Haikou, June 25th (Xinhua News Agency) —By reporter Xia Tian. Hainan University (HNU) has fully launched the “First-class Discipline Breakthrough Initiative” to align with national strategic priorities and the socioeconomic development needs of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Guided by major national and provincial missions, the initiative will establish breakthrough projects for first-class disciplines, integrating scientific and technological innovation, talent cultivation, and discipline development in a coordinated manner.
Collaborative Innovation Centers of Hainan University
“Developing first-class disciplines is the cornerstone of building a world-class university and a critical pillar for achieving the strategic goal of strengthening China through education,” said Luo Qingming, President of Hainan University, and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He explained that the initiative was driven by sci-tech innovation and guided by the principles of technological transformation and industrial revolution. Aiming to enhance talent cultivation, the university will establish a research-led development model for talent training and disciplinary advancement. This will help effectively address the key challenges in cultivating top-notch innovative talents, establishing world-class disciplines, and laying a solid foundation for HNU’s goal to become a world-class university.
According to the initiative, “major projects” will be launched under the guidance of “key strategic missions”. An array of first-class discipline breakthrough projects will be rolled out in phases. Focused on national strategies, sci-tech development, and the key needs of the Hainan Free Trade Port, these projects target “Five Sources of Competitiveness” (including seed breeding, the sea, the sky, digital technology and green energy as the sources of competitiveness), life health, bio-manufacturing, as well as Hainan’s four leading industries (tourism, modern services industry, high-tech industry, and tropical specialized high-efficiency agriculture). And the projects are categorized into Type A, B, and C, with natural science projects receiving up to 5 million yuan annually.
According to the initiative, each project team is required to leverage scientific research as the driving force and engage outstanding undergraduate students in innovative training models, including integrated degree programs (undergrad-to-grad or direct-to-PhD). Personalized training programs and a well-designed curriculum system will be tailored for these students to enhance their professional competence and comprehensive abilities, ultimately cultivating top-notch innovative talents. Additionally, the initiative mandates that the projects should highlight high-level international collaboration and exchange, including the academic visits of faculty and students, joint innovation programs, etc. Meanwhile, the projects will compel institutional reforms in the university’s talent cultivation.
The “First-class Discipline Breakthrough Initiative” assigns the highest priority to sci-tech innovation in project approval and evaluation. In natural sciences, for instance, intensified effort should be made to address global scientific and technological frontiers, commit to national major strategies and the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, tackle key and core technologies, and promote deep integration of technological and industrial innovation. In humanities and social sciences, original research should be conducted on major theories of Hainan’s socioeconomic development, as well as important foundational and frontier issues in philosophy and social sciences, guided by the central tasks of the Party and the state. The project will be funded in five-year cycles, with options for termination, extension, and rolling support.
It is reported that the full implementation of the “First-class Discipline Breakthrough Initiative” aims to gain salient breakthroughs in the development of HNU’s foundational and interdisciplinary fields and yield major sci-tech innovations by 2030. Furthermore, by 2035, HNU will elevate its foundational and interdisciplinary disciplines to internationally advanced levels, achieve self-reliance in cultivating high-level strategic talents, and generate and transformative sci-tech breakthroughs.
English Translator: Li Yang
Proofread by Zhu Yan
