Progress, dilemma, and approaches of S&T incentive system reform in China

Innovation incentive is of importance for fully realizing the innovation vitality of scientific and technological talents. This study reveals the progress, dilemma, and approaches of incentive system reform based on the in-depth interview and questionnaire. The results show that the progress has been made in broadening income sources, unblocking development channels, enhancing S&T autonomy, reducing non-academic burden, and optimizing academic environment. Nevertheless, some problems still remain to be solved, including a mismatch between income and contribution, incentive contradictions of the S&T achievement transformation, insufficient spiritual incentive, limited developing space, weak sense of gain from the S&T autonomy reform, impetuous academic atmosphere, lack of atmosphere encouraging exploration and innovation, and structural contradictions of incentive, suggesting that we should optimize material incentives, enrich spiritual incentives, and strengthen targeted incentives.