Why don't young technology talents without hats here want to lie flat?

Undoubtedly, with various talent titles, young scientific and technological workers can receive more scientific research support. But "hats" are limited after all, and there are also a few who wear them. How to stimulate the innovative vitality of the more young people who do not have "hats"?

Shanghai Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has introduced a talent incentive plan for young people without "hats". In response to the practical effects, the Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporter visited several young people in the institute.

"At this point, affirmation and recognition have very different meanings for me"

"When I received support from my colleagues, the cover article of 'Nature' had not yet been published, and I was not a candidate for the national or Shanghai talent plan. At this time, the recognition I received was of great significance to me. This kind of motivation allowed me to devote myself wholeheartedly to research and gave our young scientific and technological workers a deeper sense of belonging to the institute." Researcher Wang Wentao told Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporter.

Wang Wentao

The "support" that enhances the sense of belonging is precisely the "Shangguang Youth Talent" plan implemented by Shanghai Optics and Machinery Corporation, which is divided into four categories based on the growth stage of young talents: A, B, C, and D. In 2020, Wang Wentao received Class A support, and in his words, the support was quite strong, with a pre tax income of over 250000 yuan.

At that time, Wang Wentao's most outstanding job was to publish a paper as the first author in the Physics Review Letters in 2016. "Basic research papers are not about quantity, we value the quality of representative works. This paper records the brightest record of laser wake field accelerators at that time. He has challenged the international forefront and major scientific issues in recent years," the head of the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics told Jiefang Daily Shangguan News.

Wang Wentao lived up to his expectations. One year later, on July 22, 2021, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Technology took the lead in achieving free electron lasers based on laser accelerators internationally. The research results were published as a cover article in Nature; In 2022, Wang Wentao was supported by the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund.

In order to "catch up" with this "light", when Wang Wentao initially shifted from his expertise to this unfamiliar but internationally cutting-edge field, there was no practical solution in the world, and the difficulty was so great that many peer experts were sweating about it. For ten years, Wang Wentao devoted himself to basic research, during which he and his team members worked overtime almost 300 days a year, often until early morning.

Nowadays, Wang Wentao still feels that time is not enough and needs to constantly face the development of the international situation and competition from peers. "The results are phased, and although we are currently at the forefront of the international community in this field, the next step is to think more about how this field will go in the next decade or even longer."

"Engineering colleagues also see directions worth striving for"

"To be honest, our engineering achievements are relatively slow and it is difficult to publish papers. If we follow the conventional talent evaluation system, it is indeed difficult to operate." Researcher Chen Dijun, 41, has been engaged in engineering research since pursuing his doctoral degree at Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics.

Chen Dijun

"When I graduated, my research in aerospace laser engineering was just starting, which was quite meaningful for the country. I didn't consider other jobs," Chen Dijun told the Liberation Daily Shangguan News reporter. At that time, all the classmates who went to the company received high salaries, and he was still single at that time. "The whole family is not hungry," but a few years later, he got married and had children, and immediately felt the pressure.

Coincidentally, in 2014, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics introduced the "Young Specially Appointed Researcher" program for outstanding associate researchers. The selected candidates not only enjoy the treatment of researchers in advance, but also have the qualification of doctoral supervisors and can recruit doctoral students. Chen Dijun, who made a breakthrough in the research of Fengyun-4 meteorological satellite lasers, was selected as one of the first batch of young specially appointed researchers. "This has given me a lot of support. On the one hand, it was the time when my family was under the greatest financial pressure. At the same time, transitioning from associate researcher to researcher originally required a certain amount of experience, and this unrestricted selection made me feel recognized by the institute."

In 2020, when the "Shangguang Youth Talent" program was launched, Chen Dijun was awarded Class A. "Compared to the improvement in treatment, what is more important is the improvement of our engineering research personnel 'confidence. Our colleagues who work in engineering also see directions worth striving for."

"None of the young people around me want to lie flat"

"I used to think that the talent 'hat' was important, but now my colleagues and I gradually realize that as long as we have real talent and knowledge, we can be seen," Jiang Yiguang, who is only 32 years old, told the Liberation Daily Shangguan News reporter.

Jiang Yiguang

Five years ago, Dr. Jiang Yiguang graduated and gave up his job with an annual salary of 500000 yuan to stay as a postdoctoral fellow at Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics. "Someone asked me if my head was pinched by the door? Hehe, at that time, I had just made some progress in my research on infrared materials. It was a pity to give up and still want to do something useful to the country." During the interview, Jiang Yiguang, who was naturally optimistic, always smiled.

In 2020, shortly after joining Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics, Jiang Yiguang was awarded the "Shangguang Youth Talent" Program Class B. "I didn't have any talent 'hat' at the time, but I enjoyed the dividends of talent policy reform in the institution, and this support was quite helpful to me."

2022 is a proud year for the "post-90s": as the youngest person in charge, he was selected into the youth cross team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Received the title of "Young Specially Appointed Researcher" from Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics, and enjoys the treatment of a researcher. "Now, regardless of the length of work experience, as long as I work hard, there is hope. No one around me wants to lie flat," said Jiang Yiguang.

What kind of feeling does it feel to think of one's future? "Every day is full of energy, with both a sense of belonging and responsibility."

"Young people are also very willing to stay at home"

"I am currently in Class B, and I plan to move on to Class A. For young people, in addition to treatment, there should also be a platform to do what they want to do and achieve the international forefront or highest level of work." 35 year old researcher Peng Yujie told Jiefang Daily News reporter that he felt a strong research atmosphere at Shanghai Optics and Machinery Institute, encouraging innovation, and young people are also very willing to stay there.

Peng Yujie

Taking Peng Yujie as an example, at the age of 35, he led a team to explore a new research direction after independently developing the pump source system for Shanghai's ultra strong and ultra short laser device. "Previous ultra strong and ultra short laser devices were concentrated in the visible or near-infrared band, and we have extended them to the mid infrared band."

Not only does the salary have room for improvement, but there is also a platform for success, and 35 year old Liu Kai also empathizes with it. He, who deals with high-power passive fiber optic devices, was named one of the first outstanding engineers at Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics last year. In his view, young people need growth opportunities and guidance to cultivate problem-solving abilities. As long as young people at Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics work hard, there will be room for development.

Liu Kai

"There are many engineering tasks in the institute, so there are many young technical support personnel. They are often just" screws "in large engineering and installation tasks, but they are also technical tasks. If they do well, they may also be trained to become great country craftsmen." The head of the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics told Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporters that last year, "Shangguang Excellent Engineer" was newly established to specifically support key technical support talents in urgent need.

Journalist's Notes

During the interview, the person in charge of the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics received a phone call, and the other party wanted to come to their door to "learn from experience" and learn from the work experience of young talents. Recently, they have received quite a few calls like this.

Young talents have always been the focus of cultivating strategic talent. The distinctive talent cultivation program developed by Shanghai Institute of Optics and Technology has formed its own system, covering young researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students under the age of 45, from the unconventional "Young Specially Appointed Researchers" to the "Class A, B, C, and D" Shangguang Young Talents, and then to the newly established "Shangguang Excellent Engineers". These young talents can either endure loneliness and devote themselves to basic cutting-edge research, or sit on a cold bench and continue to tackle core technologies, giving them opportunities and a stage to promote the vigorous development of innovation and the emergence of "nuclear explosion points" with strategic significance as soon as possible.

Behind the talent incentive system lies the determination to solve problems. As the reporter felt in the interview, frontline young talents are considering "how to go in the next ten years or even longer", and the time scale planned by the institute over the years is also the next five or ten years... In order to achieve the goal of building a strong science and technology country in China, it is necessary to accelerate the growth of young people and select outstanding young science and technology talents through funding, job placement, and pressure. The youth talent incentive plan implemented by Shanghai Optics and Machinery Institute reflects this urgency. Especially in the situation where the personnel costs available for talent incentives are limited and the overall funding is quite tight, the institute has used "real gold and silver" to motivate young talents. The determination to work together with the system has gradually become a trend for researchers to "endure loneliness" and "focus without distractions".