Motivation is a fundamental issue in the scientific research profession. In the process of professionalization of scientific research, incentive issues have become increasingly important, and incentive system designing has become increasingly complex and specialized. The motivation of researchers is mainly influenced by both internal and external factors, with research motivation and ability, material conditions and communication forming the main influencing factors of researchers’ motivation. The career of researchers spans four stages: preparation period, early period, growth period, and maturity period. At different stages of the career, there are significant differences in the needs and material conditions, objectively requiring more targeted motivation objectives and methods. On the basis of incentive theory, this article constructs a full career incentive framework for scientific researchers. It is believed that there are still problems with insufficient targeted design of the incentive system for scientific researchers in China. Therefore, suggestions are proposed to construct and improve the basic framework for scientific research incentives in the new era, and to design targeted incentives for different stages of professional life.