Academician Gao Wen: China's scientific research system should advance along four paths in parallel
Reform of China's scientific research system: Gao Wen proposes four major directions to boost research efficiency with AI Strengthen funding, build closed loops, and develop national-level AI infrastructure to accelerate the transformation of results and seize the initiative
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of Pengcheng Laboratory Gao Wen said in Shanghai on September 13 that China’s scientific research system can be advanced simultaneously from four directions to enhance its advantage in the new round of scientific competition.
Speaking via video link at the special forum on AI Empowering Scientific Research at the 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum, he pointed out that scientific research should embrace the iterative research paradigm, break away from linear thinking that overrelies on papers, and enable a twoway cycle between basic research and application needs.
Gao Wen also suggested reforming the research funding mechanism to establish a diversified model that combines rapidresponse support, longterm support, and challenge prizes, while reducing administrative burdens so that research teams can respond more flexibly to the uncertainties of frontier exploration.
In addition, he proposed strengthening the "researchmanufacturing" closed loop to promote laboratory results toward engineering validation and industrialization more quickly; at the same time, he called for building nationallevel AI research infrastructure, integrating computing power, scientific big data, and automated experimental platforms to improve research efficiency.