Reborn in 1994, escaping from marriage and going sea fishing, I won!

Director Qian smiled and said, "You deserve it!"

Liu Meilan scratched the tip of her nose, took the item and said, "Actually, I didn't do anything, I just donated some money, I really don't deserve it!"

Director Qian's eyes lit up with relief, and he smiled and said, "You certainly didn't participate in the research, but the funds you provided were able to purchase a lot of materials and equipment, and also supported the launch of more projects. That's why we've achieved so many research results! This is a crucial role, and it's something we lacked before!"

"Your first donation to us was a huge help! At that time, the institute couldn't even pay salaries, and the staff's accommodation was poor. We used all the money we had to buy materials, hoping to achieve more."

"You've continued to donate every year since then, which not only demonstrates your support for scientific research but also your patriotism. Therefore, you truly deserve this medal. Don't refuse it! In three days, there will be an awarding ceremony at the military district auditorium. You must come!"

Liu Meilan pointed at herself and asked in surprise, "Me? I'm involved too? Actually, I didn't think too much about it at the time. I just felt that the money I earned was more than I could spend, so I wanted to do something meaningful. It's not that noble!"

Director Qian shook his head and said disapprovingly, "There's a saying that goes, 'Judge a person's deeds, not their hearts.' No one's perfect! Everyone has selfish motives. But you've always been committed to doing meaningful things, so those little selfish motives are completely insignificant. And honestly, if everyone was like you, maybe we could achieve communism even sooner!"

Liu Meilan smiled innocently: "Okay, I'll attend on time!"

Professor Xie was also very proud and said to Director Qian, "Director Qian, I have prepared the food. Please stay and have a simple meal with our old man and Doctor Wang!"

Director Qian thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then I won't be polite!"

Professor Xie was particularly happy: "Director Qian is so polite!"

Professor Xie turned around and went to the kitchen to busy himself, while Director Qian drank tea and chatted with Mr. Liu and Doctor Wang.

Liu Meilan was listening in on the topic and when she came across something that interested her, she asked, "Director Qian, when you're researching technology, do you ever have an accidental success? Have you ever had that experience?"

Director Qian smiled and nodded after hearing this. "Yes, quite a few! I can't reveal the specific technologies involved, but there have certainly been some instances of 'accidental success'!"

Liu Meilan smiled and suggested, "Actually, if your institute has enough research capacity, you might want to transfer some of the less important technologies to civilian use. By collaborating through patent equity, you could receive dividends every year. This way, the institute would have a stable source of funding and could increase its research investment."

Director Qian was slightly startled: "I've never done this before!"

Liu Meilan continued, "Now that we are in a market-oriented era, research institutes can't always rely on funding from higher authorities. After all, there are so many research institutes and institutions across the country that need state funding, but state funding is limited. If we want our research institutes to produce more results, we must ensure sufficient R&D funding."

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. If you can transform and invest in technologies that are not important but are very needed in the civilian field, you will have a steady stream of dividend funds."

Upon hearing this, Director Qian stroked his chin and said, "I recently attended a seminar in Shanghai, where we discussed the issue of R&D funding. Relying solely on funding from higher authorities is truly insufficient. Other research institutes have already begun experimenting with bringing some of their technologies to market."

Liu Meilan's eyes lit up. "Since there's already a precedent, why don't you give it a try? The key is to maintain confidentiality. After all, the technologies we're screening are either obsolete or no longer used by the military. It would be a shame to have these technologies sitting in the research institute, useless!"

"There's an idea now called 'integration of industry, academia, and research,' which combines learning, research, and production, then brings them to market to earn profits, and then reinvests the profits into learning and research. What a healthy cycle!"

Director Qian touched his chin again, feeling somewhat bewildered. "I know what kind of technology is needed in the military field, but I really don't know what kind of technological products the general public needs in the market!"

Liu Meilan thought for a moment and said, "How about this? You make a list of technologies that can be used for civilian purposes, clearly stating their uses and various parameters, and show it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Director Qian's eyes lit up: "Meilan, if you're willing to help, maybe it can really work! You have a pair of hands that can turn stone into gold!"

Liu Meilan modestly said, "Actually, market-oriented operations aren't difficult. The hard part is the technical screening process. We absolutely must not leak any secrets. Our goal is to make the institute develop better, not to put it at risk!"

Director Qian nodded: "Okay, I understand! Now I can tell you about a technology - glass."

"Glass?" Liu Meilan was stunned for a moment and pointed to a large glass fish tank not far away. "Are you planning to use it as a fish tank?"

Director Qian thought for a moment and said, "Of course it can be used to make fish tanks, but this kind of glass is much stronger than what is needed for fish tanks. It is more suitable for use as car glass!"

Mr. Liu said disapprovingly, "Cars are so expensive, how can ordinary people afford them? Even if rich people buy cars, they don't use so much glass!"

Liu Meilan blinked and said with a smile, "Grandpa, you're being a little narrow-minded! Just because we're poor now doesn't mean we'll always be poor! Right now, only rich people can buy cars. When the economy develops, maybe every household will have a car!"

Mr. Liu was stunned. "Can we really develop to that level? There are so many families in the country. If every household has a car, wouldn't the number of cars be more than in the United States?"

Liu Meilan nodded. "Isn't our development goal to 'surpass Britain and catch up with the United States'? As an important means of transportation, cars will definitely become part of every household in the future."

"Besides, the glass we produce not only meets domestic demand, but can also be exported! Our products are high-quality and affordable. Western car companies are all looking to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Purchasing from us can reduce costs, so they will definitely be willing to do it!"

Doctor Wang nodded in agreement. "The magazine Yiwen brought last time was filled with articles about European and American car companies investing in and building factories in our country. If the domestic car market doesn't grow in the future, will these European and American companies really need to spend so much money to set up factories here?"

Liu Meilan quickly agreed, "Grandpa Wang, you're absolutely right! I think the automotive market has great prospects, and there's a lot of room for automotive glass production! Of course, if we want to gain a firm foothold in the competition, we need to not only make the glass stronger, but also add some other functions!"

The three elderly people were stunned when they heard this: "Isn't car glass just a piece of glass? Besides being slightly stronger than ordinary glass, what other functions does it need to have?"