Research and Training in ISTIC at Present and in the Future 

    Wu Yishan, Director of Research and Training Center, ISTIC

（2000年5月29日在Asia Workshop上的发言）

1. Historical Retrospect

  Information research ( shortened as IR henceforth) is a unique Chinese concept. The English term most close to it might be “analysis and information service” as used in state legislature agencies of the United States. Anyway, IR refers to activities based on the collection, report and analysis of specific information, which is required by users or which information researchers judge to be interested and needed by potential users.

  Ever since the establishment of ISTIC in 1956, there has been a unit within ISTIC specialized in information analysis and research service. At present, such service is part of the functions of Research and Training Center.

  In 1962, China formulated the first ever National Development Plan for Science and Technology. In this document, information analysis and research was very much emphasized. ISTIC information analysts made important contributions to the development of China’s first atom bomb, first missile and first satellite.

  In the late 1970’s, as China started to open to the outside world, the demand for scientific and technical as well as socioeconomic information from decision-makers of different levels exploded, giving impetus to IR.

  In 1980’s, the role of  IR was more salient than before. It was summarized that IR plays the role of advisor in management decisions, the role of assistant in scientific research, development and  production, and the role of pre-warning system in monitoring international trend of science and technology.

  During this decade, as China transforms itself from planned economy to market economy, IR faces new, astounding challenges. In the past, IR was entirely funded by government and oriented towards government. Today, the government is attempting to limit its omnipresence by downsizing government agencies. Then, what will be the appropriate functions for ISTIC and how should we proceed with IR in this context? This question has not been answered properly yet.

  In the last 40 years, IR has experienced several changes in terms of work style.

  At the beginning, translation and selective report of foreign literature were the main activity. Then, there was a stage where comprehensive reviews of individual disciplines or specialties in foreign countries were often conducted so as to provide the basis for international comparison. Later, information researchers began to produce reports which are resulted from the combination of data about domestic situation as well as foreign trends. Next, information researchers involved themselves more deeply into decision-making process at different government levels and provided various reports in order for leaders to formulate optimal decisions. At present, IR service is more and more based on research contracts and information researchers are trying to provide high quality consulting service to win their place in the competitive market.

2. A Brief Introduction to Representative IR Reports

(1) China in Year 2000, 1984

  This book forecasts scenarios of China in year 2000 under different policy choices. The fields under forecasting exercises are: population, energy, arable land, water supply, forest, mineral resources, food supply, transportation, economic issues, etc. This project won the National Prize for Scientific and Technical Progress later. It was even translated into English version and used as textbook in the Future Studies course in some American universities.

(2) Development Strategies and Policies for High Technology in Selective Nations, 1986

  This book describes some important high-tech plans, such as the Star War Initiative of USA, Eureka Program of Europe, Grand Program for Invigorating Science and Technology of Japan and so on, analyzes the main trend in high technology fields, summarizes policies and measures for pushing high-tech development, and describes several high-tech parks abroad.

(3) Science and Technology in Selective Countries, 1988

  This book systematically describes S & T system, R & D budget, S & T personnel, S & T policy, main research achievements, international cooperation in S & T of 25 nations.

(4) Industrialization of China’s High Technology, 1989

  This report explores how to speed up China’s high-tech industry by examining successful experience and negative lessons of foreign countries in this regard.

(5) Mechanisms of International Technology Transfer, 1989

  This is a project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The report analyzes the relationship between technology transfer (TT) and industry structure, impact of high-tech development upon TT mechanism, experience and lessons of other developing countries in TT, etc.

(6) Comparative Analysis of Scientific and Technological Capability between China and Other Nations or Areas, 1990

  This book compares, by use of relevant indicators, S & T capability of China against that of USA, Japan, France, the former West Germany, UK, Italy, Canada, the former USSR, South Korea, Singapore, Chinese Hongkong, Chinese Taiwan, Thailand, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the former East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, India, Brazil and Mexico.  

(7) High-Tech Advancement Abroad in 1990, published in 1991

  This report summarizes advances in such high-tech areas as space, electronics, automation, biotechnology, new materials, energy, ocean technology and laser in selective countries.

(8) Development and Choices--Analysis of China’s Development Situation, 1992

  This book overviews China’s status quo and identifies important issues to be dealt with in order to further China’s reform and development.

(9) Strategy and Policy for Promoting Export of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Products, 1996

  This project won the National Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress. TCM should be a treasure house for China. In fact, however, TCM behaved poorly in the international market in comparison with the Japanese and Korean herbal medicine, which are based and derived from TCM. This project gives relevant policy recommendations.

(10) BBS Information Service Network, 1997

  This project was started by our information researchers in 1994 in response to SSTC’s policy of “Invigorating Cities with Science and technology”. It disseminates economic, technical and trade information on daily basis through a national BBS network. At present, it has established service stations in some 30 cities or towns throughout China. Each service station is responsible for delivering information in the BBS to its own subscribers. In 1997, the project won the SSTC Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress. Due to the internal organizational reconstructing, it is now operated by ISTIC’s network center. 

(11) Development Trends in Selective Major S & T Fields in China (1998)

  Funded by the Department of Development and Planning, MOST, this annual work monitors China’s development in such fields as advanced manufacturing, information and communication technology, biotechnology, advanced materials, energy technology, and transportation technology.

(12) Public Understanding of Science in Selective Countries (1999)

  This report describes how USA, Japan, UK, Australia, India, and Singapore have done in promoting public understanding of science. It was chosen as a background report in the National Work Conference on S & T Popularization held in December of 1999.

3. Post-graduate Training

  The Gang of Four was overthrown in 1976. Then in 1977, the university entrance examination system was restored. In 1978, China started to recruit post-graduate students, after a hiatus of more than a decade. ISTIC began recruiting post--graduate students in Information Science in that year, and enrolled a record number of 39 students. Since then, we have granted in total 180 master’s degrees. Among those graduated students, some hold important posts. Mr. Dan Ruichun (‘78 class) used to be the Director of Office for Intellectual Property Affairs under the State Council before the establishment of the State Intellectual Property Office,  Mr. Zhang Zhong (‘78 class) is the Deputy Director General of ISTIC, Mr. Jin Ju (‘82 class) is now the Science Counselor in the Chinese Embassy in Australia, just to name a few. Besides Mr. Jin Ju, we have other 7 graduates who served as China’s scientific diplomats. We have 4 recent graduates who are pursuing doctor’s program in China and about 36 graduates going abroad for Ph. D programs or other advanced programs, mostly in USA. Some 30 of our graduates had the experience of functioning as visiting scholars in foreign universities or research institutes.

  Starting from 1999, in joint with Department of Information Management of Peking University, ISTIC will be authorized to train Ph. D students in Information Science. Mr. Liang Zhanping , Deputy Director General of ISTIC, is qualified to tutor Ph. D dissertations. The qualification to train Ph. D students is accredited by the Committee of Academic Degrees under the State Council. The qualification examination for doctoral program is scheduled in April each year.

  At present, we offer close to 20 post-graduate courses, including:

Compulsory courses:

--dialectics of nature;

--English ( listening and speaking, reading and comprehension, English-Chinese translation);

--information consulting service;

--statistics and probability theory;

--methods of scientometrics;

-- techno-economics;

--basis in computer network;

--management information system;

--database technology and application.

Optional courses:

--science policy and development strategy;

--methods of information analysis;

--economics of information;

--information market;

--network building and management;

--analysis and design of object-oriented systems;

--multimedia technology;

--information processing and delivery;

--theory and practice of digital library.

  Some of those courses are given by ISTIC staff, some given by outsourced lecturers.

  Since ISTIC is transforming most of it into a real company, we feel that qualified marketing and selling talents are in pressing shortage. In 1999, we held two very special training courses. One is called “Training Course on Selling skills”. The other is “Training Course on Managing Sales Team”. The lectures with selling experience were invited to teach the course and both courses were well remarked by ISTIC attendees.   

4. New Challenge

  China’s reform in S & T system is in full swing. The government policy is to only guarantee the budget of a small number of research institutes, such as those engaged in basic research, and push the remaining majority of institutes to support themselves by carrying out income-making activities. Initially, ISTIC seemed to be included in the category of “guaranteed minority”, but now it seems to have to join the majority and achieve survival through market competition.

  Traditionally, ISTIC information researchers mainly serve the needs of SSTC ( now MOST). At present, n order to achieve budgetary self-sufficiency, they have to turn to business world to find new clients. It is not an easy transition. On the other hand, MOST still needs IR service provided by ISTIC but it is unlikely for MOST to regard ISTIC as a commercial information service unit. Therefore, ISTIC information researchers are in bad confusion right now.

  In the future, we must diversify our client portfolio. We will continue to serve information needs of MOST leaders and staff. But we will make greater efforts to seek clients in other government agencies, business and academic institutes.

  Qualified researchers are the key to successful IR service. At present, unfortunately, we have special difficulty in recruiting, retaining and training young information researchers. If you ask young information researchers to secure enough research contracts each year before you give them  salary and bonus, then there seems to be no good reason for them to keep working here. They would just move to a place where they can earn much more, say a joint-venture company or China offices of foreign companies. In fact, many talented young information researchers left ISTIC in recent years. Since it is very tough to attract qualified young information researchers to work here, it seems that the alternative choice is for our center to recruit more graduate students and ask them to work in ISTIC after graduation.

  ISTIC information researchers have a glorious tradition. We are decided to carry this tradition forward and build new deed in the market.

Reference

1. Liang Zhanping (Ed.), Memorandum of ISTIC Information Research in 1980’s, Scientific and Technical Document Press, Beijing, 1992