SUSTech a magnet for top global talents and innovation

Southern University of Science and Technology practices scientific excellence with dynamic methods and entrepreneurship assistance

With the spirit of "virtue, truth and advancement", the Shenzhen-based Southern University of Science and Technology has made efforts to assist innovative projects and train talents across the nation and overseas.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed that education, science and technology, and human resources are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects. In addition, science and technology are being upheld as the primary productive force; talent as the primary resource; and innovation as the primary driver of growth.

The high-quality development of higher education, technology and talent will play a pivotal role in the new journey toward building a modern socialist country, said Xue Qikun, president of the university, also known as SUSTech, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Xue believes the report has grasped the key issue of building a modern socialist country and expects China will make breakthroughs in the crux of major scientific and technological issues in the next five to 10 years.

Founded in 2010 with a mission to explore and develop a modern university system with Chinese characteristics, SUSTech is dedicated to cultivating innovative talents.

Over the past 12 years, SUSTech has gained recognition at the frontier of basic scientific research, ranking first on the Nature Index rising star list for 2021 and joining the Double First-Class Initiative in 2022. It is the only university from Shenzhen and one of the youngest universities in China to be enlisted in the program. This includes 147 universities that China aims to elevate to "first class "worldwide by the middle of this century.

As a research-oriented public university, SUSTech attaches enormous importance to luring top-notch talents to its faculty, Xue reiterated.

So far, it has more than 1,300 faculty members serving more than 10,000 students. In addition, 90 percent of the faculty have overseas work experience and 60 percent graduated from or worked at the global top 100 universities.

The president himself is a prominent scientist. In August, he was awarded the Fritz London Memorial Prize — the top honor in the international low temperature physics community — for his pioneering work on the experimental discovery of the quantum anomalous Hall effect. He is the first Chinese scientist and the second in Asia to receive the prize since its establishment in 1957.

Paving way to success

One of the strategies of the university to attract talent is the generous resources it has invested in and the flexible mechanism it uses to support research and innovation. The university adopted principal investigator and tenure-track systems across the board to guarantee academic freedom and reinforce the preeminence of academic excellence.

"We encourage young scientists to form their own independent research teams and teaching platforms. As for strategic scientists, we offer bigger stages to support them in establishing their own research institutions, bringing their initiatives, influence and wisdom into full play," Xue noted.

Building a major scientific facility of Advanced Light Source is one of SUSTech's top priorities, along with exploring the frontiers of novel materials, intelligent manufacturing, biotechnoland innovation. The university adopted principal investigator and tenure-track systems across the board to guarantee academic freedom and reinforce the preeminence of academic excellence.

"We encourage young scientists to form their own independent research teams and teaching platforms. As for strategic scientists, we offer bigger stages to support them in establishing their own research institutions, bringing their initiatives, influence and wisdom into full play," Xue noted.

Building a major scientific facility of Advanced Light Source is one of SUSTech's top priorities, along with exploring the frontiers of novel materials, intelligent manufacturing, biotechnology and sustainable development.

By the end of November, more than 99 scientific research platforms for natural sciences had got off the ground in SUSTech, including three at national level. It also contains 13 research institutions, three of which — the Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, SUSTech International Center for Mathematics, and Sifakis Research Institute of Trustworthy Autonomous Systems — were approved as Shenzhen Nobel Laureate Labs.

This year witnessed the establishment of seven institutions, such as the Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Institute of Health Medicine, and Institute of Nanoscience and Applications.

Leveraging the power of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's demographic and technological advantages, the president disclosed that the university, together with 14 other universities in the Bay Area, is organizing a scientific research institution for quantum science. It is to be based in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop in Hong Kong.

Forging global partnerships

International cooperation is helping the university gain an upper hand. It has signed cooperation agreements with 132 universities in 37 countries.

International faculty accounts for about one-fourth of the total. For example, the dean of the School of Design is from Denmark. More than 40 percent of the faculty he recruited are from overseas, Xue said.

In November 2021, SUSTech set up a new school of medicine with King's College London in the United Kingdom. It is to recruit students in 2023 and be the first of its kind to offer a dual degree in medical education between the UK and China, erecting a new international model of Chinese medical education.

"The school will be completely international in every aspect, including faculty, students and curriculum," Xue said. The first year will welcome about 80 undergraduates.

In March, the UK's General Medical Council, a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the nation, approved the new medical school to grant the UK's master's degree in clinical medicine.

In the future, SUSTech graduates can directly practice in Hong Kong or the UK, Xue explained. Currently, professional practice qualifications in the medical sector are generally not mutually recognized across borders due to different training systems and recognition standards.

This year, the school has led in-depth cooperation with Lund University in Sweden, EPFL and ETH Zurich in Switzerland, and set up partnerships with eight overseas schools. More than 350 students have participated in overseas programs, increasing more than 60 percent from 2021.

Moreover, the university has the International Advisory Council, which organized a meeting in December 2021 with the participation of 17 presidents or former presidents at the world's top universities. They discussed university management, frontier technology investment, faculty team construction and talent training models.

Xue said: "In the future, we will strive to build a multidimensional global academic network and strengthen cooperation with partners around the globe as well as countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative."

chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn