Abstract: Due to the sense of crisis in international R & D Investment, especially the high concern of the U.S., Europe and China, Japan launched a new program called “Moonshot” Research and Development Program in early 2019. The program has ambitious goals, and it may have a huge impact on the future industry and society and change the future social system. This article focuses on the background, the main research tasks and objectives, the promotion system, the implementation and evaluation of R&D projects and fund management of the program, and summarizes the four important characteristics of the program : (1) From the point of view of solving the problems that may appear in Japan and other countries in the future, it puts forward R&D goals for 2050; (2) the content of program emphasizes the challenge, breakthrough and application transformation of the results; (3) the project manager system is implemented, endowing the project manager with full autonomy; and (4) the project is implemented with a strict and standardized evaluation system. Finally, this article puts forward the following suggestions: At the macro-level, China may advance the deployment of a number of problem-solving, medium- and long-term science and technology projects. At the micro level, project manager system could be tested and applied in the management of S&T programs; and independent evaluation by third parties could be adopted in the process management of the program to avoid the formation of a community of interests between the sponsors and the executives, and to better promote the implementation of programs and the application of research achievements.

Key words: Moonshot Research and Development Program, Project Management, Project Evaluation, Project Manager