MOST and Ministry of Finance (MOF) cosponsored the 2^nd Advisory Meeting on National S&T Infrastructure Platform and the unveiling ceremony of National Science and Technology Facilities and Infrastructure Center in Beijing on December 18, 2006. MOST Minister XU Guanhua and MOF Assistant Minister DING Xuedong addressed the meeting.

Minister XU said it was an important mission of the Government to build a national platform of S&T infrastructure that served the public and prepared the ground for the future. The strategic significance lay in upgrading China’s innovation capability and competitiveness. While building the platform in the 11^th Five Years, it was essential to fully avail the role of expert advisory panel in consulting and decision making. The Government should further facilitate the work of the expert panel and make decisions in a more scientific way.

According to Assistant Minister DING, the MOF put a high premium on this undertaking. Efforts should be made to intensify relevant studies and break new ground in the institution. The focus was on coming up with a clear idea of available resources and reinforcing the corresponding legal regime and technical teams.

The meeting also featured the conferment of letters of appointment on the expert advisory panel and the unveiling ceremony of National Science and Technology Facilities and Infrastructure Center. That symbolized progress towards professional management based on a sophisticated consultancy mechanism in a bid to bring the building of the platform to a new high.