State National Science and Technology Awards Conference Emphasizes Strengthening Intellectual Property Protection

Photo by Ju Peng, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

On January 8, the State Science and Technology Award conference was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Party and State leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli and Wang Huning attended the conference and presented prizes to the winning delegates. Before this meeting, the Party and State leaders met with the winners' representatives.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the grand State Science and Technology Award conference in Beijing on the morning of August 8. Party and State leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli and Wang Huning attended the conference and presented prizes to the winning delegates. Li Keqiang addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. Zhang Gaoli presided over the conference.

At 10 a.m., the assembly began with the majestic National Anthem. In the warm applause, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, first gave out an award certificate to academician Wang Zeshan of Nanjing University of Science and Technology, who was awarded the 2017 State Highest Science and Technology Award, and Hou Yunde, a researcher of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (NIVDCP) with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and congratulated them with warm handshakes. After, the Party and State leaders and Xi Jinping gave out awards to the representatives of the winners of the State Natural Science Award, the State Technological Invention Award, the State Science and Technology Progress Award and the People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.

In his speech, Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, extended warm congratulations to all the winners, extended high respect and sincere greetings to the vast number of scientific and technological workers across the country, and expressed heartfelt thanks to foreign experts who participated in and supported China's scientific and technological undertakings.

Li Keqiang pointed out that since the 18th Party's leadership, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, China's science and technology undertakings have made great progress, and have made important contributions to promoting economic and social development to achieve historic achievements and historic changes. At present, China's development is at a new historical starting point, promoting the development of high quality economy and meeting the growing needs of people's daily life. We must follow the Party's nineteen major plans and take Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, thoroughly implementing the strategy of innovation driven development, and consolidate the stronger and longer lasting technological innovation force.

Li Keqiang said that in order to build a strong country in science and technology, we should strengthen basic scientific research, improve the diversified investment mechanism, promote the combination of basic science and applied science, and enhance the ability of original innovation. In order to improve the quality and efficiency of economic development, we should speed up efforts to tackle key common technologies and solve the problem of being "seized by the throat" in industrial development. In order to improve people's wellbeing, we will tackle key problems in major disease prevention and control, food safety, pollution control, and other areas to make people's lives better. We will promote the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation with the economy, and accelerate the growth of new industries and formats.

Li Keqiang pointed out that enterprises should become the main body of technological innovation, we should implement and improve policies and measures to support enterprises' investment in innovation, and guide various elements of technological innovation to gather in enterprises. The most important factor of scientific and technological innovation is people. We must deepen the reform of scientific and technological system, improve the innovation incentive mechanism, give innovation teams and leading talents greater control over people, property and decision-making power of technological routes, and truly let the contributing scientific and technological personnel gain both fame and wealth, and bring forth more international leading innovation achievements.

Li Keqiang said that we should carry forward the spirit of innovation and creation, improve the supply capacity and efficiency of innovation, and promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation. We will promote the opening of major national scientific research infrastructure, scientific data and equipment to the public. Strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights. Deepen international cooperation, take the initiative to integrate into the global innovation network, and build a world innovation highland.

Zhang Gaoli, vice premier of the State Council, said in presiding over the conference that he hoped that the majority of science and technology workers would take the winners as an example, cherish the motherland, care for the people, dare to take on responsibilities, dare to surpass and bravely shoulder the important task of building a strong country in science and technology. We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core and adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must unswervingly follow the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics, stay true to our original aspirations, and bear in mind our mission, in order to win the victory of building a well-off society in an all-round way and win the great victory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and realize the great Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and make new and greater contributions.

Liu Yandong, vice premier of the State Council, read out the "Decision of the State Council on the 2017 State Science and Technology Awards" at the meeting.

Wang Zeshan made a speech on behalf of all the winners.

Before the start of the awards conference, the Party and State leaders and Xi met with the winners of the State Science and Technology Awards and took a group photo with everyone.

The leading comrades present at the conference are ding Xuexiang, Xu Qiliang, Chen Xi, Huang Kunming, Shen Yueyue, Yang Jing and Wan Gang.

About 3300 people attended the conference, including leaders of the central government, state organizations and relevant military departments, members of the the State Council Science and Education Leading Group, members of the State Science and Technology Award Committee and representatives of the Capital Science and Technology Circle.

271 projects and 9 scientific and technological experts were selected in the 2017 State Science and technology award. Among them, there are 2 National Top Science and Technology Awards, 35 State Natural Science Awards, including 2 first prizes and 33 second prizes, 66 State Technology Invention Awards, including 4 first prizes and 62 second prizes, 170 State Science and Technology Progress Awards, including 3 first prizes, 21 first prizes (including 3 innovation teams) and 146 second prizes, and 7 Foreign Science and Technology Experts of the People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Awards. (Chen Fang, Wu Jing, Xinhua News Agency)