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Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Keywords

scientific capability；knowledge production；research organization；science and technology policy；science and technology powerhouse

Abstract

The publication of Science: The Endless Frontier in 1945 established the institutional foundations of modern science by advocating sustained governmental support for basic research, scientific autonomy, and long-term investment in knowledge creation. Eighty-one years later, the White House report Science: A New Golden Age, together with recent reforms of the United Kingdom’s science governance system, reflects a broader transformation in how leading technological nations understand scientific capability. Drawing on a comparative analysis of recent policy adjustments in the United States and the United Kingdom, this study argues that the rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the growing complexity of scientific problems, the increasing integration of science, engineering, and advanced manufacturing, and the intensifying international technological competition are fundamentally reshaping the conditions under which scientific breakthroughs emerge. Consequently, scientific capability should no longer be understood solely as the capacity to generate new knowledge. Instead, it is evolving into a comprehensive capability that encompasses identifying important scientific questions, organizing complex research, conducting real-world validation, building critical research infrastructure, and continuously adapting scientific institutions. The study further argues that building a world-leading science and technology nation requires not only sustained support for basic research and scientific freedom but also stronger organizational capability, closer interaction between scientific discovery and engineering practice, and more adaptive governance mechanisms. This expanded understanding of scientific capability provides a new analytical framework for science policy and national innovation strategy in the era of AI-driven scientific transformation.

First page

1851

Last Page

1861

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

References

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