Organizational model and enlightenment from United States national laboratories in jointly tackling major scientific and technological tasks. (English)

[Objective] The scientific research system and mechanisms of national laboratories in China still need to be addressed. Leveraging the benefits of large-scale interdisciplinary research and the combination of large-scale team systematic scientific research, enhancing the overall efficiency of the scientific and technological innovation system remains a problem that requires addressing. In connection with the systematic technological innovation needs in the context of 'big science, big research, and big collaboration', the National Laboratories of the United States adopted an organizational model of 'small core + large periphery'. The concentrated breakthrough of major national scientific and technological tasks fully plays a bridging role, widely mobilizes advantageous resources, such as universities and enterprises, and leverages more social forces to invest in basic research. It is worth learning from the high-quality experience of the United States, which is enlightening and can be an important reference for China's national laboratory innovation research system and mechanism, boosting joint research and development of major scientific and technological tasks and speeding up the transformation of major scientific and technological innovation breakthroughs. [Methods] In this study, the inductive translation method is employed to summarize the patterns and characteristics of major scientific and technological tasks in collaboration with U.S. national laboratories and universities, research institutions, and industry from the dimensions of organizational management, selection of cooperative institutions, research funding management, benefit allocation, and achievement protection. Regarding organizational management methods, government departments should coordinate the establishment of flexible joint research and development (R&D) organizational management mechanisms, establish diversified top-level management offices, enhance the efficiency of resource allocation, and establish a temporary joint R&D working group to target breakthroughs in scientific research. Regarding choosing cooperative institutions, a strict mechanism for choosing cooperative institutions should be established, and enterprises and universities should be chosen from the industrial chain for cooperation. Regarding scientific research funding management, various project fund allocation management systems are implemented, and funds are allocated based on the number of scientific and technological research tasks. Enterprises should share the costs of participating in the projects. Regarding benefit allocation and achievement protection, the national laboratory has priority rights to patents, and participants can enjoy intellectual property rights and the significant resources of the national laboratory first. [Results and Conclusions] Based on the learnings from national laboratories in the United States and the actual situation in China, we propose a new type of institutional mechanism for the efficient completion of national strategic tasks in national laboratories in China. The suggestions mainly involve five aspects: 1 ensuring a strong top-level design and establishing a comprehensive management department for major scientific and technological research tasks; 2 leveraging the leading role of the national strategic scientific and technological force and constructing an organizational model for major scientific and technological R&D tasks; 3 promoting and guiding diversified investment and increasing funding support for major scientific and technological research tasks; 4 establishing a mechanism for choosing advantageous teams and implement a multi-route competitive exit mechanism for major scientific and technological research tasks; 5 scientifically coordinating the distribution of benefits and properly handling confidentiality issues in major scientific and technological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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