https://www.cas.cn/cm/202601/t20260122_5096886.shtml
In 2025, basic research funding accounted for 7.08% of total R&D expenditure, a record high. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee included “significantly enhancing basic research and original innovation capabilities” as one of the main goals of economic and social development during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, proposing to “strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research, increase the proportion of investment in basic research, and increase long-term and stable support.
Examples:
At the thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor in the Gobi Desert of Minqin, Gansu Province, thorium-uranium nuclear fuel conversion was achieved
In the field of quantum technology, from the breakthrough of the “Zu Chongzhi-3” satellite’s quadrillion-fold computing power to the integrated space-ground secure communication network, China has firmly established itself in the world’s first tier, forming a strategic pattern of “leading in some areas and keeping pace overall.”
In the field of life sciences, from pioneering new approaches to treating central nervous system diseases with newly generated neurons in the brain to the biosynthesis decoding and behavioral manipulation of locust swarming pheromones, my country has reached the forefront of the world in multiple research directions.
In the field of space science, Chinese scientists have revealed the evolutionary history of the far side of the moon for the first time globally, achieving several groundbreaking key breakthroughs. They have revealed for the first time two distinct periods of basaltic volcanic activity on the far side of the moon, approximately 4.2 billion and 2.8 billion years ago, and obtained information on the paleomagnetic field of the far side of the moon for the first time…
In Kaiping, Guangdong, the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment measured two parameters describing neutrino oscillations with 1.5 to 1.8 times greater precision than the previous best international level.
In Daocheng, Sichuan, the High Altitude Cosmic Ray Observatory “LAZOS” discovered that black holes are “super particle accelerators” in the universe and successfully solved the mystery of cosmic ray “knee” formation, which had puzzled the scientific community for nearly 70 years.
In Xinglong, Hebei, the Guo Shoujing Telescope has released a cumulative total of 28.07 million spectra and 11.59 million sets of stellar parameters, maintaining its position as the world’s largest data provider.
Looking ahead to the next five years, Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun stated that the Ministry of Science and Technology will coordinate national strategies and the needs of economic and social development, accelerate the implementation of major national science and technology projects, systematically promote strategically oriented basic research, strengthen innovation in key common technologies, cutting-edge leading technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive technologies, strengthen the self-sufficiency of basic scientific and technological conditions, promote the coordinated linkage of national strategic scientific and technological forces, and accelerate the production of a number of major landmark and original achievements.