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Introduction: In 2014, sharing and openness were undoubtedly key words leading the charge for my country's instrument industry. In October of that year, the "Opinions on Opening National Major Scientific Research Infrastructure and Large-scale Scientific Instruments to the Public" was reviewed and approved by the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms. This signifies that the sharing and opening of scientific instruments in my country will rise to the national level, ushering in a comprehensive opening of national major scientific research infrastructure and large-scale scientific instruments.
Severe Idleness of Instrument Resources Requires Emerging from Hidden Space
To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. Scientific instruments and experimental equipment are indispensable for researchers to explore the unknown world, discover natural laws, and achieve technological change. With my country's continuous increase in science and technology investment for many years, the scientific instruments and equipment in universities and research institutes have also been significantly upgraded, both in quantity and quality.
Scientific research facilities and instruments have always been intertwined with technological innovation; major scientific and technological innovation activities cannot be separated from scientific research instruments. Taking experimental physics as an example, according to statistics compiled by Ding Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Nobel Prize-winning projects over the past 60 years, 41 prizes were related to experimental physics, and 38 of these prizes were largely obtained through advanced and precise experimental instruments and methods. Among these 38 prizes, 13 new instruments were invented. In recent years, with the strengthening of economic power and increasing emphasis on science and technology, the country has invested more and more in scientific research, and the procurement costs for high-end instruments provided to research institutions and universities have also increased. Currently, the large-scale scientific instruments used by Chinese researchers are comparable to, or even surpass, those in developed countries.
Data from the Ministry of Science and Technology shows that by the end of 2013, there were nearly 90,000 sets of large-scale scientific instruments and equipment nationwide, of which 54,918 sets were in universities and research institutes, with a total original value of 78.02 billion yuan. At the same time, the problems of low utilization and sharing levels are prominent. Duplication of purchases, departmentalization, unit-based management, personalization, and idle waste are serious problems. According to authoritative surveys, in 2013, the average annual effective working time of all scientific instruments and equipment in my country was 1,157 hours, far lower than the more than 3,000 hours in developed countries. The external service rate of newly added instruments from 2011 to 2013 was only 9.2%, indicating significant room for improvement.
"The duplication and waste of scientific instruments and equipment purchased by state-owned enterprises are also very serious. A major reason for the low efficiency of research funding is that more than half of the money is spent on hardware, which has low utilization efficiency, resulting in research funds not being used effectively," analyzed Yang Kun, director of the National Environmental Protection Membrane Separation Engineering Technology Center.
Scientific research facilities and instruments are characterized by their public nature and scarcity. Only by accelerating their opening to social users and avoiding departmental segmentation and unit monopoly can their service potential be fully released, providing effective support for the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy.
National: Policy Support Encourages Resource Development and Sharing
The Sixth Meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms has reviewed and approved the "Opinions on Opening National Major Scientific Research Infrastructure and Large-scale Scientific Instruments to the Public" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"). Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, proposed that, from the perspective of improving the national innovation system and enhancing the innovation capacity of the whole society, major national scientific research infrastructure and large-scale scientific research instruments formed by public financial investment should be opened to the public through deepening reforms and institutional innovation, so that they can better serve scientific and technological innovation and society. Promoting this reform requires detailed and publicized implementation methods, strengthened overall coordination, and pilot programs for some more exploratory issues.
According to Xinhua News Agency, on October 28, the head of the Ministry of Science and Technology interpreted the recently reviewed and approved "Opinions." According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the "Opinions" aim to formulate unified evaluation standards and establish a unified and open national network management and service platform within about three years. All eligible scientific research facilities and instruments should be included in the platform for open sharing. Through open sharing, the problems of fragmentation, duplication, closure, and inefficiency will be largely resolved.
Currently, the difficulty of the reform lies in overall coordination; therefore, it will be implemented in stages. A survey of instrument resources will be completed by the end of 2014 to clarify the current situation. From 2015 to 2016, the "unified and open national network management platform" will be fully constructed. Starting in 2017, assessments were conducted on the openness of all instrument and equipment management units, and the results were made public.
To promote the openness of major national scientific research infrastructure and large-scale scientific instruments to the public, five measures will be taken. First, all eligible scientific research facilities and instruments will be included in a unified network platform for management. Each management unit must establish an online service platform according to unified standards and incorporate it into the national management platform. Openness records will be established, and the distribution and usage of facilities and instruments will be made public. Second, categorized open sharing will be implemented. Third, an evaluation system for open sharing will be established. Fourth, intellectual property management during open sharing will be strengthened. Fifth, the primary responsibility of management units will be reinforced.
To ensure a sound mechanism for open sharing, the "Opinions" propose establishing a guidance, incentive, and constraint mechanism. The guidance and incentive mechanism includes three aspects: First, adopting paid services, management units providing open sharing services can charge service costs according to cost compensation and non-profit principles, with service revenue included in the unit's budget and managed uniformly by the unit. Second, comprehensively considering and strictly controlling the purchase of instruments and equipment in new projects, giving priority support to projects utilizing existing instruments and equipment for scientific research activities. Third, a post-funding management mechanism will be established for scientific research facilities and instruments that demonstrate good openness and high user satisfaction.
Local Governments: Taking the Lead, Enterprises Receive Technological Support
In fact, before the national government issued unified policies, relevant units in some local governments had already taken the lead, opening up and sharing scientific instrument resources with enterprises in the region through the internet and other media, jointly promoting the development of local scientific achievements.
The Capital Science and Technology Conditions Platform, established by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, has facilitated the open sharing of 676 national and Beijing municipal key laboratories and engineering centers, valued at 19.2 billion yuan, and 38,400 sets of instruments and equipment, to the public in the capital region. In the past three years, 34,330 enterprises both inside and outside Beijing have received various services from the platform, achieving service contracts worth 5.887 billion yuan. Among these, testing services using large-scale scientific research instruments amounted to 1.438 billion yuan, and joint research and development amounted to 3.13 billion yuan, improving the efficiency of scientific research instrument utilization.
Shaanxi Province is one of the pilot provinces for the construction of a national large-scale scientific instrument and equipment sharing platform, recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Management Department has not only established the Shaanxi Provincial Large-Scale Scientific Instrument and Equipment Collaborative Sharing Network, but also provides a 30% reward based on service revenue to units within the province that provide large-scale scientific instrument and equipment sharing services; and a 20% subsidy based on actual annual expenditure to units within the province that entrust the use of large-scale scientific instruments and equipment, fully mobilizing the enthusiasm of both supply and demand sides to participate in resource sharing. In 2013, a total of 144 units applied for subsidies. After preliminary review, expert review, and evaluation, subsidies totaling 6.478 million yuan were granted to 101 units.
Since 2012, the Zhejiang Provincial Quality Supervision Department has earnestly implemented the innovation-driven development strategy deployment of the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. Through open laboratories, it has opened up the laboratory environment facilities, testing instruments and equipment, technical standards information, and research results of qualified national and provincial quality inspection centers and other technical institutions to the public on a non-profit basis, striving to build them into product quality testing bases, technological innovation testing bases, quality consulting and training bases, and quality science popularization bases for enterprises.
Enterprises can utilize the large-scale instruments and equipment, standards information, and authoritative testing technologies of the open laboratories to conduct product research and development, process improvement, standard development, and quality enhancement activities. To date, 4,797 sets of testing and inspection equipment, with an original value of nearly 360 million yuan, have been made available. Nearly 6,500 enterprises have used the 101 open laboratories to conduct over 25,000 batches of analytical tests and standard verifications, which has been widely welcomed by enterprises.
Through a point-to-area approach and comprehensive deployment, all 101 specialized laboratories in Zhejiang Province have formulated specific implementation plans, identified the areas and projects to be opened, equipped with sufficient and qualified equipment and professional technicians, and opened up to the public and enterprises in a collaborative manner, helping enterprises solve bottlenecks in testing and standards encountered in technological innovation.
Universities and Research Institutions: Making Instruments "Come Alive"
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) – Regional Center for Large-Scale Instruments, as a key component of the CAS's technical support system, is positioned to become the CAS's most advanced platform for scientific research equipment, possessing the strongest comprehensive technical capabilities, and serving as the most important support platform for regional innovation activities. The center comprises 10 member institutions, with over 480 pieces of equipment effectively shared online, totaling over 1.1 billion RMB in value. Currently, the construction of large-scale scientific instrument sharing platforms is becoming a hot topic among researchers. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was an early adopter in this area. As early as the 11th Five-Year Plan period, CAS planned and partially launched a number of regional centers for large-scale instruments based on regional characteristics and commonalities in disciplines, effectively promoting collaborative sharing of large-scale instruments and equipment among research institutes within the region.
The center's member institutions consistently adhere to the service principles of "openness, sharing, collaboration, and innovation," adopting a non-profit, cost-compensation-based charging model for users, ensuring that "what is taken from the people is used for the people." While prioritizing the needs of their own research tasks, they effectively improve the sharing and utilization of instruments and equipment, maximizing resource utilization.
In serving the key needs of local governments and enterprises, the center's platform equipment has provided services to hundreds of enterprises and social organizations for over 130,000 hours. During the financial crisis, the center leveraged the research advantages of its member institutions to provide free services to the community. For example, in 2010, responding to the call of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, all member units of the center provided free testing services to hundreds of technology companies. The Institute of Chemistry, based on its research platform for the photoelectric properties and devices of organic and polymer materials, used effective mass spectrometry data to determine trace impurities in products, helping a company in Xinjiang solve practical problems and double its export price, adding nearly 100 million yuan in annual output value. The Institute of High Energy Physics, based on its advanced X-ray material science application platform, also tested the Warring States period artifact "Chen Zhang Pot" for the Nanjing Museum, studying the processing technology between its internal structures, solving key technical problems, and providing important evidence for the restoration of related artifacts.
East China University of Science and Technology—Addressing the serious drawbacks of redundant purchases and idle waste of some scientific research instruments, East China University of Science and Technology vigorously promotes the 24-hour sharing of large-scale instruments throughout the year. After 10 pm, many laboratories are still brightly lit, with instruments running continuously. The utilization rate of large-scale instruments participating in the sharing is 50% higher than 5 years ago.
East China University of Science and Technology stipulates that all large-scale instruments worth over 200,000 yuan must have their information published within the university and be open for use. In the application and approval process for large-scale instruments, the university considers the availability of instruments during open use and purchases based on actual needs, reducing idleness and waste. Professor Lan Minbo, Director of the Laboratory and Equipment Department, stated, "For fairness, only projects involving the sharing of large-scale equipment are eligible for the university's preferential research policies."
To overcome resistance and eliminate long-standing problems, the university has implemented measures to incentivize colleges to consider utilization rates when purchasing instruments. For example, applicants are required to specify a target number of machine hours when applying for instrument procurement. The university has established rewards based on the number of machine hours used; the more hours used, the greater the reward.
It is understood that at East China University of Science and Technology, there are more than 250 instruments valued at over 400,000 yuan. Currently, 65 instruments have joined the full-time sharing program, and other instruments are preparing to join. Some popular instruments have gained thousands of hours of usage after being opened for full-time use, with an average of more than 10 users booking daily. Some instruments, such as transmission electron microscopes and scanning electron microscopes, are used for more than 4 hours every night on average.
Editor's Note: The introduction of national-level policies to promote the development and sharing of large-scale scientific instruments nationwide is conducive to enhancing my country's overall scientific and technological strength. People expect that relevant departments and units will fully implement the measures proposed in the "Opinions," waking up and getting those dormant scientific instruments and equipment up and running as soon as possible.
