Abstract: Fossil energy represented by coal,petroleum and natural gas will be the main component of energy consumption in China for a long period in the future.In recent years,the Chinese government has been pushing forward energy-saving and emission-reduction to adjust the economic structure and transform the development pattern,scientific and technological innovation has become the inevitable choice to promote the efficiency and quality of fossil energy industry and to advance the sustainable development in China.The research and development work on fossil energy could follow the global trend,which was described as multivariate,green and scientific development,and the promising breakthrough points could be fixed on delicate and in-depth exploration,safe and effective development as well as intensive and economical use.Taking the market demand as guide,the research and development work in this field could be emphasized on basic theory,key technology,major equipment,demonstration project construction and innovative platform construction,so as to promote the capability of independent innovation and the core competence of enterprises and industries.The ultimate goals of the innovation in fossil energy industry are:①to push the transformation of coal industry towards a green,safe,efficient,economic and scientific development phase;②to expand the reserves and maintain the yield of petroleum;③to promote the development of natural gas;④to cultivate theunconventional oil and gas to serve as the new source of energy supply.The above efforts would play a key role in ensuring the energy security and optimizing the energy structure of China.