China will improve the evaluation system for scientific and technological achievements, and accelerate their transformation into real productive forces, according to a guideline issued by the General Office of the State Council on Aug 2.

The quality of scientific and technological innovation, their achievements in applied technology, and their contributions to economic and social development should be the core of evaluation, the guideline said.

Considering that scientific and technological achievements have multiple uses and value, evaluation standards with multi-level, differentiated criteria should be adopted, to improve the standardization of evaluation.

The guideline also suggested giving full play to the role of the market and introducing third-party evaluation.

The scientific, technological, economic, social and cultural value of scientific and technological achievements should be evaluated comprehensively and accurately, especially their multiple applications.

A classified evaluation system should be improved. For basic research results, peer review should be the major evaluation method, while applied research results should mainly be evaluated by industry users and social forces, with high-quality intellectual property output, new technology, new materials, new processes, new products and performance of new equipment’s prototype as main evaluation indicators.

A national scientific and technological achievements library should be established so that scientific and technological achievements promotion lists can be formulated according to different application needs. Scientific and technological achievements that are not confidential or supported by financial funds will be made public in accordance with regulations.

Efforts should be made to improve the system for disclosing job-related scientific and technological achievements in colleges and universities, and scientific research institutions. A patent evaluation system should be established before an application is filed.

Market-oriented evaluation of scientific and technological achievements should be developed.

Measures should be taken to improve the linkage mechanism between evaluation of scientific and technological achievements and financial institutions and investment companies. Relevant financial institutions and investment companies should be guided to conduct commercial evaluation for any potential economic value, market assessment and prospects for development of scientific and technological achievements.

Industry associations, research societies, professional evaluation institutions and others should be guided to play their role in the evaluation of scientific and technological achievements. Related departments, local governments and industries should join to establish an information service platform for evaluation of scientific and technological achievements.

Reward systems for scientific and technological achievements should be improved, with appropriate quantities and higher quality of rewards. National science and technology awards should be closely integrated with the country's major strategies, and rewards for basic research and applied basic research results will be increased.

Harmful trends in scientific and technological achievements evaluation, such as valuing quantity over quality and contributions, must be fully corrected.

Big data, artificial intelligence and other technical means should be adopted to develop information tools for evaluation and to enhance research on evaluation theory and method of scientific and technological achievements. Also, a cross-industry, cross-department, cross-regional database collecting scientific and technological results, demand, cases, and evaluation tools and methods should be established.

Incentive and exemption mechanisms for evaluating scientific and technological achievements will also be improved, according to the guideline.

The reform of scientific and technological achievements evaluation will be led by the Ministry of Science and Technology and piloted in units and regions of different types.

The guideline also stressed administration streamlining in the reform, and urged related departments to pay attention to social supervision and strengthen academic self-discipline and industry self-discipline during evaluation.