Accelerating the construction of a science and technology innovation center with global influence is a major strategic task entrusted to Shanghai by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. In recent years, Shanghai has always placed scientific and technological innovation at the core of its overall development. The policies such as the “Twenty-two Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Science and Technology Innovation Center with Global Influence (22 Pieces of Advice of Shanghai Municipality on Science and Technology Innovation)“, “Twenty-five Opinions on Further Deepening the Reform of Systems and Mechanisms for Science and Technology and Enhancing the Planning and Origination Ability of Science and Technology Innovation Center(25 Pieces of Advice of Shanghai Municipality on Scientific and Technological Reform)“ and “Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Promoting the Construction of a Science and Technology Innovation Center” have been released one after another, high-level talents are coming, the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is getting better, the road map of urban soft power upgrading is presented, the deployment of major projects and key core technologies are being carried out, and the planning and origination function is gradually improving……On the whole, the construction of Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center has shown an accelerating trend, which is moving from forming a basic framework to comprehensively upgrading its functions.

The Resolution adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee has pointed out that since the 18th CPC National Congress, “the CPC has adhered to an innovation-driven development strategy and taken self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology as its strategic support for national development.” It has been put forward in the Resolution that we must “promote self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology”. To promote the construction of a Science and Technology Innovation Center to a new level, we should take self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology as the core connotation, which specifically refers to three aspects: 1) It is to strengthen the planning and origination function of innovation, and continuously promote major innovation achievements; 2) It is to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces, and provide a high-level scientific and technological guarantee for high-quality regional development; 3) it is to promote the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta and form a systematic ability to face the future global competition in science & technology and industry. And at the same time, there are a series of core indicators, including the number of major scientific awards in the world, nature index, the contribution rate of scientific and technological progress, foreign technology dependence, R&D investment intensity, high-impact papers, high-value patents, the leading force of key links in the industrial chain, the number of Fortune 500 enterprises, cooperative network density, specialization index of labor division, organizational ability for scientific research, etc. Some of these indicators refer to conditions and capacity building, some of these indicators directly or indirectly reveal the effectiveness of construction, which to a certain extent can represent the level of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. It can be found that Shanghai needs to achieve three “go beyond”, striving to realize self-reliance and self-improvement in high-level science and technology.

Work towards a better self. Embarking on a new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal, Shanghai should not only focus on national major strategic needs of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, but also look to the scientific frontiers of the world. It should earnestly shoulder the responsibility of “pacesetter” and “forerunner” in innovation-driven development, show the city color of “openness”, “inclusiveness” and “innovation”, and strive to become the “central node” of the national innovation system and the “strategic linkage” of China’s deep participation in global science and technology governance. At the same time, Shanghai is an important carrier of nationally strategic S&T forces. In the process of building a scientific and technological innovation community in the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai should be a good “model”, break the boundaries of disciplines, industries, fields, regions and ownership, and establish the broadest united front for scientific and technological innovation, which would pool scientific and technological innovation resources scattered in three provinces and one municipality into a mighty force to build the world-class innovation industrial clusters.

Go beyond the present. On a global scale, scientific and technological innovation is unprecedentedly intensive and active, and presents a high degree of variability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Once a key technology originated from a major scientific discovery is successfully developed, it will lead to a series of shocks and restructuring in innovation chain and industry chains, and then profoundly change the formation logic of many products and even the form of relevant industries. Therefore, achieving self-reliance and self-improvement in high-level science and technology requires us to face the future, break through our current perception, constantly explore new laws of scientific research, grasp the new trend of scientific and technological innovation, and seek a new space for international scientific and technological cooperation. For the planning and origination research and disruptive technology development that could reshape global politics and economic landscape, it is even more important to prepare for a rainy day, advance planning and deployment.

Break away from established patterns. Building a great modern socialist country in all respects is an unprecedented endeavor in human history. There are no signposts to follow and no ready-made models to follow. The construction of Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center with self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology as its core connotation is also the same. Although some typical innovation regions have formed empirical models in the development of scientific and technological innovation, the effectiveness of these models depends on specific conditions, situations and stages of development. Based on the law of cognition, trend analysis and demand grasp, Shanghai should go beyond the existing empirical model, carefully seek proof in key areas such as science and technology decision-making, science and technology evaluation, innovation incentive, factor allocation, the reform of scientific research institutions, the formation and implementation of science and technology projects, innovation collaboration and social mobilization, institutional openness, etc., make bold reforms, break through the existing institutional constraints, and radiate the boundless vitality of Shanghai’s science and technology innovation.

These three concepts are not only implementations that defy the limits of cognition, but also of the existing capacity, and even of the context of action. “Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.” We should strengthen the primary driving force of innovation, and demand contribution rate originated from science and technology, and the leadership from innovation. On the road of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, Shanghai will not only “give out light ” and “give out heat”, but also further strengthen the strategic support for national development.