In recent years, China has made great progress in science and technology, but still falls behind in terms of key technologies. To promote original innovation in science and technology and fundamentally overcome its weakness in key technologies, China should focus on basic research. To explore how basic research creates disruptive technologies, this paper expounds the connotation of basic research, and categorizes basic research into four types according to its targets: basic research toward major scientific objectives, basic research driven by national demands, talent-based basic research for free exploration, and basic research aimed at practical application. Based on the analysis of the characteristics and development needs of various types of basic research, we put forward a development suggestion of providing differentiated and stable support to promote whole-chain disruptive technology innovation.