Legal Interpretation and Institutional Improvement of the Right of Scientific Research Autonomy
The right of scientific research autonomy is not derived from the authorization or power transfer of administrative organs,but from the"trust autonomy"based on the academic ability and professional background of scientific researchers and the"performance autonomy"based on research project contracts.It includes two dimensions:the autonomy of an individual scientific researcher and the autonomy of the academic community.Its function is to eliminate improper interference of public power and promote active implementation of scientific research responsibility.The reform of scientific research autonomy requires not only"return of power"but also"empowerment".While progressively decentralizing,China's current reform of scientific research autonomy has a number of problems such as strengthening the"invisible control"of scientific research performance evaluation,confusing legal supervision with professional supervision,and inadequate mechanism of fault tolerance and liability exemption.In order to truly implement scientific research autonomy,it is necessary to adhere to the principle of unity of rights,responsibilities and benefits,change from policy-based decentralization to law-based empowerment,and by establishing a scientific research supervision system with legal supervision as the core and professional supervision as the supplement,weakening the rigid constraints of performance evaluation indicators,and improving the fault tolerance and liability exemption mechanism,realize the coordination between the the return of rights at the static level and the exercise of rights at the dynamic level,and ultimately establish a reform path for the right of autonomy that matches the scientific research autonomy.
Scientific Research AutonomyPerformance EvaluationContractual SpiritReturn of Power and EmpowermentFault Tolerance and Liability Exemption