The essence of innovation-driven is talent-driven, and talent is the first resource for innovation. According to the “Research Report on China’s Human Resources Development in Science and Technology (2018)” issued by the China Association for Science and Technology, during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, the scale of my country’s scientific and technological human resources continued to grow steadily, regardless of factors such as college upgrades, deaths and going abroad. By the end of 2018, the total It has reached 101.545 million people, ranking first in the world.
With reference to the definition of scientific and technological human resources by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Eurostat, scientific and technological human resources refer to human resources that are actually engaged in or have the potential to engage in the production, development, dissemination and application of systematic scientific and technological knowledge , It includes not only the labor force actually engaged in scientific and technological activities (or scientific and technological occupations), but also the labor force who may be engaged in scientific and technological activities (or scientific and technological occupations).
General higher education is the most important channel for training human resources in science and technology. In recent years, the number of natural science and engineering graduates in my country has steadily increased. On the one hand, my country’s higher education has developed rapidly, and the gross enrollment rate has increased from 40.0% in 2015 to 51.6% in 2019; on the other hand, the quality of mathematics and science education for primary and middle school students is relatively high. Nearly half of high school students choose science, engineering, Agronomy and medicine as their undergraduate majors.
Talents can be cultivated, but talents must be retained. Since the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan”, my country has implemented the strategy of prioritizing the development of talents. It has made efforts by improving the evaluation of achievements and the talent incentive mechanism, deepening the reform of “delegation, management and service” in the field of science and technology, setting up special youth projects in major science and technology projects, and optimizing innovative services. Create a good atmosphere in which people make the best use of their talents, use their talents, and use them to make a difference.
During the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” period, my country’s science and technology human resources structure has been continuously optimized. The number and growth rate of science and technology human resources at the undergraduate level have exceeded that of junior colleges, and the educational structure has been adjusted for the better; the science and technology human resources of 39 and under have exceeded 3/4, and the personnel continue to maintain Younger; more than 50% of the newly-added scientific and technological human resources at the graduate level are women, making them a veritable “half the sky”.