A strong economic city is adding advantages and intensively welcoming “new” universities.
The college entrance examination results across the country have been announced one after another, and it's time to fill in college application forms.
Recently, two new research - oriented universities, Ningbo Dongfang Institute of Technology and University of Greater Bay Area, have been approved by the Ministry of Education and will enroll their first batch of undergraduates this year.
In recent years, many new research - oriented universities have been established or are in the planning stage. In addition to the two universities mentioned above, ShanghaiTech University, Westlake University, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen Institute of Technology, etc. have already started enrolling students. Fuyao University of Science and Technology was also approved for establishment this year, and Qiantang University is also being promoted at an accelerated pace.
The educational positioning of these young universities almost all focuses on keywords such as high starting point, small - scale but high - quality, research - oriented, and internationalization. They not only have first - class hardware but also invite well - known scholars and academicians to take important positions. In the visions of these universities, top - tier institutions like Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are often regarded as "benchmark" models.
As "new species" in China's higher education field, what kind of changes will these universities bring? And what impact will they have on the cities and regions where they are located?
Goals
For many examinees and their parents, filling in college application forms is a "big question" as important as the college entrance examination itself. A college application form actually includes three choices: the city, the university, and the major. These three choices can be used as three dimensions to observe this batch of new research - oriented universities.
Take the three new schools that will start enrolling students this year as an example. From the perspective of the city dimension, all three universities are located in the economically developed southeastern coastal areas. Ningbo, Dongguan, and Fuzhou are all cities with a GDP of over one trillion, good industrial foundations, and a lack of high - quality educational resources.
Image source: The official WeChat account of "Dongfang Institute of Technology"
Ningbo Dongfang Institute of Technology was founded with a large investment by Yu Renrong, the chairman of Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. In 2025, it will only recruit students from Zhejiang Province, and the enrollment plan shall be subject to the plan announced by the enrollment authorities of Zhejiang Province.
Fuyao University of Science and Technology is backed by the legendary Fuyao Glass and its founder, Cao Dewang. In 2025, it will recruit 50 undergraduates from Fujian, Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangxi.
The University of Greater Bay Area is a public institution established by the People's Government of Guangdong Province, with the Dongguan Municipal Government providing the main financial support. In 2025, it will also only recruit students within Guangdong Province, with a planned enrollment of 80 students.
From the perspective of the university dimension, the positioning of the three universities highly overlaps -
Ningbo Dongfang Institute of Technology actively explores a high - starting - point, small - scale but high - quality, research - oriented, and internationalized model, strengthening basic research, focusing on cutting - edge interdisciplinary fields, and highlighting engineering technology. Fuyao University of Science and Technology emphasizes science and technology in engineering, focusing on scientific and technological innovation research in manufacturing and cultivating top - notch innovative talents. The University of Greater Bay Area aims to become a new research - oriented university with "international standards, an open and inclusive attitude, and the characteristics of the Greater Bay Area" that can lead future technological development, industrial upgrading, and social progress.
In terms of major settings, these universities have all focused on "new engineering". Compared with traditional engineering, new engineering relies more on basic sciences such as mathematics and physics and shows an obvious trend of inter - disciplinary and cross - disciplinary integration. Reorganizing departments and adjusting majors for cutting - edge fields has also become an important direction for educational reform in top - tier universities such as Peking University, Nanjing University, and Fudan University in recent years.
Image source: China Education Online
In fact, the newly established Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen Institute of Technology, ShanghaiTech University, and Westlake University in recent years also have similar positioning and major settings.
The lack of universities and high - quality universities is not only a problem in Dongguan, Fuzhou, and Ningbo but also a concern in Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Even though Hangzhou has an established top - tier university like Zhejiang University, it still has relatively fewer high - quality educational resources compared with cities like Nanjing, Wuhan, and Xi'an.
Now, Shenzhen is transforming from a "low - ground" in higher education to a "high - ground". After having Zhejiang University and establishing Westlake University, Hangzhou is also planning to build Qiantang University.
On June 19th, the Hangzhou Municipal Government signed a framework agreement on cooperative education with the Qiantang Education Foundation. Yao Gaoyuan, the mayor of Hangzhou, and Zhong Shanshan, the initiator of the Qiantang Education Foundation, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.
According to the agreement, both parties will adhere to the educational concept of "high - starting - point planning, research - driven development, international expansion, and small - scale but high - quality excellence", focus on fields such as science, engineering, and inter - disciplinary studies, and strive to cultivate strategic scientists, leading talents, and outstanding engineers needed for China's scientific and technological self - reliance. It will provide talent support for the in - depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.
In the view of Xu Fei, the executive vice - president of Fuyao University of Science and Technology, currently, the fourth - generation universities represented by new research - oriented universities are emerging one after another. The essence of these universities is to break traditional boundaries, reconstruct the knowledge production model with subversive concepts through the integration of science and education, industry - education cooperation, and global collaboration, reshape the educational ecosystem with technological empowerment, and jointly address common human challenges through global cooperation.
Exploration
These new research - oriented universities have set their sights on global top - tier universities.
For example, Cao Dewang and Wang Shuguo, the president of Fuyao University of Science and Technology, have publicly stated many times that the school aims to benchmark against Stanford University in the United States. Tian Gang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the president of the University of Greater Bay Area, has also mentioned that MIT, which focuses on science and engineering and attaches great importance to basic research, can be used as a reference, and Caltech is also a very distinctive institution.
Image source: The official website of Fuyao University of Science and Technology
As is well - known, Stanford University is deeply integrated with "Silicon Valley", one of the most innovative regions in the world. Through the in - depth integration of industry, academia, and research, it has formed a high - tech industrial cluster centered around the university.
Chen Xian, a professor at the Antai College of Economics and Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a researcher at the Shenzhen Industry Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pointed out: "In the past, we attached great importance to the research results in traditional university laboratories and then considered how to transform them. The logic of these newly established research - oriented universities in recent years is different. In fact, the conversion rate of research results in universities is limited. In the future, a lot of technology will rely on the independent innovation of enterprises. This is the reason why these cities are eager to build universities. What we lack is not the scientific research results of universities, but the shortage of talents, high - quality scientists, and engineers in enterprises."
Actually, compared with the "from 0 to 1" model in Silicon Valley, the domestic ecosystem is not exactly the same. China is the world's factory with the most complete manufacturing system in the world, and the southeastern coastal areas where these universities are located are the most developed and concentrated manufacturing regions in China.
Taking the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area as an example, Li Zexiang, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, compares it to the "Hollywood of Makers". Here, the product iteration speed is 5 - 10 times that of Silicon Valley, and the cost is only 1/5 or even 1/10 of it. These are advantages that Silicon Valley does not have.
In Xu Fei's view, the key to the breakthrough of new research - oriented universities lies in building a closed - loop of "industrial demand driving scientific research and scientific research feeding back into teaching".
Currently, there is a disconnection between traditional engineering education and market needs. Xu Fei pointed out:
First, there is a disconnection in the knowledge system. For example, microelectronics textbooks lag behind chip - manufacturing processes by more than three generations. Since enterprises are closer to the market, their R & D iteration speed far exceeds that of universities.
Second, there is a disconnection in the training model. The linear disciplinary structure is difficult to address complex issues such as "lithography machine R & D" (which requires the collaboration of optics, materials, control, AI, etc.).
Third, there is a disconnection in innovation efficiency. The paper - oriented research in universities is misaligned with industrial needs. A top - tier university has accumulated 2000 papers on autonomous driving in five years, but the key technology patents for actual industrial implementation are in the hands of enterprises.
The new research - oriented universities born in recent years are trying to change and reverse this trend.
Tian Gang, the president of the University of Greater Bay Area, said that the school has established strategic cooperative relationships with the China Spallation Neutron Source, a major national scientific facility, important research institutions such as the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory and Pengcheng Laboratory, and leading enterprises such as Huawei, vivo, and OPPO. The school also considers implementing a flexible academic system to encourage and assist students to intern in enterprises and research institutions in the Greater Bay Area for a relatively long time (for example, one semester) during their studies, so that they can gain in - depth experience in the industrial environment of the Greater Bay Area during their studies.
Cao Dewang also revealed in a media interview that the school will implement a "dual - tutor" system. On the one hand, it will adhere to having academic tutors, and on the other hand, it will introduce a group of top - notch tutors from the manufacturing industry to cultivate students' practical abilities. "We are confident that graduates from Fuyao University of Science and Technology will have the equivalent status and ability of engineers."
Impact
There has always been a close relationship between universities and cities. The development experience of world - class bay areas has proven that top - tier universities are the core engines driving regional innovation.
As Chen Shiyi, the president of Ningbo Dongfang Institute of Technology, said, "A university often becomes an important support for the development of a city and a region as it develops, making significant contributions to the social and economic development of the local area."
In the current era when innovation - driven and innovation - based development is more emphasized than ever, new research - oriented universities are also expected to empower urban development.
Image source: Dongguan Daily
Chen Shiyi previously said, "We hope to build the school into a first - class new research - oriented university, focusing on innovation in science and engineering, especially in fields such as electronic information, advanced manufacturing, and new energy, which are closely related to the core technological needs of the Yangtze River Delta region."
Similarly, the major settings of the University of Greater Bay Area, such as material science, advanced engineering, and life engineering, are highly consistent with the emerging industries and future development directions in Guangdong, especially in the development fields of Dongguan.
A successful university can not only affect the industrial structure of a city but also change its spatial layout.
The emergence of Silicon Valley originated from Stanford University, forming a band - shaped urban area along Highway 101 and gradually integrating cities like San Francisco and San Jose, promoting the integration of the entire San Francisco Bay Area. The Route 128 Technology Corridor in Boston also formed a new urban form due to the agglomeration of scientific and technological elements brought by MIT.
Using universities as a link, building knowledge networks, constructing innovation ecosystems, and promoting the flow of scientific and technological elements have also become directions for local regions to explore regional integration.
The University of Greater Bay Area was established along with the construction of the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area. Geographically, Dongguan is not only an important node in the Guangzhou - Shenzhen Technology Corridor but also the main axis connecting the east and west banks of the Greater Bay Area for integrated development. Whether it's Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Hong Kong, it can be reached within 30 minutes from Dongguan.
Image source: Southern Metropolis Daily
This geographical advantage enables Dongguan to conveniently integrate the scientific and technological innovation resources in the Greater Bay Area. For example, being close to major innovation platforms such as the Shenzhen Guangming Science City and Songshan Lake Science City facilitates cooperation with top - notch research resources in the Greater Bay Area. Relying on the Guangzhou - Shenzhen Technology Corridor is conducive to the flow of elements such as talents, technology, and funds, providing convenience for the school's industry - academia - research cooperation and international exchanges. In addition, Dongguan has a well - developed transportation network, which can efficiently connect with the educational and industrial resources of various cities in the Greater Bay Area.
With the rise of many high - level universities in the region, it will also help break down the barriers between cities. While leveraging their respective advantages, they can make up for the lack of innovation elements and truly drive the high - quality development of large regions and multiple cities.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Urban Evolution Theory", written by Xiao Chun and republished by 36Kr with permission.