Abstract:

In a narrow sense, the concept of Big Science specifically refers to large scientific facilities or big science projects, while in a broader sense, it encompasses the global network of scientific openness and cooperation. As an organized phenomenon in science, Big Science first emerged in the 17th century. After World War II, with the intervention of state powers, research conducted through large-scale scientific facilities with significant investments and constructions overturned the traditional little science driven by individual interests. After the Cold War, with the easing of international relations and the implementation of science diplomacy, as well as the expansion and internationalization of global higher education, transnational large-scale scientific cooperation aimed at common human interests, such as international big science projects, emerged. This marked the entry of science into an era of global open science. However, Big Science does not replace little science; instead, they coexist and interact. Today, the core connotation and spiritual essence of Big Science are international openness and cooperation, leveraging the construction of large platforms and interactive networks to gather high-level international talents, and promoting transnational, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary cooperation for mutual benefit. Universities and the scientific community in China face numerous practical obstacles and institutional mechanisms that need to be explored to meet the requirements of the Big Science era.

Key words: Big Science, little science, international big science projects, scientific organizations