How is seed industry reform being advanced? Various regions explore new paths
Reform stimulates vitality, innovation drives development. To implement the work arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on deepening the reform of the scientific research system, since the beginning of this year, Beijing, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Heilongjiang and other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) have carried out extensive exploration in encouraging scientific and technological personnel to innovate and start businesses and accelerating the transformation of scientific research achievements, and issued a series of policy documents, providing useful references for advancing the reform of the seed industry scientific research system and enhancing innovation capacity.
I. Agreeing on the ownership of scientific research achievement property rights
The Wuhan Municipal People's Government's "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Use, Disposal and Income Management of Duty Scientific and Technological Achievements of Universities and Scientific Research Institutions in the Wuhan Area" (Wu Zheng [2014] No. 27, referred to as "Wuhan Ten Articles") stipulates: "Explore the reform of ownership of duty scientific and technological achievements of universities and scientific research institutions. Allow universities and scientific research institutions and duty inventors to share ownership of duty scientific and technological achievements through contractual agreement. If a university or scientific research institution intends to abandon the patents and other related intellectual property rights it enjoys, it shall notify the duty inventor 1 month before abandonment; if the duty inventor is willing to accept the transfer, he or she may obtain the intellectual property rights, and the unit shall assist in handling the procedures for changing ownership."
II. Delegating the right to dispose of achievements and the right to income
Beijing's "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Transformation and Industrialization of Scientific and Technological Achievements of Scientific Research Institutions (Trial)" (referred to as "Beijing Science Nine Articles") stipulates: "The intellectual property rights of scientific and technological achievements shall be obtained by the undertaking unit in accordance with the law, granting scientific research institutions the autonomous right of disposal."
The "Special Reform Plan for Encouraging Scientific and Technological Personnel to Innovate and Start Businesses" issued by the General Office of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the General Office of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government stipulates: "For duty scientific and technological achievements that have not been transformed within one year, the achievement completer or team has the right to dispose of the transformation of the achievements."
The "Wuhan Ten Articles" stipulates: "For duty scientific and technological achievements of universities and scientific research institutions, except those involving national security, national interests and major public social interests, the unit may independently decide to carry out transfer and transformation activities by means of transfer, licensing, and contribution as equity of scientific and technological achievements, and the competent department and the finance department shall no longer approve this. All income obtained from the transformation of duty scientific and technological achievements of universities and scientific research institutions shall remain with the unit, be included in the unit's budget, and be subject to unified management; the income from use and disposal shall no longer be turned over to the finance department."
III. Substantially increasing the proportion of income distribution to scientific and technological personnel
The "Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Seed Industry System and Improving Innovation Capacity" (referred to as "Hubei Twelve Articles") of the General Office of the Hubei Provincial People's Government stipulates: "For the income obtained by R&D teams of scientific research institutes and institutions of higher education from the transformation and transfer of seed industry scientific and technological achievements in Hubei, the income obtained shall not be less than 70%, of which personal income shall not be less than 50%."
The "Beijing Science Nine Articles" stipulates: "Establish a mechanism for distributing the income from the transformation of achievements of scientific research personnel. With the consent of the workers' congress, scientific research institutions may extract 70% or more of the income from transformation and allocate it to the completers of scientific and technological achievements and personnel who have made important contributions to the transformation of scientific and technological achievements."
The "Notice on Printing and Distributing the Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Seed Industry System and Improving Innovation Capacity in Gansu Province" (referred to as "Gansu Thirteen Articles") of the General Office of the Gansu Provincial People's Government stipulates: "Encourage that the income obtained from duty scientific and technological achievements in the seed industry of scientific research institutes, institutions of higher education and state-owned enterprises and institutions be allocated at 60% to scientific and technological personnel and their teams participating in seed industry R&D. Personal rewards given to scientific and technological personnel for the transformation of duty scientific and technological achievements in the seed industry shall temporarily not be subject to personal income tax."
The "Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Seed Industry System and Improving Innovation Capacity" of the General Office of the People's Government of Ningxia Autonomous Region stipulates: "The inventor of scientific research achievements and the unit shall distribute income rights in a 6:4 ratio."
IV. Further relaxing the policy on the flow of scientific and technological personnel
The "Wuhan Ten Articles" stipulates: "Support high-end talent in innovation and entrepreneurship. For personnel in universities and scientific research institutions who 'shoulder two responsibilities' (serving both as administrative leaders and professional and technical personnel), with the approval of their unit, they are allowed to establish enterprises in Wuhan and hold shares in such enterprises."
The "Special Reform Plan for Encouraging Scientific and Technological Personnel to Innovate and Start Businesses" issued by the General Office of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the General Office of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government proposes: "Select some scientific research institutes and institutions of higher education to carry out pilots for scientific and technological personnel to take part-time remuneration and retain their status while leaving their posts to lead or establish enterprises. It is required to clarify that scientific and technological personnel who leave their posts may retain their establishment, status and personnel relations, their length of service shall be calculated continuously, and this shall not affect the normal promotion of archival wages and the evaluation of professional titles."
The "Hubei Twelve Articles" stipulates: "Support scientific research institutes and institutions of higher education in carrying out talent cooperation with enterprises through part-time work, temporary posts, and contract signing. Encourage scientific research personnel of scientific research institutes and institutions of higher education to engage in commercial breeding work in enterprises; with the consent of their unit, they may retain their establishment, status and personnel relations, their archival wages shall be promoted normally, and they may return to their original unit within 5 years."
The "Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Seed Industry System and Improving Innovation Capacity" of the General Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government stipulates: "If scientific research personnel resign from public office to work in seed enterprises, upon approval they may be given economic compensation by reference to dismissed personnel, and shall be given a self-employment fee of not less than 100,000 yuan according to the length of service."
The "Gansu Thirteen Articles" stipulates: "Encourage scientific research personnel of scientific research institutes, institutions of higher education and public institutions (including scientific research personnel serving as administrative leaders) to engage in commercial breeding or leave their posts to start businesses in seed enterprises. For scientific research personnel with 30 years (inclusive) or more of service who go to enterprises to engage in commercial breeding, their original status and professional titles shall be retained, their archival wages shall be promoted normally, and they shall go through retirement procedures at their original unit upon reaching the statutory retirement age. For scientific research personnel with less than 30 years of service who go to enterprises to engage in commercial breeding and those who leave their posts to start businesses, their original status and professional titles shall be retained for 2 years, and their archival wages shall be promoted normally. If they continue to engage in commercial breeding in enterprises or continue to start businesses after the expiration of the period, they shall return to their original unit to go through procedures for resignation, medical insurance, pension insurance, etc."