Academician Deng Zixin: 50,000 yuan from youth funds, no more than millions of today

Text ｜ "China Science News" reporter Zhang Shuanghu

35 years ago, at the beginning of the establishment of the National Natural Science Science Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Youth Fund) project, it was "reserved" for a young man for 1 year.

Immediately afterwards, he was like a rainbow and obtained the project of excellent young and middle -aged talents and the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund project.

Since then, because of the "novelty", he cannot obtain the recognition of the review experts. After applying for "failure" several times, he has received a funding of a non -consensus project special fund (at the time as the director of the Ministry of Science).

On this basis, he accumulated a lot, expanding a "non -consensus" scientific issue into an international frontier hot spot ...

Talking about those past affairs with the National Natural Science Foundation, Deng Zixin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor of Shanghai Jiaotong University: "My scientific research career is almost the same as the development of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. At all stages, it should be said that it grows together with the Science Fund ... "

Deng Zixin

Deng Zixin (formerly) instructed students to test.

Deng Zixin (front left) and students. Interviewee confidence

Start the scientific research career

In 1987, Deng Zixin was further studied at the John Inn Research Center in Britain.

This is the birthplace of the world's chain mold genes. His instructor is the Royal Society of the British Society and the authority of molecular biology, Sir David Hopwood.

One day, the research center came with a staff member of the National Natural Science Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Natural Science Foundation of China).

The staff member, accompanied by the Education Counselor of the British Embassy, ​​made a short exchange, introduced some of the latest domestic scientific research environment and funding policies.

Deng Zixin learned that since 1987, the Natural Science Foundation of China has set up a youth fund to specialize in funding for basic research and part of the application of natural sciences, age under 35, and obtaining a doctorate degree (or at the same level), capable Young scientific workers who carry out research independently.

Deng Zixin, who is about to complete a doctoral studies, is very excited -if you can apply for this scientific fund, you can work immediately after returning to China.

Therefore, he immediately discussed with a domestic teacher to propose a research plan and submitted a project application.

"The review of the year was quite fast." Deng Zixin recalled, "The funding for the first Youth Fund was 50,000 yuan. After getting the information approved, I was" ecstatic and mad ". 10,000 yuan of funding. At that time, the country's total scientific research funding was very small, and it was not easy to get special funds to fund young people, so I was more determined to return to China at that time. "

After obtaining a doctorate degree, the instructor David Hopwood had high hopes for Deng Zixin. He not only hoped that his scientific research would develop well, but also hoped that molecular biology could get full attention in China.

In order to support a tens of thousands of pounds applied by Deng Zixin through the Funding Project applied for by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, he decided to send 7 famous scholars to hold a genetic engineering experimental operation technology training course in China in accordance with the level of the European molecular biology organization (EMBO). Essence

At that time, China's scientific research foundation was relatively weak, and the refrigerators, centrifugal machines, and even microwave oven for laboratory had to be purchased from abroad.

The preparations for equipment purchase and training classes are nothing today, but at the time, they had to go through a series of tedious approval procedures.

Deng Zixin had to work in the UK for a long time.

In 1988, in the context of the surging of the country's "out of the country", Deng Zixin returned to the country and returned to his alma mater Huazhong Agricultural University. It opened his graduate career with a funding of 50,000 yuan a year ago.

"At that time, a penny was two -halo, and 50,000 yuan could do not do much." Deng Zixin said, "Today the results of my team and I achieved academicly are closely related to the 50,000 yuan at that time."

From non -consensus projects to popular fields

In 1993, before the Youth Fund was settled, the Natural Science Foundation of China established an excellent and middle -aged talent special fund, and Deng Zixin became the first batch of funding. In 1994, the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund project was established. Essence

In terms of the application of the Science Fund, Deng Zixin came along the way, which can be described as seamlessly connected and smooth.

In the mid -1990s, with the support of the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund and other projects, Deng Zixin had a new context at work and also formed some topics.

He made preliminary progress in DNA research and realized that there was a phenomenon that might be related to the combination of sulfur elements on DNA, but there was no genetic and biochemical at that time, especially the final evidence of chemical analysis. It was impossible to confirm whether it had occurred. Sulfur decoration.

His ideas were not recognized by his peers at the time, including some experts and scholars who thought it was impossible. Because the idea is too new, Deng Zixin's new application projects are "famous for Sunshan".

In 2003, Deng Zixin once again "impacted" the National Natural Science Foundation of China, but the defense was still not passed.

Fortunately, at that time, the Ministry of Life Sciences of the Natural Science Foundation of China believed that this was a potential project that gave him a 300,000 yuan special fund funding to explore innovative research.

In 2004, Deng Zixin led the team to confirm the existence of sulfur in the bacterial DNA molecule; the following year, the team published a paper in the "Molecular Microbiology" to report the sixth new element sulfur found on the DNA of many bacteria; In 2007, Deng Zixin's team published papers in journals such as "Nucleic acid Studies", "Biochemistry", "Molecular Microbiology", "Nature -Chemical Biology", which reported that DNA sulfur decoration research related enzymatic functions, modification sites, biological categories and biological categories and The distribution rules, and the follow -up progress of DNA sulfur decoration. As a result, their research entered the international perspective step by step, and Freitz Ex Ex, a chemist in the German Marp Experimental Medical Research Institute, believes that "it opened a new window, which will greatly inspire people to DNA macromolecules on DNA macromolecules The exploration desire of many new mysteries. "

Deng Zixin believes that the support for this non -consensus project not only allows him to continue research under difficult conditions, but also a huge encouragement.

"Today, the original non -consensus issue was made into a new discovery, and the bigger and bigger, gradually forming a consensus and popular field. From this perspective, the Science Fund has played a good driver in stimulating young talents. effect."

Deng Zixin commented, "From the youth fund, the outstanding youth science fund project, the national outstanding youth science fund project, to the innovative research group project and the basic science center project, the talent funding of the science fund is very clear, forming a relatively complete Chinese basic research research The talent funding system is also an innovative culture. I think this is a place where the National Natural Science Foundation of China is different from other funding projects. "

Guide the youth "colorful"

With the development of the Science Fund, Deng Zixinhe team has obtained various types of fund project support from the Natural Science Foundation, key projects, and innovative research group projects. Funding from the domestic international scientific research fund.

Looking back at the road of scientific research, Deng Zixin thought he was lucky. Now, he hopes to create a better scientific research environment for young people, because "all of them have come from young people, knowing‘ head and three feet hard to kick ’”.

"A person's scientific research career is a long process, and youth is a very critical stage, facing huge challenges." Deng Zixin explained, "Thirty -forty years old is the most active period of people's thinking. If there is a good start, scientific research, scientific research Personnel can enter the most creative golden period of life faster. "

Deng Zixin believes that compared with more than 30 years ago, all fields in my country have undergone tremendous changes.

At that time, the people who returned to China were "sparse" and brought back a little new technology, new ideas, and new ideas that would make people feel refreshing, and it was easy to be noticed to make some results.

Today, the conditions are good, there are too many choices, but at the same time, the temptation and interference are more. The competition and pressure of young scientific research talents are also greater. It also requires the "murmur" of young scientific research talents to avoid the society. Do things down.

"Just like 'monkeys picking peaches', the peaches at the low place have been taken out, and they must go to a higher place." Deng Zixin explained, "Science and technology have no peak,' Peach Zi" will always be there, but now it has achieved achievements. It's difficult. Young scientific research talents must systematically and fully understand the work of the predecessors, and then stand on the shoulders of the predecessors and make their own things. This requires cross, fusion, and teamwork; , Also inherit the persistence of the older generation of scientists ... "

"At that time, we had a special desire for knowledge. It was just starting in various fields in China.

Deng Zixin said, "But facing new problems in the new period, we must continuously improve the mechanism that makes young scientific research talents stand out.

For example, the evaluation of young scientific research talents is not just to simply look at academic records, see what papers and influences have been published, according to the growth of talents, understand their scientific and technological career development, see if there are academic potential, encourage young scientists to go Climbing the peak of science. "

Young science and technology talents are important forces and vitality for high -level technology independence and self -reliance. They are the strategic support for the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Starting from his own experience, Deng Zixin expects youth scientific research talents to cultivate the spirit of interest in scientific research, hard work and persistent pursuit, and integrate personal ideals and scientific pursuit into the development of national development and social needs.

"I hope that the National Natural Science Foundation of China can guide young scientific research talents to do more brilliant in basic research and development and scientific and technological transformation." Deng Zixin said.

"China Science News" (2022-06-27 The 4th edition of the 4th edition of the Natural Science Fund was originally titled "Youth Fund Guiding Young People to Kick Three Pets")

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