Doctrine Political Work

Forum on Strengthening the Military | Cultivating "Scientific Research Taste"

强军论坛丨涵养“科研的品位”

PLA Daily (解放军报) 8 August 2026

Summary

A PLA Daily opinion piece by Zhang Di uses National University of Defense Technology researcher Wang Ji's 30-plus years developing high-assurance software (高可信软件) as the anchor example for a call to cultivate 科研的品位—the intuitive judgment that orients researchers toward strategically durable problems rather than short-term, fashionable ones. The article documents an institutional push to reframe research culture around three explicit problems the PLA acknowledges in its own S&T workforce: homogenization, fragmentation, and superficiality, with the proposed remedy being long-cycle, combat-oriented work guided by the 为战而研 principle. The framing points to ongoing tension between evaluation metrics that reward volume and visibility—the 'four onlys' (四唯) the piece explicitly names as a constraint to break—and the kind of foundational, classified-adjacent work Wang Ji's career represents.

Translation

Cultivating "Scientific Research Taste"

■ Zhang Di

Innovation has its vision; scientific research has its taste.

Scientific research taste (科研的品位) is the intuitive judgment and aesthetic capacity that scientists develop toward scientific questions in the course of scientific exploration. It encompasses both a keen insight into the essence of problems and the ability to select research methods and directions. It is the concentrated expression of a researcher's academic cultivation, breadth of vision, and pursuit of values.

National University of Defense Technology researcher Wang Ji has written a vivid footnote to this kind of taste through his actions. When others were chasing popular tracks and seeking short-term results, he relied on scientific intuition and strategic vision to firmly commit to the strategic value of high-assurance software (高可信软件) for national defense security, plunging headlong into a "cold track." After more than 30 years of deep cultivation, he used rigorous mathematical logic to consolidate the technical foundation and fortify the security line for "major national assets" (大国重器).

"Scientific research taste" is, in essence, a cognitive advantage. It helps researchers see clearly through the fog, maintain resolve amid the clamor, and make the first move in uncharted territory. It is the key to breaking through the problems of research homogenization, fragmentation, and superficiality. As Chairman Xi has pointed out: "If national defense science and technology innovation cannot advance, we will find ourselves at a disadvantage in competition." For military researchers, cultivating "scientific research taste" is by no means an academic indulgence—it is an essential quality for serving combat readiness, supporting the goal of strengthening the military through science and technology, and achieving victory on the battlefields of the future.

Cultivating "scientific research taste" requires, first and foremost, honing the precise judgment of "researching for war" (为战而研). Military scientific research belongs to the military and serves war; it bears on the outcome of war and on national security. Only by keeping the direction of research in constant resonance with the generation of combat power and precisely aligned with battlefield requirements can research work find its most solid anchor. The battlefield instinct and research intuition of military researchers are never produced out of thin air—they must be continuously tempered and refined through the grinding work of combat readiness. One would do well to ask oneself regularly: What is the core difficulty constraining the improvement of combat power? Which battlefield pain point does this research address? Can it adapt to future forms of warfare and reshape the posture of offensive and defensive operations? One must be guided by a profound understanding of future forms of warfare, fusing the founding commitment of "research for war, research for victory" (研为战、研为胜) into the bloodstream of scientific work, so that every exploration is closely tied to actual combat and every research project serves the goal of winning.

Cultivating "scientific research taste" requires, at its core, upholding the original breakthrough capacity of "expanding boundaries" (拓展边界). The core value of scientific research lies in exploring the unknown, filling gaps, and pursuing breakthroughs—not in patching things up within existing frameworks or stagnating at low levels. From Yang Zhenning's deep cultivation of fundamental theory to push the boundaries of humanity's understanding of physics, to Qian Xuesen's establishment of a technological science system grounded in national defense strategic needs, top scientists have rejected short-term, utilitarian research and consistently adhered to "standing at the frontier, serving long-term goals, and shouldering national responsibility." Military scientific research cannot tolerate perfunctory effort or blind trend-following. Researchers must proactively step out of their comfort zones, focus on the frontiers of intelligentized warfare (智能化战争), the uncharted territory of national defense science and technology, and the bottleneck problems in equipment development, and must have the courage to propose new theories and open new directions—thereby achieving original, disruptive breakthroughs of "zero to one" in the research domain.

Cultivating "scientific research taste" is most precious in the perseverance of "willingly sitting on the cold bench for ten years" (板凳甘坐十年冷). Research taste depends on accumulation through long-term deep cultivation—grounded in one's own efforts, team strengths, and domain experience, holding firm to the primary direction of attack, and thereby producing high-quality research results. Military researchers should abandon the extensive model of "covering everything and blooming everywhere," deepen professional competence, consolidate theoretical foundations, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to scientific research with both the urgency of pressing forward and the strategic resolve of sustained commitment. At the same time, research evaluation must break free from the shackles of "four onlys" (四唯), establish and improve a research ecosystem that is tolerant, prudent, and encourages exploration, along with long-cycle research support mechanisms, so that researchers can settle their minds, endure solitude, and forge hard-core capability through long-term deep cultivation and sustained effort.

At the 27th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Chairman Xi emphasized the need to "strengthen political guidance, deepen innovative development, and advance the modernization of national defense and the military at high quality." On the new journey of the new era, military researchers should all the more shoulder the era's weighty responsibility of strengthening the military through science and technology and forging a shield for the nation. When every military researcher consciously upholds the founding commitment of research, rectifies the orientation of innovation, and persists in writing papers at the combat post and applying results to winning, we will surely continue to open new tracks for the development of military science and technology, shape new advantages in the generation of combat power, seize the initiative in fierce global military competition, and inject surging innovative momentum into realizing the Party's goal of building a strong military in the new era.

Original Chinese

涵养“科研的品位” ■张迪创新有格局，科研有品位。科研的品位，是科学家在科学探索中形成的对科学问题的直觉性判断和审美能力，既包含对问题本质的敏锐洞察力，也涵盖对研究方法与方向的选择能力。它是科研工作者学术素养、格局视野、价值追求的集中体现。国防科技大学研究员王戟用行动为这种品位写下生动注脚。当有的人追逐热门赛道、寻求短期成果时，他凭借科研直觉和战略眼光，笃定高可信软件对国防安全的战略价值，一头扎进“冷门赛道”；30余年深耕，他以严谨的数学逻辑夯实技术根基，为“大国重器”筑牢安全防线。 “科研的品位”，本质上是一种认知优势，它帮助科研工作者在迷雾中看清方向、在喧嚣中保持定力、在无人区率先落子，是破解科研同质化、碎片化、浅层化问题的关键密钥。正如习主席所指出的：“国防科技创新搞不上去，就会在竞争中处于下风。”对军队科研工作者而言，涵养“科研的品位”绝非学术雅趣，而是服务备战打仗、支撑科技强军、制胜未来战场的必备素养。涵养“科研的品位”，首要在于锤炼“为战而研”的精准判断力。军事科研姓军为战，事关战争胜负、事关国家安全，唯有让科研方向始终与战斗力生成同频共振、与战场需求精准对表，科研工作才能找准最坚实的立身锚点。军队科研工作者的战场嗅觉与科研直觉，从来不是凭空产生的，必须在备战打仗的磨砺中不断淬炼提升。不妨常问自己：制约战斗力提升的核心难题是什么？这项研究能解决战场上的哪个痛点？能否适配未来战争形态、重塑攻防作战态势？必须以对未来战争形态的深刻洞察为指引，将“研为战、研为胜”的初心基因融入科研血脉，让每一次探索都紧贴实战、每一项研究都服务打赢。涵养“科研的品位”，核心在于秉持“拓展边界”的原创突破力。科学研究的核心价值在于探索未知、填补空白、追求突破，而非在既有框架内修修补补、在低层次领域徘徊不前。从杨振宁深耕基础理论突破人类物理认知边界，到钱学森立足国防战略需求开拓技术科学体系，顶尖科学家们摒弃短平快的功利化研究，始终坚持“立足前沿、服务长远、为国担当”。军事科研容不得敷衍应付、盲目跟风，必须主动跳出舒适区，聚焦智能化战争前沿、国防科技无人区、装备建设卡脖子难题，勇于提出新理论、开辟新方向，从而实现科研领域“从0到1”的原创性、颠覆性突破。涵养“科研的品位”，贵在“板凳甘坐十年冷”的坚守。科研品位有赖于在长期深耕中积淀，立足自身努力、团队优势、领域积累，坚守主攻方向，进而创造出高质量科研成果。军队科研工作者应摒弃“面面俱到、全面开花”的粗放模式，深耕专业本领，夯实理论功底，以抓紧做的紧迫感与坚持做的战略定力，潜心开展科学研究。同时，科研评价要破除“四唯”的桎梏，建立健全包容审慎、鼓励探索的科研生态和长周期科研支持机制，让科研人员能够沉心静气、耐住寂寞，以长期深耕、久久为功锻造硬核实力。在中共中央政治局第二十七次集体学习时，习主席强调，要“强化政治引领，深化创新发展，高质量推进国防和军队现代化”。新时代新征程，军队科研工作者更应担负起科技强军、为国铸盾的时代重任。当每一位军队科研工作者都自觉坚守科研初心、端正创新导向，坚持把论文写在战位上、把成果应用在打赢上，我们必将不断开辟军事科技发展新赛道、塑造战斗力生成新优势，在激烈的世界军事竞争中赢得主动，为实现党在新时代的强军目标注入磅礴创新动能。