The development goals shall be achieved in three steps as follows:

First, By 2020, firmly upholding China’s strategic goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and entering the ranks of innovative countries, associations for science and technology will make breakthrough progress in comprehensively deepening the reform, and achieve remarkable results in expanding effective coverage, transforming and expanding functions, building into an online association, and strengthening the grassroots foundation; reshape the new pattern of development driven by academics, popular science, and think tanks, realize the reengineering of the new process of linkage work of internationalization, informatization, and synergy, restructure the new forces of outward expansion, vertical and horizontal integration, and active network; further promote the formation of an academic atmosphere to advocate dedication to the motherland, hard work, pioneering spirit, innovation, selfless contribution, self-discipline, self-excitation, and being indifferent to fame and wealth; ensure that that the proportion of Chinese citizens with science literacy will exceed 10%; significantly enhance the ability of political guidance and incorporation, the ability of serving the overall situation around the central task and the ability of connecting with the people; and lay a solid foundation for the leapfrog development of associations for science and technology.

Second, By 2035, closely focusing on China’s strategic goal of entering the forefront of innovative countries and basically realizing socialist modernization, we will complete the building of a work system for all the associations to extensively connect with and serve the public, comprehensively enhance the associations’ ability of political guidance and incorporation, guiding innovative culture, uniting innovative talents, providing socialized scientific and technological service and carrying out scientific, technological and cultural exchange and cooperation, thus injecting full impetus into the outstanding contribution and development of those associations.

— The ability of political guidance and incorporation will be comprehensively enhanced. We will see that scientific and technological workers have stronger political, ideological, theoretical and emotional commitment to the Party. The Party’s leadership and public support in the field of science and technology will be further solidified; the channels for scientific and technological workers’ political participation will be further smoothened, and their interests will be fully protected and developed.

— The ability of leading innovative culture will be comprehensively improved. The scientific and cultural tradition characterized by rational questioning, seeking truth from facts, exploring innovation and tolerating failure will basically take shape. Scientific and technological professions will attract more youngsters. A number of world-class associations and societies, journals and academic conferences will emerge and become an important force in promoting the integration of science and technology with economy and leading the innovation culture. A favorable landscape in which scientific popularization and scientific and technological innovation developed in a coordinated way will be formed. The proportion of Chinese citizens with science literacy will exceed 20%.

— The ability of uniting innovative talents will be comprehensively improved. The effective coverage of associations for science and technology in institutions, new economic organizations and new social organizations where scientific and technological workers are concentrated will be expanded. The international influence and guiding role of association awards will be fully demonstrated. The system of certification and international mutual recognition of engineering capabilities will be established and improved, and a good environment for leading talents in high-end scientific and technological innovation in which the talents are energized by industry, attracted by capacity and concentrated by morality will be formed. The bridging role of associations for science and technology in the innovation value chain of politics, industry, education, research, talents, finance and utilization will be fully unleashed.

—The socialized service capacity of science and technology will be comprehensively improved. We will establish a flexible science and technology think tank network combining specialized and transdisciplinary studies, which will become an important force in scientific decision-making by the Party and the state, an important hub of the global science and technology think tank network, an authoritative consulting service platform with credibility and reputation, and an independent force deeply involving in the design of science and technology system and evaluation of science and technology innovation.

— The ability for scientific, technological and cultural exchanges and cooperation will be comprehensively improved. The “circle of friends” of the Chinese scientific and technological community will be further expanded. China will become an important initiator of global scientific and technological innovation topics, an important stage for dialogue and exchange, and an important advocate and organizer of global scientific and technological governance rules, realize the all-round development of scientific, technological and cultural exchanges and cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative, and become an important place gathering the headquarters of international scientific and technological organizations.

Third, by 2050, CAST will be built into an outstanding, empowered, innovative and inclusive spiritual home for scientific and technological workers that accord with China’s status as a world leader in science and technology and a strong, modern socialist country. CAST will become a major and pivotal science and technology organization in the world and work together with all sectors of society to build a highland of scientific and technological innovation culture, a high-end innovation talent center, a science and culture dissemination center, a high-end science and technology think tank center and a headquarters center of the international science and technology organizations in the world, thus providing strong support for China to become a global leading science center and innovation highland.