Major S&T Tasks for 2004
At the National Conference on S&T Activities held on Feb. 22, 2004, Mr. XU Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology announced six priorities that China's S&T activities will focus on in the year:
1) Complete the preparation of the national long and medium term S&T planning and the S&T plan for the 11th Five-year period 2006-2010). Strive to complete the strategic study in the first half of the year and submit the plan outlines to the State Council before the end of year. Meanwhile, efforts shall be organized to work on concrete action plans and supporting policies. The preparation of the 11th five-year plan for S&T development shall also be kicked off ahead of schedule.
2) Accelerate the implementation of priorities tasks as defined by the 10th five-year Plan, increasing the conversion of S&T findings and results to address major issues in the economic and social development. Pool up the strength of all walks of life to work on major S&T issues raised in the course of the economic and social development. Strengthen the consolidation and integration of different S&T programs, and continue to accelerate the industrialization process of high tech development. Pool up resources to launch and implement a number of high tech industrialization projects. Launch special S&T projects for rejuvenating old industrial bases in the northeast region.
3) Promote the full-fledged S&T system reform, with the reform and development of public good research institutions as the priority. Reclassification of public good research institutions is a priority at both ministerial and local levels. Accelerate the establishment of modern institutional system. With deepening the reform of property ownership as the core, stimulate development and application oriented research institutions to establish the modern industrial system and enhance their sustainable innovation capacity.
4) Strive for notable progresses in S&T infrastructures construction, and for new accomplishments in public S&T resources sharing. The Ministry of Science and Technology will allocate RMB 800 million to support further S&T infrastructure constructions, with priorities on opening and sharing large scientific instruments and facilities and construction of experimental bases. S&T infrastructures construction shall be guided in the direction of establishing sharing mechanism and taking full advantage of the nation wide S&T resources. Stick to strict management and prevent overlapping constructions.
5) Introduce the new scientific evaluation system, changing the irrational aspects of old S&T evaluation system. S&T evaluation shall be made strictly abiding by the rules as defined by evaluation procedures. Introduce the expert credit system in selecting and managing the experts working for S&T programs, funds and major S&T projects. Strengthen the construction of database and institutions for S&T evaluation purpose. Regulate S&T evaluation activities through practicing the new S&T evaluation procedures, creating an S&T environment encouraging original innovations and preventing academic dishonesty.
6) Strengthen S&T activities at local level, and make the strategy of "rejuvenating the nation with science and education" be implemented at grassroots level. In 2004, a year for S&T activities at county and township level, the Ministry of Science and Technology will further advocate the personal involvement of head of county or township in promoting S&T development, or the primary productive force. It will allow more local participations in S&T activities at national level. The central government will join local authorities to work out a group of major S&T industrialization projects and application demonstrations according to regional features. Strengthen the construction of regional innovation system and capacity building. Improve, through the construction of the national S&T management network, the information process and scientific management of S&T authorities at different levels, and strengthen service capacity building. Strengthen S&T activities at county and township level.
National S&T Awards for 2003
The Conferring Ceremony of 2003 National S&T Awards unveiled their winners on Feb. 20, 2004. Mr. LIU Dongsheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Mr. WANG Yongzhi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering have won the honor of the Top National S&T Award. The project of " Chengjiang Animal Communities and the Outbreak of the Cambrian Age" won the first prize of the National Natural Science Award. 18 findings including the "Basic Study of Quantum based Information Technology" were conferred with the second prize of the National Natural Science Award. 19 findings, including the "Enzyme based Rh2 Production", won the second prize of the National Technology Invention Award. The China Manned Space Program is honored with the special prize of the National S&T Advancement Award. 16 findings, including "Breeding and Diffusion of High Yield Corn Species Yedan No. 13", won the first prize of the National S&T Advancement Award. 199 other findings, including the "Development of China's 3rd Generation of Mobile Telecommunication System", are the second prize winners of the National S&T Advancement Award. In addition, mathematician Shing-Tung Yau from the United States, agricultural and economic expert Jweregen Voegele from Germany, medical professor Mizushima Yutaka of Japan and Archimedes Company president Elio Matacena of Italy were the winners of China International S&T Cooperation Award.
Prof. LIU Dongsheng, a renowned domestic earth scientist, has accomplished numerous original findings in his 60-year long scientific explorations. His findings, notably on loess, China's paleovertebrates, Quaternary Period geology, environmental science and environmental geology, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and polar expeditions, have made China a forerunner in ancient global change studies.
Mr. WANG Yongzhi, a founder and academic leader of China's manned space program, has made outstanding contributions to the development of China's strategy rockets, ground-to-ground rockets and carrier rockets in his 40-year long career. His notable contributions to China's manned space program make him the natural winner of the Top National S&T Award.
|
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
World Space Experts Gather in Beijing
Space law and technology experts from the US, China, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, India and other countries will gather April 25-27, 2004 in Beijing to discuss international space laws. In addition to sharing US experience in formulating its space laws, experts will exchange views on common concerns including formulating space laws and regulations in Asian countries, applications of global navigation satellite system, outer space remote sounding and telecommunications.
According to the organizer's briefing, the official from the US State of Department will introduce the US space legislations at the meeting jointly sponsored by the International Association of Space Laws and the China Association of Space Laws. In addition, the representative from the International Civil Aviation Organization will talk about applications of the global satellite system in civil aviation. The representative from the European Space Agency will address the meeting on the Galileo Program, a European version of global satellite navigation system. Chinese carrier rocket and satellite development experts will present lectures on "China's Space Technology Development and Perspectives", "China's Satellite and Manned Space Flight Technologies" and "China's Navigation Positioning System and its Applications in Commercial Launching Service".
Experts from Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Holland, Austria, Indonesia, Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong will be present at the meeting.
Better Platform for Scientific Discovery
The Chinese National Natural Science Foundation and U.S. Innocentive announced on Feb. 17, 2004 that both parties would pursue a long term cooperation to allow Chinese scientists to solve world scientific puzzles on a newer and more convenient platform.
Innocentive, a new internet based social group, creates a bridge to link scientific institutions and personnel from different countries to attack scientific puzzles in the fields of chemistry and biology. Now that China has deepened the cooperation with Innocentive, Chinese scientists expect to have the latest knowledge of scientific discovery results, and work on their interested topics through the latter's online platform. As the start of the long term cooperation, both parties will jointly launch a "biochemistry Contest" among university students to stimulate their inventiveness, allowing them to make their contributions to international scientific discovery activities.
Plants Repair Contaminated Soil
Chinese scientists have developed the plant based technique to repair arsenic contaminated soil, the first of its kind in the world. Headed by Mr. CHEN Tongbin, a research fellow at the Institute of Geography and Resources, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study team has proved that the ciliate desert-grass, a fern extensively grown in south China including Hunan and Guangxi, has very strong capacity to absorb arsenic. For example, its leaves may contain an arsenic as high as 8‰, much more than the nitrogen and phosphor content in the plant.
The study team has, through extensive field investigations, indoor analysis and pot growing experiments, screened out 6 plants that have strong capacity to absorb heavy metals. The findings have provided plant sources that can be used by the soil repairing technique. The study team, at the same time, developed organic fluids, microorganism additives and mixed additives to improve repairing effects, reduce soil repairing costs and protect the environment.
China's Mini-Satellite Base
The Innovation I Storage and Relaying Communication Satellite passed on Feb. 19, 2004 the verification check after a smooth in-orbit operation for 119 days, which marks the formal delivery of the system to its users,.
Developed by the Shanghai Mini-Satellite Engineering Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Innovation I makes China's first generation of low-orbit satellite for data and telecommunication applications. Its successful development and operation will further promote the development of mini-satellite technology in the country. The development also shows that China's low-orbit telecommunication technology has entered into a development and application stage. While worked on the satellite, researchers have also developed the ground communication control system and mobile telecommunication terminals. In addition, four ground stations and one control center were established in Shanghai, Beijing, Xinjian and Hainan for the purpose.
During 100-and-odd-day in-orbit operation, the Innovation I has stood up two strong solar storms and one full solar eclipse, in addition to 29 individual particle events. Working properly on all its functions, the satellite has completely met its designed indicators.
Successful Blood Vessel Cloning
Led by Prof. WANG Qing, a study team of Huazhong S&T University used cellular genetic and molecular biological techniques to treat hypovenosity, a congenital cardiovascular disease causing venous abnormality. The team cloned a new blood vessel growing gene, and name it VG5Q for it sits at the short arm of No. 5 human chromosome. Study shows that 4% of hypovenosity is caused by the mutation of the gene. In this context, suppressing the expression of the mutated gene can contain the growth of endotheliocyte and prevent it from forming blood vessels. The expression of the cloned healthy gene can promote the normal formation of new blood vessels. The finding was published in the Feb. 12 issues of the Nature magazine.
Researchers say that the finding is helpful for understanding the formation of blood vessels and exerting control over their growth. As a result, the growth of blood vessels can either be stimulated or suppressed to meet different therapeutic needs. The finding will eventually lead to conquering many difficult diseases threatening human life such as cancers, arthritis and abnormal blood vessels growth.
Non-Contact Life Detector
China's first non-contact radar life detector, a result from the study team headed by Prof. WANG Jianqi with the Dept. of Biomedicine at No. 4 Military Medical University, recently passed the experts' verification check organized by the General Logistic Department of the PLA and Ministry of Health after 5-year painstaking development.
Combined with both radar and biomedical engineering technologies, the new life detector is able to discern feeble moves of human life activities through transmitting and receiving special radar echoes. It can tell human existences under ruins, rubbles and structures after processing special biomedical signals on breathing, heart beat and body moves. With automatic functions to identify human body, the detector has a valid searching range between 30m and 50m, and can 'see through' a brick up to 2.3m thickness. Its major performance indicators have attained an internationally advanced level.
Better Technique to Decompose Stalks
Thanks to his 6-year tireless study, experiment, demonstration and application, Mr. WANG Shantang, director of the Institute of High Tech Applications for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Xing'anmeng, Inner Mongolia, has developed a new technique to decompose crop stalks. He makes his new enzyme based decomposer to turn stalks under normal temperature into highly nutritious feeds in 2 hours rather than 2 days as required by the previous techniques. Based on the principle of adverse chemical reaction in crop stalks, Mr. WANG uses compound enzymes and carriers to decompose large particles of stalks into smaller ones, and further to amino acids and glucose that can be absorbed by animals. The new chemical reaction process can not only turn cellulose, cell wall, intercellular substance into nutritious matters, but also can release nutritious matters from cell walls. It greatly increases the conversion from stalks to feeds. The feeds, as they are so processed, cannot only find full digestion in vegetarian animals such as ox and sheep, but can also be fully digested by grain eating animals such as pigs and birds.
In the last 6 years, Mr. WANG has demonstrated his new stalk decomposer and achieved success among 2,500 farmers in 20 provinces or autonomous regions including Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Xinjiang.
China's Highest Frequency CPU
The 32-bit microprocessor developed by the Tsinghua University passed on Feb, 18, 2004 the technical verification check organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education. As a proprietary built-in 32-bit high frequency microprocessor with a low energy consumption less than 0.5W, the Chinese made CPU is designed with an advanced pipelining structure allowing a maximum main frequency of 500MHz and a calculation speed of 444 million times per second. The development indicates that Tsinghua University has reached an internationally advanced level in key CPU core technologies including system master design, coordinated development of software and hardware, testing environment, and on-chip tuning.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364
http://www.most.gov.cn
