Summary

China’s Ministry of Science and Technology has issued a strategic plan to support science and technology innovation in the Yangtze River Delta region – a region of East China consisting of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. As part of the plan, China will promote both domestic and international collaborations in research and resource exchange.

From an international perspective, regional stakeholders including education and research institutions and industry alliances are encouraged to actively participate in international sci-tech exchange and co-operation. The Yangtze River Delta region will aim to attract localised research centres or branches of overseas universities, research institutions, and international scientific organisations, while domestic institutions will be encouraged to establish joint programmes and branch campuses overseas. The policy also calls for provincial-level governments to strengthen their talent introduction policies, improve services for international professionals, and promote innovation platforms for communication and collaboration.

Aside from international collaboration, authorities in the four provincial-level regions will jointly build high-level innovation bases and labs. Education institutions, research organisations and business enterprises will be encouraged to collaborate to strengthen education and industrial integration.

The plan aims to make the Yangtze River Delta – already of the country's most economically active regions – into an “international hub for sci-tech innovation” by 2025, hosting emerging key talents, innovative entrepreneurs, and globally influential institutions and research organisations. By 2035 it plans to develop a “world-leading community” with an integrated regional innovation system, attracting some of the world’s top higher education institutions, research organisations and innovative enterprises.

Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services

The plan expresses positive sentiments regarding international cooperation in research and education in the East China region. This is likely a good sign for new cooperative projects with UK partners in the region.

The focus on cooperation between education institutions and industry appears to be becoming increasingly important, playing a major role in several recent Chinese education policies. This may suggest that partnerships of this kind could receive more government support than direct university-to-university links.

Although the policy discusses attracting branches of overseas universities, institutions considering setting up joint programmes or institutes in this region should be aware that the Ministry of Education still tends to apply stricter standards to new partnerships in more-developed parts of China than those in developing regions. Shanghai in particular has a large number of existing joint programmes and institutes, with relatively few recent TNE approvals compared to the city’s high proportion of new partnerships in earlier years.

References:

1. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2020-12/30/content_5575110.htm

2. http://www.china.org.cn/china/2021-01/03/content_77074632.ht