New 5-Year Plan’s Sci-tech Modernization Blueprint – 中国科技网

Report on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: A Blueprint for Technological Modernization and Sustainable Development

A report on the Recommendations for China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development reveals a strategic focus on science and technology as the primary driver for national modernization. This blueprint aligns closely with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by outlining four interconnected pillars designed to foster innovation, sustainable industrialization, quality education, and resilient infrastructure.

Core Strategic Pillars for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Fostering Innovation and Sustainable Industrialization (SDG 9)

The plan places significant emphasis on advancing original innovation and achieving breakthroughs in core technologies. This strategy marks a transition from quantitative expansion to a qualitative leap in scientific and technological capabilities, directly supporting SDG 9, which calls for building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.

• The primary objective is to enhance original, “zero to one” innovation as the fundamental driver for development.
• Technological breakthroughs are mandated to solve practical problems and contribute to the construction of a modern, sustainable industrial system.

Integrating Technology and Industry for Economic Growth (SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 17)

A key proposal is the deep integration of technological innovation with industrial development, a critical component for achieving SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9. This approach leverages multi-stakeholder partnerships (SDG 17) between industry, universities, and research institutes to translate scientific achievements into tangible economic and social benefits.

Key indicators of progress in this area include:

• In 2024, technology transfer contracts from 4,059 universities and research institutions reached 226.91 billion RMB, a 10 percent year-on-year increase.
• The number of institutions with technology transfer contracts exceeding 100 million RMB grew by 4.1 percent to 415.
• By the end of 2024, these institutions employed 18,248 full-time personnel dedicated to technology transfer.

Coordinating Education and Human Resources for a Knowledge-Based Society (SDG 4)

The plan calls for the integrated development of education, science and technology, and human resources. This synergistic approach is fundamental to achieving SDG 4 (Quality Education) by cultivating a skilled workforce capable of driving and sustaining innovation. The strategy aims to equip graduates with both theoretical knowledge and practical abilities to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving, technology-driven society.

Advancing Digital Transformation for Resilient Infrastructure (SDG 9, SDG 11)

The advancement of the Digital China Initiative is identified as a crucial element for future development. This pillar supports SDG 9 by building resilient digital infrastructure and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by leveraging technology for more efficient and trustworthy systems.

1. The technological revolution, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI), is seen as a critical enabler for developing new-quality productive forces.
2. Intelligent agents are positioned to connect technological breakthroughs with industrial applications, reshaping production and organizational methods.
3. The strategy emphasizes a “tech for good” principle, prioritizing security and coordinated governance to ensure the development of an intelligent and trustworthy digital future that contributes to sustainable development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article addresses SDG 4 by emphasizing the need to “Coordinate education, science and technology, and human resources.” It highlights the importance of strengthening the combination of theoretical and practical abilities in education to produce graduates who can adapt to future societal needs, which is central to providing quality and relevant education.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article connects to SDG 8 through its focus on developing “New Quality Productive Forces” and achieving “Greater Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology.” This strategy aims to drive economic growth and modernize the industrial system through innovation and technological advancement, which aligns with the goal of achieving higher levels of economic productivity.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire text revolves around China’s strategy for scientific and technological modernization. Key themes include promoting “original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies,” integrating “technological and industrial innovation,” and “Advancing the Digital China Initiative.” These points directly correspond to building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article touches upon SDG 17 by discussing the “cooperation of industry, universities and research institutes.” This multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for creating an effective innovation ecosystem, as mentioned in the section on integrating technological and industrial innovation. This reflects the spirit of partnership required to achieve sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  1. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. The article supports this by quoting Li Jinghong, who states that “education requires more attention to be paid to strengthening the combination of theoretical and practical abilities, so that graduates can better adapt to the future society.”

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  1. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article’s central theme of using “modernization in science and technology” to steer the “Development of New Quality Productive Forces” and serve the “construction of a modern industrial system” directly aligns with this target.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  1. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending. The article’s emphasis on strengthening “original innovation,” achieving “breakthroughs in core technologies,” and the transformation from “scale expansion” to “quality leap” are all central to this target.
  2. Target 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries. The goal of “Achieving Greater Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology” is a clear national strategy to support domestic technological capabilities.
  3. Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries. The section on “Advancing the Digital China Initiative” and leveraging AI and intelligent agents to build a “digital future” relates to the broader goal of increasing access to and utilization of ICT.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  1. Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation. While the article focuses on a national plan, the mechanism it describes—”the cooperation of industry, universities and research institutes”—is a form of multi-stakeholder partnership essential for achieving science, technology, and innovation goals.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article provides both explicit quantitative indicators and implies several qualitative ones.

• Explicit Indicators:

  The article provides robust data related to technology transfer, which can be used to measure progress towards SDG 9, Target 9.5. These include:

  1. Contract amount for technology transfer: “In 2024, the contract amount for technology transfer from 4,059 universities and research institutions reached 226.91 billion RMB.”
  2. Growth rate of technology transfer: The contract amount represents a “year-on-year growth of 10 percent.”
  3. Number of high-value institutions: “There were 415 institutions with a contract amount of over 100 million RMB for technology transfer, an increase of 4.1 percent year-on-year.”
  4. Human resources in technology transfer: “By the end of 2024, universities and research institutions had a total of 18,248 full-time personnel engaged in technology transfer.”

• Implied Indicators:

  The article also suggests other ways progress could be measured:

  1. Rate of original innovation: Progress could be measured by the number of “groundbreaking innovations that go from zero to one,” as mentioned by Chen Jin.
  2. Development of human capital: The success of coordinating education and technology could be measured by the number or proportion of “human resources with both interdisciplinary knowledge and practical experience.”
  3. Digital transformation progress: The advancement of the “Digital China Initiative” could be measured by the development and adoption of technologies like AI and “intelligent agents” in reshaping production methods.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: stdaily.com