President LU Sums up 6 Lessons from KIP

In the 2003 Working Conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), CAS President Yongxiang LU, concurrently Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, summed up six lessons from the past five years of experience of the Pilot Project of the National Knowledge Innovation Program (KIP). He stressed that we should be good at summarizing lessons and adhering to and perfecting our own experiences in practice.

The six lessons introduced by President Lu are as follows:1. Stick to objective rules in work; 2. Focus on science and technology innovation while targeting national strategic demands and world science frontiers; 3. Further liberate mentality and exploit innovation while seeking truth from facts and keeping apace with the times; 4. Maintain that development is the core principle. Earlier support to fast doers and more funds for well performers; 5. Focus on innovation team building; 6. Further open up by expanding cooperation with internationally distinguished academies, enterprises as well as with domestic universities, enterprises, localities and all walks of life.

CAS Promptly Mobilizes Elite Researchers to Combat SARS

The Beijing Genome Institute (BGI), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, have jointly finished the complete genome sequencing of coronavirus from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients in China and successfully developed SARS virus antibody ELISA that can be put in clinical use. The central government has highly praised of the achievements, which significantly invigorated the SARS fighting spirit in the scientific and technological circles of China.

CAS Vice President Zhu CHEN, Deputy Director of Science & Technology Task force on SARS provention and control, under the Leading Group on Fighting Against SARS of the State Council, told reporters, under the guidance of the Party and the State Council, CAS will bring its technological resources and platform advantages into full play, mobilize and coordinate the best research teams across the country to fight SARS with cross-disciplinary and inter-agency tackling groups. Related research on SARS has become one of the highest priorities in CAS and the task is not only a key national strategic demand, but also a major frontier subject for world science and technology, he said.

CAS Urgently Developing Anti-SARS Virus Drugs

Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made the search for effective SARS virus preventive and curative medicine as its top priority. SIMM leaders and researchers have attached great importance to the development of anti-SARS medicine. Some research teams have started investigation and the screening of new drugs. Compounds previously showing anti-virus avidity have been collected for screening of anti-SARS virus drugs. Some traditional Chinese herbs with broad-spectrum anti-virus effect have also been gathered for clinical trial of some selected medicines approved by authorities concerned.