Main Study Report in 2003

Mid-Term Evaluation of Key National S&T Projects

According to the requirements of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the main purpose of the mid-term evaluation work is to examine and evaluate the implementation of the important scientific and technological projects during the 10th Five-Year Plan period in order to regulate them timely and provide reference basis, thus fulfilling them in a better way.

The CAE leaders have paid great attention to the evaluation work, and Vice-President Shen Guofang is in charge of the work.

In addition, the CAE Bureau of Academic Activity Department has established a liaison group which has stipulated the Requirements for the Mid-Term Evaluation of Key S&T Projects, put forward the principles for the establishment of expert groups, and made clear the method and procedures of evaluation work.

On October 24, 2003, the CAE held a meeting to mark the start of the evaluation work. At the meeting, Vice-Minister Ma Songde of Science and Technology explained the purpose, significance, focal points and requirements of the work. Also Vice-President Shen Guofang made an arrangement for the evaluation organizations, put forward the concrete requirements and emphasized the scientific, objective and fair principle. Then 12 evaluation groups were founded; each consists of 9-13 members and specialists from the relevant fields; and each group is headed by two CAE members.

Since there are a lot of units to be appraised, which are located in various parts of the country, so the evaluation groups have to do much on-the-spot inspection and investigation work, to collect a great amount of information and opinions. Statistics show that a total of 42 meetings have been held, and some 70 on-the-spot inspection and investigation trips have been carried out.

A total of 63 CAE members and some 80 professors and research fellows have directly or indirectly participated in the evaluation work. In line with responsibility to the scientific and technological work, all members of the evaluation groups have demonstrated their strong sense of responsibility and honest devotion to their duty.

The 12 evaluation groups have upheld objectiveness and fairness during their evaluation work. The groups have studied and analyzed self-examination reports of various projects, made investigations of some units undertaking research projects, and conscientiously inspected and investigated the progress, achievements and results won by each special project according to the written report of requirements. At the same time, the groups have paid much attention to the difficulties and drawbacks that appeared in the implementation of these projects and raised their opinions and suggestions in the evaluation reports.

All the evaluation groups maintain that the establishment of these important national scientific and technological projects is up to the objective demands and practical needs of China s economic and social development. These projects are correctly selected and have clear objectives. During their implementation and management some new ways have been introduced, and beneficial explorations and innovations, carried out. Much attention has been paid to bringing into play the fundamental functions of the market mechanism in the allotment of scientific and technological resources. Also the resources and enthusiasm from various fields have been mobilized. In conclusive discussions, all the groups put forward some suggestions on the common problems concerning the organization, implementation and management of these special projects.

Cutting Down the Cost of Subway Construction

At present the cost of subway construction in China is high and the construction takes a long time, thus greatly affecting the development of China s subway construction. The CAC organized two subway construction inspections for the CAC members in 1999 and 2000, respectively. In 2001, the CAE organized 11 members of the relevant disciplines, 12 units and over 90 specialists to make researches into the subject The Study of Reducing the Cost of Subway Construction and Other Relevant Issues. After two years painstaking efforts, an advisory research report based on many investigations, researches and comprehensive analyses was written. The main contents of the report are as follows:

1.The state should actively encourage the development of subway construction in large cities. Subway is the only way to solve traffic jam in large cities. So the state should actively encourage large cities to keep developing subways in an orderly and stable way.

2.The subways under construction and to be constructed are as long as 400 km in China, involving a total investment of over 200 billion yuan (about US$24 billion). The study shows it is possible to cut down the cost of our subway construction to around 400 million yuan/km (about US$ 48.3 million/km) if rational plans and designs are adopted, the standards of construction are handled properly and China tries its best to use domestically made equipment to replace the imported ones.

3.Great attention should be paid to some problems in subway construction. The problems are:

(1) The early-stage investigations are not sufficient enough; (2) The design concepts are out of date; (3) The technical standards are not perfect; (4) A large amount of foreign equipment is imported; and (5) The procedures of subway construction are not well followed and the examination systems are not strictly observed, etc. The above-mentioned problems resulted in high cost of our subway construction and operation, which has badly handicapped development of our subway development.

4. CAE members and the experts put forward the following suggestions:

(1) Improving the plan and design. Based on the principle of safety and reliability, saving, applicableness and advanced technology, we shall improve the plan and design in a scientific way and make economic technology more reasonable.

(2) Making good early-stage preparations for subway construction.

(3) Clearly ascertaining the management organs of subway construction to strengthen the unified management of subway construction.

(4) Upholding and perfecting the policy of using more China-made equipment in subway construction

(5) Reinforcing the research and test of LIM Technology in subway system

(6) Exploring the mode of subway construction and operation

The Issue on Green Technology of Iron & Steel Industry

A study of Green Technology of Manufacture and Iron & Steel Industry the Issue on Green Technology of Iron & Steel Industry started on June 22, 2000 by the CAE members, namely Yin Ruiyu, Zhang Shourong and Lu Zhongwu, and was successfully accomplished on January 30, 2003.

Facing the increasing environment pressure on the development of China s iron and steel industry in the 21st century, the project consultative report puts forward some main countermeasures for the development of China s green technology of iron and steel industry with a view of ecological industry chain and combining economics and ecology effectively. The details are: First, optimizing the process of iron and steel making; second, improving efficient use of resources and energy and reducing water consumption of ton steel making; third, controlling the discharge during iron and steel making; fourthly, recycling the emission and energy and realizing innocuous effluent; fifth, raising the green technology degree of iron and steel products; sixth, forming an industry ecological chain with the relevant industries to play an environmental-friendly role in the economic development; and seventh, working out and perfecting policies concerning green technology of iron and steel industry.

The study also makes an in-depth research into the environmental protection of the iron and steel industry, the development of China s green technology of iron and steel industry and its evaluation. The conclusions of the study are as follows:

1. In the 21st century, iron and steel industry is by no means a sunset industry, but a basic industry. Iron and steel industry is still an important part of manufacturing industry to China, a country with such a large population.

2. The development of the iron and steel industry in the 21st century is faced with a severe challenge of decreasing the environmental burden of the earth. Hence, iron and steel industry should be changed from a manufacturing industry that just provides iron and steel products to a green manufacturing industry, from a function of just providing iron and steel products to a function of fully realizing energy-transformation during the manufacturing process, and from producing large quantity of emission to producing minimum emission with a function of controlling some social discharge as well.

3. We must readjust China s iron and steel industrial structure, realize key green technologies at three different levels, and form a green manufacturing process of iron and steel.

4. Relevant laws, regulations and policies are expected to be enacted to support the green iron and steel industry so as to restrict and guide the iron and steel industry to constantly improve its environment and realize green iron and steel industry step by step.

5. In order to improve the competitiveness of iron and steel industry, we must include the accreditation of ISO14000, the environmental evaluation and the publicity of the annual environment report in the evaluation system of iron and steel enterprises.

6. We shall help all employees of iron and steel industry to reinforce their sense of responsibility and their awareness of environmental protection, and reinforce the training and popularization of the knowledge of environmental protection.

7. We shall enhance the technology development and basic research of green technology of iron and steel to resolve numerous scientific, technological and engineering problems.

Other Study Reports

lAssessment and examination of the report on the research of the development of the Chinese equipment and manufacturing industry

lStudy of the distribution of water resources, ecological environment construction and sustainable development strategies in northwest China

lStrategic study of the development of high- and new-tech industrialization in western China

lStudies on the situation, gaps and countermeasures of China s safe production

lSuggestions on the countermeasures for China s oil refining industry after China s entry into the WTO

lAdvisory opinions on China s policies concerning automobile industry

lBasic conditions and platform construction of state science and technology

lPrivate cars and China

lDecrease of the cost of subway construction to guarantee the sustainable development of subway construction in China

lInvestigation of industrial and natural environment corrosion in China and countermeasures

lCost management based on the quality of knowledge

lAdvisory assessment of the scheme of the standards for digital television ground broadcast and transmission

lResearch of the development of industrialization of China s lower-temperature superconductor materials

lStrategic research of China s information network security system

lInvestigation and research of infrared light instruments

lReport on period research of China s sustainable development strategies of oil-gas resources

lRational exploitation and use of coal resources in western China

lResearch of the sustainable exploitation and use of China s nickel, cobalt, platinum and other metals

lSystem of joint-production energy resources with gas as its core

lFuture of nuclear energy for civil use in the world

lResearch of the development of China s huge forging and pressing equipment

lResearch of China s construction of aircraft engine experiment facilities

lCurrent situation of welding production of China s manufacture industry and the development strategy

lStudy on speeding up the shift of high and new military engineering technology to traditional industries

Study on the update and promotion of traditional industries by high and new technology