State Tobacco Monopoly Administration Issues Opinion on Strengthening Tobacco Industry Think Tank De
Strengthen Tobacco Industry Think Tank Development
Provide Theoretical Support and Policy Support for Scientific Decision-Making in the Industry
Recently, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued an opinion calling for stronger development of tobacco industry think tanks, the establishment and improvement of decision-making consultation mechanisms, and the broad gathering of intellectual resources to provide theoretical and policy support for scientific decision-making across the industry.
The opinion analyzes the current state of think tank development in the industry: after more than a decade of work, the industry has initially formed a structure led by the Tobacco Economics Institute and the Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, supported by policy research institutions and scientific research units under provincial bureaus (companies) in Yunnan, Henan, Hunan, Shandong and other provinces, supplemented by professional consulting and information service institutions outside the industry, with enterprise think tanks and non-governmental think tanks developing together. Closely focused on major strategic deployments and key difficult issues in the industry’s development, these various think tanks have leveraged their strengths, carried out research, and produced a number of findings with high policy value and significant influence, contributing wisdom and strength to industry reform and development. However, as circumstances evolve, the problems of think tank development lagging behind and failing to meet new needs have become increasingly prominent.
The opinion points out that strengthening think tank development in the industry is necessary to support scientific decision-making, improve industry management, and establish a positive industry image. All units in the industry should fully recognize the importance of think tank development and continuously strengthen such efforts.
The opinion emphasizes that to strengthen tobacco industry think tank development, first, organizational structures for think tanks must be improved. Greater efforts should be made to integrate the industry’s intellectual resources, build the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration’s Tobacco Economics Institute into the industry’s leading think tank, promote the Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute and the China Tobacco Society in leading the development of high-level science, technology, and innovation think tanks for the industry, and strive to develop 3 to 4 high-level enterprise think tanks respectively among provincial industrial enterprises and commercial enterprises. Second, research resources must be coordinated. Following the objective laws governing think tank development and operations, the industry should establish flexible and efficient research organization mechanisms, highlight research priorities, concentrate superior resources, carry out collaborative research, and improve overall efficiency. Third, a strong think tank talent team must be built. Greater efforts should be made in selecting and recruiting industry think tank talent, forming teams with complementary disciplinary backgrounds, balanced age structures, and integrated theoretical and practical expertise. Fourth, research standards must be improved. Think tanks should remain focused on core tasks and the broader overall situation, correctly grasp research directions, and always regard improving the quality of research outcomes as the lifeline of their work. Fifth, exchanges and cooperation must be deepened. A two-way approach of “bringing in” and “going out” should be adopted to further promote multi-level, multi-channel, and multi-field external exchanges and cooperation among industry think tanks. Sixth, organizational leadership must be strengthened. Under the unified leadership of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and with relevant departments assuming their respective responsibilities, the development of industry think tanks should be advanced steadily through the formulation of specific implementation plans and programs to ensure orderly and healthy development.
