On December 10, 2018, the Municipal Education Conference of Chongqing opened. From this day onwards, Chongqing Daily will publish exclusive interviews with responsible persons of Chongqing University, Chongqing Science and Technology University, Chongqing City Management College, Education Working Committee of Yubei District, the Education Commission of Yubei District, Yunyang County and Bashu Primary School. In the interview, they will talk about their feelings and experience with respect to the way to implement the spirit of the National Education Conference and the Municipal Education Conference, and drive the connotative development of Chongqing University and promote coordinated development of education in urban and rural areas by “Double-First-Rate” construction.

 

As one of the category-A universities and colleges under the “Double-First-Rate” Construction Program of the Ministry of Education, how will Chongqing University manage to drive the connotative development by “Double-First-Rate” construction? On December 19, CQU President Zhang Zongyi was interviewed by a journalist of Chongqing Daily. In the interview, Zhang briefly covered the planning and steps of Chongqing University to build a world-first-rate university with Chinese characteristics. He stated that Chongqing University would earnestly implement the spirit of the National Education Conference and the Municipal Education Conference, and build Chongqing University into one favored by the people.

 

Combining the education policy of CPC with specific work

 

Chongqing Daily: It was proposed at the Municipal Education Conference that the innovative development of higher education should be driven by “Double-First-Rate” Construction. What’s your understanding of this concept?

 

Zhang Zongyi: At present, Chongqing is going through a critical stage of reform and development and needs improvement of education quality more than ever.

 

The National Education Conference and Municipal Education Conference have established the keynote for education reform and development in this new era. Students and teachers of Chongqing University should concentrate efforts on study and research, and thoroughly comprehend the spiritual essence of new ideas, new views and new concepts of education in this new era, so as to improve the overall education level, and provide personnel support and intelligence guarantee for implementation of strategies such as developing the municipality by promoting science and education and prospering the municipality by attaching importance to talents, and the economic and social development of Chongqing.

 

In the future, CPC Chongqing University Committee will continue to perform the principal responsibilities for school running and party management, and uphold socialist education, and integrate the education policies of CPC fully into various tasks, thus driving connotative development of the University, and writing a new chapter of development in the new era.

 

 “Double-First-Rate” construction planning and steps

 

Chongqing Daily: “Double-First-Rate” construction cannot be completed in one day. What is the planning of Chongqing University and what specific steps will you take?

 

Zhang Zongyi: As for “Double-First-Rate” construction, Chongqing University is taking the following actions:

 

In the first place, we will focus on disciplinary optimization and improvement, and building of advantageous disciplinary clots. By now Chongqing University has established three disciplinary clots, namely, “smart energy”, “advanced manufacturing” and “new-type urbanization”, which form a substantial part of Chongqing University’s core competitiveness in building a world-first-rate university.

 

According to the planning, considerable achievements will have been made in various construction tasks and reform tasks by 2020, and a solid foundation will have been built for a world-first-rate university. By 2029, the 100^th anniversary of Chongqing University, the international influence of the University will have significantly enhanced, and the University will be one of the world-first-rate universities. By 2049, the 120^th anniversary, the University will have come out in front among world-first-rate universities.

 

The second focus will be on improvement of talent cultivation quality. The Undergraduate Education Work Conference was held by Chongqing University a short time ago. The “2029 Action Plan for Undergraduate Education of Chongqing University” was announced at the Conference. In the 10 years to come, Chongqing University will achieve the teaching goals in two stages. In the first stage which ends in 2020, 70% of the undergraduate programs of Chongqing University will be among the top 20% in China, and the percentage of undergraduates pursuing further education will reach above 45%. In the second stage which ends in 2029, 50% of the undergraduate programs of Chongqing University will be among the top 10 in China, and the percentage of undergraduates pursuing further education will reach above 65%. By then, the overall level of undergraduate education will be among the world first-rate ones.

 

The third focus will be on improvement of technological and scientific innovation capacity. In order to serve the national strategy and local development needs, and solve current international hot issues, Chongqing University has built up a “1+5” technological and scientific innovation system, which comprises a management mechanism (the Institute of Scientific Research and Development) and 5 scientific research entities (Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute of Advanced Technology, Industrial Technology Research Institute, General Research Institute of Architectural and Planning Design Co., Ltd. and International Joint Research Institute). With such completely new mechanisms and systems, more high-level scientific and technological achievements will be made. In the meantime, Chongqing University is building the Chongqing Scientific and Technological Innovation Center. It is expected that in 2020, 10 to 15 scientific research teams with considerable potential of industrialization in key sectors and industries like smart city, healthcare and new energy automobiles will be assembled.

 

The fourth focus will be on building a first-rate faculty. Chongqing will continue to implement the talent-oriented developing strategy. It plans to introduce and cultivate various types of high-standard talents by holding international forum for young scholars and setting up oversea talent introduction workstations. Chongqing University has introduced another 24 national-level talents and recruited more than 100 full-time teachers.

 

The fifth focus will be on international exchange and cooperation. The University has been concentrating efforts on implementing international development strategy, and carrying out the “Double-First-Rate” construction based on an international vision. In response to the “Belt and Road” Initiative, Chongqing University is expediting construction of international platforms such as China-Singapore (Chongqing) International Joint Research Institute, China-India Innovation Industrial Park and China-Korea Technological Cooperation Platform; it has commenced construction of the international campuses and international joint research institutes. Another 10 million yuan has been invested in sending undergraduates overseas for academic visit and exchange. In 2018, more than 3,000 students have been sent abroad for academic visit, increasing by 100% year on year.

 

Comprehensively serving the development of Chongqing’s economy

 

Chongqing Daily: Resources in Bayu Region will be fully mobilized to enhance education and serve high-quality development of Chongqing. Then what specific actions will Chongqing University take?

 

Zhang Zongyi: The mission of Chongqing University is to “study academics, forge talents, prosper the country and guide the society”. The University will play an active role in serving the development of Chongqing utilizing its advantages in talents and intelligence. For this purpose, it has formulated and implemented the Plan of Chongqing University to Serve “Three Tough Fights” and “Eight Action Plans” of Chongqing.

 

Specifically, Chongqing University has formed the School of Big Data and Software Engineering and the School of Microelectronics and Communication Engineering, and launched new engineering programs like cloud computation, big data and artificial intelligence, in an effort to boost the development of Chongqing’s intelligence industry.

 

Chongqing University is also actively engaged in construction of “Chongqing Science City” to improve the original innovation capacity. It has, in collaboration with Jiulongpo District, built up the Industrial Technology Research Institute, to expedite R&D and dissemination of achievements; it also established regional high-end think tanks like Chongqing Academy of S&T for Development, to serve scientific decision making by the government…

 

Given such a favorable situation, Chongqing University should forge unremittingly ahead towards what it has pursued. It will stick close to the spirit of the National Education Conference and the Municipal Education Conference, and do its part in building Chongqing into an opening-up inland municipality with picturesque scenery and bringing about a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.