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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 26, 2001

National Sci-tech Projects Smoothly Organized

China has laid out the national scientific and technological projects from 2001 to 2005, in a bid to upgrade the country's overall innovative ability, Ma Songde, vice minister of Science and Technology, said Sunday at a press conference.


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China has launched 39 improved projects in areas ranging from electronics to food security to fuel national economic growth, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on Sunday.

The projects represent the first batch of the scientific plan for the nation's 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05).

Ten of the 39 projects, including large-scale integrated circuitry, electricity-powered automobiles and herbal medicine development, are being implemented under the "863 Programme." It is a high-tech development plan started in March 1986 to reinforce the country's comprehensive competitiveness, said Ma Songde, vice-minister of science and technology.

Large Sums of Funds
Over the next five years, 15 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) will be poured into the 10 projects related to the fields of information technology, biology, agriculture, industry, new materials, manufacturing and automation technologies, energy and environment.

The remaining 29 projects, including electronic administration, food security and high-quality milk industry, are being carried out under the National Key Technologies Research and Development Programme, a scientific plan kicked off in 1982 to upgrade old industrial and agricultural sectors with the latest techniques.

More than 5 billion yuan (US$602 million) will be allocated for these projects, Ma said.

"Most of the 39 projects will be undertaken by universities, research institutes and especially enterprises via open bids to ensure fair competitions and efficient technological development," Ma said. "Enterprises are particularly encouraged to engage in scientific research since they must sharpen their competitiveness after the country officially joins the World Trade Organization (WTO)."

"Brings China in line with WTO rules'
He said overseas scientists, academic institutions and enterprises are welcome to join these projects. Ma said Chinese and overseas partners should work out intellectual property rights protection agreements to define respective patented inventions and avoid intellectual property rights disputes.

Doing so is not only important for Chinese and overseas scientists who collaborate, but also brings China in line with WTO rules, he said.

Shi Dinghuan, secretary-general of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said his ministry will work with the State Intellectual Property Office to guarantee effective patent applications and examinations for the 39 scientific projects.

More Efforts for Western Region
Officials with the ministry's Planning Department said that to boost the economy in the western regions, the State has invested 2.6 billion yuan (US$313 million) in promoting water-saving agriculture, controlling soil erosion in the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and preventing sandstorms and desertification.

Shi said the State will speed up the development of high-tech industrial parks in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality so as to mobilize adjacent provinces and autonomous regions to cultivate information technology and other high-tech industries.



March 1986 Program
The National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 Program) was launched in March 1986 with the aim of enhancing China's international competitiveness and improving China's overall capability of R&D in high technology. The Program covers 20 subject topics selected from eight priority areas: Biotechnology, Information, Automation, Energy, Advanced Materials, Marine, Space and Laser. The first six areas are managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People's Republic of China.

A total of 193 accomplishments were made in various areas under the Program; 69 were awarded prizes on the provincial and ministerial level or beyond. Besides, there were 211 patents filed or granted and nearly 4,000 papers published. Two outstanding research fruits in biotechnology, "Human Blood Substitutes" and "Transgenic Cattle with Human Protein Henes", together with the significant advance achieved in the research on "Hydrogen Storage Nanometer Carbon Tube" in materials science, were selected by members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) and the China Academy of Engineering(CAE) into the "Top Ten Scientific and Technological Advances in China in 1999". "Research on Nanoscale Technology" ranked first among the "Top Ten Science and Technology News in China in 1999"; which were selected jointly by nine well-known Chinese newspapers including Science Daily.

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