Zhao Yongfu, president of Naval Equipment Research Institute and executive director of China Shipbuilding Engineering Society, has presided over and participated in many major equipment projects.
A series of recent major events and new changes in the Naval Equipment Research Institute closely revolve around a distinct theme-improving the ability of independent innovation in scientific research. In everyone’s eyes, the Party Committee of the Academy, which has just experienced the study and practice activities in the previous stage, is like a "locomotive" with full strength, which drives scientific research and innovation into the "fast lane".
Look for problems and dare to poke "pain points"
"Independent innovation is the foundation of our demonstration research institution!" This understanding of Liu Mingli, political commissar of the Naval Equipment Research Institute, was written into the "Decision on Vigorously Improving the Ability of Independent Innovation in Scientific Research" recently issued by the Party Committee of the Institute, so as to make it clear at the beginning.
During the study and practice of Scientific Outlook on Development, the Institute has grasped the main contradiction that "the ability of independent innovation in scientific research is incompatible with the requirements of fulfilling the mission and responsibilities", and the problem has really hit the "sore spot". Focusing on the fundamental goal of "improving the ability of independent innovation in scientific research", we focused on five aspects, such as top-level design of equipment and demonstration of major models, and made breakthroughs in seven aspects, such as enhancing the ability of macro-demonstration research, cultivating independent innovative talents, and giving play to the core leadership role of the Party Committee in promoting independent innovation. A series of major measures to rectify and implement problems are in full swing …
High-level demonstration of research results is the most important thing for research institutes that are revered as "think tanks" and "think tanks" for naval equipment construction and development. The Party Committee of the Research Institute seized the most urgent equipment problems that require the transformation and development of the navy and affect the construction of the navy’s military capability, sorted out and refined six major macro-topics, such as "strategic requirements for the development of naval weapons and equipment", organized elite soldiers to focus on research, and further raised the demonstration research to a high level.
The demonstration of equipment capability will ultimately be verified by the actual combat environment. "Sitting in the laboratory and facing the computer", relying solely on this "study-style" demonstration method, is not closely related to actual combat. The research institute tried to establish an "equipment demonstration research base" in a submarine force. Scientific researchers and submarine officers and men went to sea for snorkeling together, used modern simulation methods to deduce subjects such as "underwater information confrontation", and closely combined the demonstration research of equipment capability with the battlefield background of officers and men training, submarine tactics, combat opponents and specific sea areas. Both scientific researchers and army officers and men gained a lot.
Create a new model to study big problems
"Without a strong academic atmosphere, it is not like a research institute!" Zhao Guoan, deputy director of the Science and Technology Department of the Academy, said that the atmosphere of academic exchanges is not strong and the level is not high, mainly because of conservative leadership ideas and insufficient estimation of the enthusiasm of scientific researchers.
Through hard work, the Institute successfully held the Frontier Forum of Naval Equipment Development from September to December last year, invited many academicians and well-known experts to participate, received more than 250 high-level papers, and achieved rich forward-looking and cutting-edge research results. The Naval Equipment Research Institute has also established a joint scientific research model of "small core and big periphery", that is, the institute has mastered the core technology, at the same time recruited scientific research talents and strength for the whole army, strengthened strategic cooperation with scientific research institutes and industrial departments inside and outside the military, established an "innovation alliance" between the military and the ground, and organized a "national team" for equipment demonstration and research.
From the initial "a piece of paper, a pen and a slide rule" to the popularization of computers today, the research conditions and means of the Institute have made great progress. However, today’s war is developing faster, and the equipment demonstration research needs more modern simulation methods to describe, preview and reproduce the grand and complex information battlefield, and researchers have a strong voice for the lag of scientific research conditions.
Dean Zhao Yongfu described the three-year plan for scientific development: seize the precious opportunity of the state to increase investment in the construction of scientific research conditions in the military, and urge 11 key laboratories to pass the project evaluation and make great strides toward the goal of building a "naval weapons and equipment integrated scientific research center".
There is another "big hand" of the Party Committee of the Academy: two years ago, when the family funds were only 20 million yuan, they boldly reformed the management methods of scientific research funds, and raised funds of 240 million yuan to buy an unfinished building for reconstruction, expansion and decoration. Nowadays, the uncompleted residential flats have been transformed into a 20-storey modern scientific research complex with an area of 34,000 square meters, and a key national defense laboratory has been settled here.
"Activating" Innovative Talents
A "shocking event" happened during the study and practice activities, which made everyone feel the determination and courage of the hospital leaders to "activate" the innovative talent team: in 2008, 18 professional and technical cadres in higher and secondary vocational schools failed in the re-appointment evaluation, and the "elimination rate" was as high as 10%. In view of the lack of independent and innovative talents, the Naval Equipment Research Institute put forward the idea of "six batches" of talent construction: training scientific research leaders to create a batch, selecting a batch from famous universities, recruiting a batch from local scientific research units, supporting a batch with projects and funds, reusing a batch in key positions, and encouraging a batch. Those cadres who have achieved mediocre results and even have not written a paper during their five-year term of office are "out" in the competition for professional title evaluation, which has indeed played a role in "urging a group".
Since 2006, the Institute has spent one year to conduct a comprehensive investigation and analysis on the distribution of disciplines and disciplines and the structure of scientific research capabilities of the scientific research team in the whole hospital, and formed a 136-page Research Report on the Structure of Scientific Research Capabilities, in which hundreds of scientific researchers were seated one by one. In view of the existing problems, a number of measures were introduced to strengthen the construction of innovative talent teams. At present, researchers under the age of 35 account for 51% of the research institutes, and it has become a fundamental plan to build an innovative development platform for young people. The Institute has intensively issued documents such as "Implementation Measures for the Selection of New Scientific Research Stars" and "Measures for the Management of Youth Scientific Research Funds". This year, it has allocated 1 million yuan to support 20 innovative projects, and various departments and offices have also actively followed up, and young researchers have signed up enthusiastically.
An unprecedented "clean-up" is being carried out in every corner of the organs and departments of the Naval Equipment Research Institute. The contents of the clean-up are all kinds of rules, systems, measures and methods. Party committees and organs study and practice Scientific Outlook on Development, and the "highlight" of rectification and implementation is the construction of innovative mechanisms.
According to the eight research reports of the Standing Committee and the opinions and suggestions collected from the whole hospital, the Party Committee of the Institute sorted out 48 innovative measures and issued the Decision on Vigorously Improving the Independent Innovation Ability of Scientific Research, which guaranteed 21 innovative measures that could be put into practice immediately based on the actual situation of the Institute.
To this end, the whole hospital has comprehensively cleaned up the existing 216 systems. Among them, 72 items were abolished, 30 items were retained, 94 items needed to be revised, and 20 items urgently needed to be established.
Getting rid of the shackles of old ideas makes people walk briskly, and the call for innovation is more hopeful. A number of new systems to support independent innovation in scientific research are ready to emerge, such as "establishing an integrated joint experimental research model", "reforming the evaluation and reward system for demonstration research" and "normalizing high-level exchanges".
Scientific development drives innovation and development, like a spring tide, surging endlessly …
Editor: Li Yongchao
