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Han Qide
(Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871)
Distinguished leaders, experts, scholars, and friends who participate in the conference through online live streaming:
Good morning!
First of all, please allow me to extend my warm congratulations to the successful convening of the interdisciplinary seminar and the timely publication of the interdisciplinary special issue of Universities and Disciplines. At a time when our country has successively introduced policies to encourage interdisciplinary development, the publication of the special issue and the convening of this seminar come to us just at the right time. This is the first special issue of a domestic journal to explore interdisciplinary development, and it also reflects the responsibility of Universities and Disciplines to actively serve graduate education and disciplinary development. I hope that the journal adheres to its positioning of being academic, policy-based, practical and international to maintain its uniqueness and high level.
I just listened to the reports of six leaders and experts, who expressed their understanding of interdisciplinary research and interdisciplines from different perspectives. They also discussed how to build interdisciplines, and how to fund and develop interdisciplinary research. Their reports inspired me a lot, filling me with hope and confidence in the future development of interdisciplines. Now I'll share some of my thoughts on this topic.
The 19th CPC National Congress set the strategic goal that China will become a global leader in innovation by 2035. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee stated that we should uphold the core role of innovation in our country's modernization drive and take greater strength and self-reliance in science and technology as a strategic support for national development. In recent years, China's scientific and technological strength has been transitioning from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap, from breakthroughs in points to improvements in system capabilities. Significant progress has been made in basic research and original innovation, new progress has been made in strategic high-tech fields, and new breakthroughs have been made in high-end industries. We have already entered many technological gaps, if we want to further develop, we must strengthen independent innovation, and interdisciplinary integration is an important way. At present, a new revolution in science, technology and industry is in rapid progress. The paradigms of scientific research are undergoing profound change; interdisciplinary integration is expanding steadily; and sci-tech advances are rapidly translating into economic and social development. It can be said that without vigorously strengthening interdisciplinary research, it is difficult to generate disruptive innovation, and the “bottleneck” problem is also difficult to solve. Promoting interdisciplinary research and cultivating interdisciplines is of great significance in the new journey of achieving high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement.
The interdisciplinary field has a history of nearly a century since its concept was proposed. In the past century, the development of interdisciplines has not been in a linear or constant pattern, but has experienced pauses and accelerations, ups and downs. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a wave of interdisciplinary research worldwide. At the beginning of the 21st century, interdisciplinary development has ushered in new historical opportunities. The interdisciplinary research in China has made significant progress in the past 20 years, mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Firstly, a sound pattern of interaction between the top and the bottom has gradually formed. China promotes interdisciplinary research through two basic approaches: from top to bottom and from bottom to top. In the early years, it was mainly through exploration of higher educational institutions. For example, the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University (AAIS) was established in 2006, which is one of the earliest interdisciplinary research institutions in China. After 15 years of development, it has gradually grown and formed, playing a good leading and demonstration role for domestic universities. In 2020, our country made a top-level design for the development of interdisciplines and began to promote interdisciplinary research “from top to bottom”. As a result, important policies and measures on the establishment of interdisciplinary categories and interdisciplinary science departments were issued. The combination of national “top-down” and universities' “bottom-up” has ushered in a golden period of development for interdisciplinary research in China.
Secondly, a group of innovative interdisciplinary talents has been cultivated. Take AAIS as an example. Since its establishment, the teachers and students of AAIS have both grown. Some teachers have grown into leading talents; 82.8% of postdoctoral students admitted by AAIS continue to engage in scientific research in universities and institutes after their postdoctoral studies. Among them, some postdoctoral fellows have already obtained teaching positions at internationally renowned universities and made conspicuous achievements.
Thirdly, a large number of interdisciplinary scientific and technological innovation results have been generated. Interdisciplinary research has flourished in the fields of material science, information science and life science, and has become the main source of scientific and technological innovation. In the recent two years' anti-COVID-19 epidemic struggle, interdisciplinary research played an important role in clinical treatment, virus detection, drug development, think tank support, mental health and vaccine research. According to statistics of published papers, the number of interdisciplinary papers published by Chinese scholars accounts for 12.4% of those published by main countries, ranking second. The interdisciplinary nature of Chinese scholars' published papers ranks first globally. In 2019, the National Natural Science Foundation of China accepted more than 29,000 interdisciplinary programs (Class D), accounting for 12.2% of the total applications.
Fourthly, national interdisciplinary research and exchanges are becoming increasingly active. In December 2020, the first National Advanced Interdisciplinary Forum and Joint Meeting of Advanced Interdisciplinary Research Institutes was held, marking the official establishment of a national exchange platform for interdisciplinary research institutions. At the meeting, Peking University, Southern University of Science and Technology and more than 40 colleges and universities across the country advocated the establishment of a Chinese interdisciplinary academic community, proposing to explore the formation of a systematic and professional cross science construction model, and form a world-class cross science education system with Chinese characteristics. Last September, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Joint Meeting of the Directors of the National Advanced Interdisciplinary Research Institutes and the Interdisciplinary Academic Seminar was held. A consensus on the concept of interdisciplinarity and interdisciplines was reached and positive results were achieved.
Of course, while acknowledging the achievements, the development of interdisciplinary research still faces many challenges. Experts from the National Natural Science Foundation of China pointed out that there are five major difficulties in interdisciplinary research: the difficulty in forming an interdisciplinary research culture, the difficulty in establishing deep interdisciplinary cooperation, the difficulty in obtaining funding for interdisciplinary research, the difficulty in evaluating interdisciplinary research outcomes, and the difficulty in obtaining recognition from the academia and society. Solving these problems requires the joint efforts of the government, universities, and the society.
The development of interdisciplinary research and the formation of interdisciplines have their own laws, which are not fixed or unchangeable. They may have historical, phased, and regional characteristics. We need to constantly analyze and summarize the laws, respect them, and act according to them. About this I have the following thoughts to share:
Firstly, we should be problem-oriented. The intersection and integration of disciplines are facilitated by the exploration of major scientific issues. In fact,the classification of disciplines is largely determined by the researched question. In order to solve a certain problem, a certain law is explored and a discipline is gradually formed. When faced with new major scientific problems that cannot be solved by the original discipline, it naturally promotes mutual learning and cooperation between different disciplines. If the problem is solved, new theories and research paths are summarized, a new academic community is formed, and a new interdiscipline emerges at the right time. Therefore, whether major scientific issues can be raised and efforts are made to solve them are the key to promoting interdisciplinary research and ultimately forming interdisciplinary studies.
Secondly, cooperation should be the basis. Interdisciplinary research involves the cooperation of two or more disciplines, which is the basic concept. Of course, if the researcher has two or more disciplinary backgrounds and abilities, it is the most ideal. But in most cases, researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds come together to solve a common scientific and technological problem and participate in a common scientific and technological project. In this situation, only by establishing a good cooperative relationship, being good at sharing with and learning from each other, and creating a communicative language in communication, can success be achieved. I have always been emphasizing the importance of mutual humility, making more contribution and asking for fewer gains in interdisciplinary research cooperation. I greatly appreciate the principle followed by Professor Qian Xu in collaborative research: “When you make 60% of the contribution, ask for only 40% of the gains.” If necessary, a cooperation agreement can also be signed. Sometimes, “business is business” and “financial matters should be clearly settled even between brothers” can actually avoid unnecessary conflicts and bring more harmonious and long-lasting cooperation.
Thirdly, talents are fundamental. Feats are accomplished by capable people;undertakings proceed because of capable people. People are our most precious resource. All innovations are created by people. The prosperity of interdisciplinary research relies on talents, especially the best talents and scholars who have done the best or have a unique approach and technology in their respective fields. An important experience in the development of AAIS is to build an excellent backbone team.
Fourthly, we should take paradigm as the core. The core of a discipline is to form its own paradigm, which is to have a mature theoretical system and research framework, and to be recognized and followed by the corresponding academic community. Interdiscipline is no exception. Scholars from different disciplines are striving to solve common scientific problems, that is, engaging in interdisciplinary research and continuously achieving success, gradually breaking through the paradigms of the original disciplines until forming a new theoretical system and research framework, in order to form a new interdiscipline. The process of interdisciplinary formation occurs naturally, with complex system boundaries, uncertainty, self-organization, and “emergence” characteristics. It is a natural process that cannot be designed in advance, and is not determined by authorities, institutions, or individuals. All we can do is strive to build a platform for interdisciplinary research, formulate positive incentive policies, and cultivate a free and inclusive academic ecosystem. We should not rush to achieve results and promote growth. I think that an important issue at present is to reach a consensus on the concept of “interdisciplinarity and interdiscipline”. Only in this way can we avoid blind and chaotic thinking and actions in organizing interdisciplinary research, prevent blindly following the trend and rushing forward, and more consciously break through the limitations of existing disciplinary paradigms to strive for original and innovative research outcomes. In addition, I think it is necessary to seriously consider and discuss: Is the overall paradigm of modern science formed since the Scientific Revolution facing revolutionary changes? Are the paradigms of our respective disciplines facing significant changes? How can we consciously promote paradigm change through the intersection of disciplines?
Firstly, we should continue exploring effective mechanisms for promoting interdisciplinary research. At present, our country has conducted beneficial explorations in training interdisciplinary graduate students, fund support, and major establishment. In terms of organizational form, I believe that it is necessary for key universities and research institutes to set up specialized independent interdisciplinary research institutions and provide key support. The practice of establishing and supporting the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies at Peking University is worth promoting. Interdisciplinary research institutions should handle the relationship between virtual and physical entities well. This problem exists in interdisciplinary research institutions around the world. If it is made into a solid entity, the mobilization is often not broad enough; if they are all virtual entities, they often cannot promote development. How to achieve the combination of virtual and physical entities needs further experience. In addition, more explorations are needed in the evaluation, recruitment, and mobility of interdisciplinary researchers.
Secondly, we should place equal emphasis on interdisciplinary research and interdisciplinary talent cultivation. To solve major scientific, engineering, technological, or complex social problems, interdisciplinary research is urgently needed, and the importance of cultivating interdisciplinary talents is also to be addressed. Scientific research and talent cultivation are two wings of interdisciplinary research. Only by balancing scientific research and talent cultivation can interdisciplinary research achieve sustainable development and ultimately form interdisciplines.
Thirdly, we should establish an evaluation system that is conducive to interdisciplinary research. Evaluation is a baton. At present, our country is carrying out education evaluation reform, breaking the persistent problem of “five core standards”
, and establishing a correct evaluation direction. Compared with the evaluation of mature disciplines, the evaluation of interdisciplines is more complex and difficult. To achieve significant development in the interdisciplinary field, a systematic and scientific evaluation system needs to be established. The evaluation systems at the levels of the country, province, university and college should be interconnected and coordinated, and the evaluation of personnel, outcomes, and institutions should be organically unified. At the same time, breakthroughs and innovations are needed in various aspects of evaluation, such as concept, policy, theory, methods, and technology.
Fourthly, we should cultivate a good ecosystem for interdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinary research requires the participation of multiple subjects and parties, and the cooperative relationship between them needs to be maintained by institutions and agreements, but more importantly, it relies on a good academic ecology. Most importantly, we should promote the spirit of science, that is “To seek the truth regardless of personal gains and losses” and advocate the spirit of scientists, including curiosity, passion, concentration, persistence, honesty, and adherence to scientific research norms and ethics. In addition, we should promote the spirit of “harmony but diversity and inclusiveness”, encourage free exploration, implement academic democracy, and protect different perspectives. We also need to establish an atmosphere of cooperation and exchange, equality and mutual benefit. Many of our academic seminars now lack genuine academic exchanges and lose their original intention. We need to restore them to the starting point.
The above are some of my personal superficial opinions, with the aim of sparking discussions. I appreciate all your criticism and corrections. I believe that under the leadership and with the support of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as with the joint efforts of universities and research institutes, interdisciplinary research and the development of interdisciplines in China will definitely embark on a healthy track and welcome an even better future.
Thank you!