context: A major overhaul of the State Council’s scitech governance institutions was unveiled at the Two Sessions. This included the establishment of a Central Science and Technology Commission (CSTC) as the overall decision-making body. Further details about the scope of its role are provided in this announcement.
The full version of the Party and State Council Institutional Reform Plan has been published by Xinhua, providing more details on the new Central Science and Technology Commission (CSTC). The plan lays out that CSTC should act as the CCP Central Committee decision-making and coordinating body by
- coordinating and guiding the national innovation system and structural reform of the scitech system
- studying and deliberating major strategies, plans and policies for national scitech development
- coordinating and resolving major issues of strategic, directional, and comprehensive significance in the field of scitech
- researching and determining major national strategic scitech tasks and research projects
- coordinating the deployment of strategic scitech forces, such as national laboratories
- coordinating military-civil fusion technology development.
As previously announced, the restructured Ministry of Science and Technology will serve as the administrator for the Commission.
The National Science and Technology Advisory Committee and the National Science and Technology Ethics Committee will be retained but now report directly to CSTC and function as its academic and professional expert committees, according to the plan.
The plan further stipulates that several decision-making institutions and their offices will no longer be maintained, such as
- Central National Laboratory Construction Leading Small Group
- National Science and Technology Leading Small Group
- National Sci-tech System Reform and Innovation System Construction Leading Small Group
- National Medium and Long-term Science and Technology Development Planning Leading Small Group.
Reform at the central level should be completed by the end of 2023. Provincial-level decision-making agencies will be established based on their local condition, and complete their restructuring by the end of 2024.