Abstract:As an important component of the national strategic scientific and technological forces, national research institutions, especially those in high-tech fields, have important missions and responsibilities in developing critical and core technologies. This study firstly analyzes the mission and function of national research institutions in critical and core technology research, and then illustrates that national research institutions are capable of undertaking critical and core technologies that need large and long cycle of investments and are of high risk, which means universities and enterprises could not or have no willingness to carry out. In details, national research institutions are able to conduct R&D of three types of critical and core technologies: basic frontier driven technology (Type I), generic industrial technology (Type II), and niche technology (Type III). National research institutions have formed relatively mature management mechanisms in R&D of Type I critical and core technologies, but has not yet formed clear management mechanisms in Type II and Type III critical and core technologies. Therefore, this study focuses on the four major elements including topic selection, fund allocation, forces organization, and personal incentive, to investigate the international experiences and inspiration to China. It provides research support for China’s national research institutions to better fulfill the mission of high level scientific and technological self-reliance.