research projects in China has been substantially strengthened. Taking a typical example, almost one half of the national major fundamental research projects initiated recently by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC have been adopted by CASª²affiliated institutes as the principal contractors or project undertakers.

¡¡¡¡Over the past two years, CAS has gained a series of major scientific and t echnological achievements, such as the development of ¡°Dawning 3000¡± Super Server, the completion of rice genome sequencing and mapping, the research and development on nanometre carbon tube and other new materials, the integrated demonstration of synthesized technologies for sustainable production of superiorª²quality highª²yield cotton in Xinjiang, etc. According to statistics, S £¦ T accomplishments made by CAS in 1999 increased by 30£¥ as compared with the average figure of the previous three years (1996£­1998); the number of CAS published papers cited by SCI equaled the total number of the 20 top universities in China; and the patents filed by CAS also increased dramatically, 60£¥ of which were classifie d as inventions, a percentage being the highest among all institutions throughout the country.

¡¡¡¡Besides, CAS international S £¦ T exchange and cooperation have been developing rapidly with the outside world, in every direction, at various levels and in a vast variety of areas. In the past two years, international academic exchange and cooperation activities have been unprecedentedly vigorous at both the Acade my and institute levels. A number of joint laboratories have been established to gether with some foreign governments or scientific institutions, and joint group s of young scientists have been supported continuously. The Academy's position in the world scientific community has been further enhanced.

¡¡¡¡4. Radical Changes In ¡°Hardware Environment¡± For S £¦ T Innovation Activities

¡¡¡¡Owing to historical reasons, the ¡°hardware environment¡± of CAS for S £¦ T innovation is far behind those of the developed countries. A large proportion of the Academy's institutes has rather old and backward infrastructures and facilities, which can not meet the requirements posed by modern S £¦ T innovation act ivities.

Under the Pilot Project of KIP, the establishment of a favorable ¡°hardwa reenvironment¡± occupies an important place in S £¦ T innovation activities. Following the principles of ¡°unified planning¡±, ¡°focusing on key projects¡± and ¡°stepª²byª²step approach¡±, a total of 1.543 billion yuan has been invested to reconstruct the campuses of institutes and to build blocks of apartments for mobile scientific personnel in both Beijing and Shanghai. Institutes located in other areas have also taken active measures to reconstruct their campuses in accordance with ¡°high starting point and high standards¡± criteria. It is envisaged that a batch of projects for reconstructing institute campuses will be completed in two or three years, and a new look featuring convenient communication, beaut iful environment, efficient operation and expressª²delivery service will appear at CAS.

<[CLOSE WINDOWS]