Senior Chinese Leader Calls for Creative Research

Senior Chinese leader Li Lanqing said here today that efforts should be made to enable Chinese scientists and researchers to make more creative and innovative achievements.

Speaking at a discussion with members of the Fourth Council of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSF), Li Lanqing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of China, stressed the importance of creation and innovation in basic research.

He said efforts should be made to create an open, free and competitive academic environment, and provide timely and sufficient funding to facilitate creative and innovative research. He also called for support for the development of new and emerging and interdisciplinary sciences, and removal of obstacles to branches of learning in basic research.

The state-funded NNSF was set up in 1986 with the approval of the Chinese government, in a bid to fund basic research and some applied research programs.

The foundation has funded about 40,000 research programs in the past 14 years, involving several hundred million US dollars, which have greatly contributed to basic research in China and the training of middle-aged and young researchers.

Chen Jia'er, chairman of the NNSF, and Zhu Lilan, minister of science and technology, were among those present at the discussion.

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