CAS holds a work meeting on the integration of science and education in Beijing on April 29.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) held a work meeting on the integration of science and education in Beijing on April 29. The meeting reviewed the historical experiences of the integration of science and education since the establishment of the academy and discussed new strategies and measures for further promoting science-education integration and for accelerating nurturing of top-notch scientific talents in the new era.

Hou Jianguo, President of CAS, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Zhou Qi, Vice President of CAS, presented a report on the overall education work of the academy. Sun Xiaoming, Deputy Secretary-General of CAS, presided over the meeting.

Hou said in his speech that integrating science and education and nurturing talents have been fine traditions of CAS. Over the past 70 years and more, CAS has paid equal attention to research outcomes and talent cultivation. A combination of a research institute, an academy, and an educational institution, CAS has trained more than 350,000 high-level scientific talents, forging a distinctive and effective path of science-education integration.

With the rapid advancement of China’s technological innovation towards higher levels of self-reliance and strength, the high-quality development of higher education poses higher requirements for deepening the integration of science and education and for cultivating outstanding scientific talents, Hou added.

Hou said that CAS has the responsibility and confidence to further optimize the integration of science and education at higher levels and enhance the quality of talent cultivation. The academy will make continuous efforts to explore a unique, world-class path for independently nurturing high-level scientific talents with Chinese characteristics.

Hou put forward the key tasks for deepening the integration of science and education in the new era. He said, aligning with the strategic needs of China’s long-term development and current urgent needs, efforts should be made to cultivate a large number of top-tier scientific talents with broad foundations, professional expertise, innovative spirit, patriotism, and international competitiveness. A systemic perspective and problem-oriented approach should be adopted to address issues in talent cultivation related to understanding, management systems, and incentive mechanisms. The path of independent talent cultivation needs to be adhered to while strengthening collaborative education in an open and innovative environment. In addition, comprehensive training should be highlighted focused on research-oriented teaching and personalized cultivation.

Regarding key deployments for the science-education integration in the new area, Hou highlighted establishing a rapid response mechanism for disciplines and subjects focused on core science and technology and tasks; cultivating future high-level talents through comprehensive and long-term training; and promoting the high-quality development of science and education integration colleges, while strengthening the coordination of various science and education resources for allocation and aggregation of various resource elements. That approach will inspire students’ sense of mission and responsibility by increasing their awareness of the histories of CAS and science and technology,

Hou called on all people at CAS to clarify their responsibilities to accelerate the independent cultivation of top-tier scientific talents and help produce more critical, original, and leading achievements, so as to seize strategic heights in science and technology, achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, and build China into a strong science and technology powerhouse.

At the meeting, representatives of the University of Science and Technology of China and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported on their work and plans.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the ideas and measures for deepening the integration of science and education in the new era. They clarified the overall goals, fundamental tasks, work concepts, implementation paths, and training methods, and reached a consensus on strengthening coordination between student training, research field layout and deployment of major scientific and technological tasks, as well as on enhancing comprehensive personal cultivation.

The meeting was held in a combined in-person and video format, with heads of departments of CAS, universities and institutes, and of relevant affiliated units participating.

Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences