In the past 7 years since the socalled knowledge innovation project was launched on an experimental basis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) had harvested numerous innovative results, said recently LU Yongxiang, President of CAS. During the period of 1998-2004, CAS was contracted to 122 projects under the National 973 Program, or 36% of the total projects supported by the Program. During the same period, CAS undertook 48 major projects initiated by the National Natural Science Foundation, or 52% of the total projects lined up by the Foundation. In addition, CAS worked on 365 natural science projects, or 32% of the nation?痵 total.

In the past 7 years, CAS launched the knowledge innovation project in its 89 research institutes on an experimental basis, merged 45 research institutes, and completed the industrial transformation of 13 institutes. In 2004, CAS?痵 SCI collection went up by 115%, with 3.2 times growth for invention patent application, 18.6 times for invention patent grants, and 20 times for software and copyrights, compared with 1998. Incomplete statistics show that in 2004, CAS helped localities, through technology transfer, to create new business revenues of RMB 35.9 billion, and profits and taxes of RMB 6.8 billion. In the same year, research institutes under CAS registered a business revenue of RMB 56.76 billion, and profits and taxes of 3.94 billion, and created 58,000 jobs for the society.