Research on the risks and countermeasures in the construction of large-scale scientific facilities

Large-scale scientific facilities represent the core infrastructure of the national science and technology innovation system in the era of big science. Systematic research on these facilities can enhance the iterative upgrading of China’s scientific and technological strength and enable the country to gain the initiative in global technological competition. Characterized by high investment, long cycles, and high complexity, large-scale scientific facilities face multi-dimensional risks during their construction process, including those related to technology, management, resources, and the policy environment. From the perspective of international experience, the United States has adopted a Cold War-style approach centered on technological leadership, the European Union has pursued a supranational cooperation model, while Japan has implemented a science and technology policy-oriented model. Drawing upon these external references and China’s national conditions, a “five-in-one” risk response pathway can be established, consisting of: an overall governance system empowered by institutional advantages; a risk prepositioning mechanism guided by strategic orientation; an organizational breakthrough mechanism supported by a new type of nationwide system; an intelligent risk management system driven by digitalization; and a risk boundary management approach under orderly openness. The governance of large-scale scientific facility construction in China demonstrates its institutional value as part of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity at the frontier of science and technology strategy. It further provides the foundation for constructing a risk governance theoretical system that is autonomous, open, and internationally influential.