Chongqing University is laying a solid foundation for innovation & entrepreneurship, so as to provide rich resources and a wide range of choices for innovation & entrepreneurship training of its students.
CQU students pocketed 6 gold awards in the 7th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
The spiritual culture represented by "always be the pioneer in national rejuvenation" has been inspiring CQU students from generation to generation in the more than 90 years of development history of CQU.
As the world is about to experience drastic fluctuations, high-quality I&E education has become an important mission of higher education. Chongqing University has been sticking to its goal of building a "world first rate university with Chinese characteristics", and keeping in mind "the top priority of the country's development". Assuming the mission of the times, CQU has always concentrated efforts on "innovation driven connotative development", carried out high quality I&E education that features "integration of thought and innovation", encouraged its youth students to "set the life goal of contribute to the country through innovation and entrepreneurship", and play a leading role in the journey of national rejuvenation. By doing so, it is providing high-quality intellectual support and talent service for development of China and Chongqing, and has contributed to great achievements in the "Double-First-Rate" construction of Chongqing University.
Top-level design
Building an ecological system of I&E
The 8th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, co-sponsored by more than 10 organizations including the Ministry of Education and Chongqing Municipal People's Government, was launched in April 2022. A total of 12.1 million students have signed up for the Competition, contributing totally 2.81 million projects. The Final of the Competition is expected to be held in September 2022.
How did Chongqing University to organize such a grand I&E event for college students with the widest coverage and influence in China?
One of the measures of a university's school running achievement is the number of outstanding I&E talents delivered by the university.
In the Qualifying Tournament of the Selective Trial of Chongqing Competition Area of the 8th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition that has just come to an end, CQU students claimed 49 municipal level gold awards and 25 silver awards. Moreover, 5 projects of Chongqing University were directly promoted to the Main Track of Higher Education of the National Final, and 3 were directly promoted to the Track of the Journey of Red Dream Building for the Youth. Chongqing University claimed the most gold awards among all colleges and universities in Chongqing, and is the only one that had "5 + 3 projects" directly promoted to the National Final.
Drawing on plasma nitrogen fixation technology, Song Yijia, a postgraduate student of 2020 of the School of Electrical Engineering of Chongqing University, made contribution to the quality and efficiency improvement of fertilizer and rural revitalization of China. He was given the gold award in the 7th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
Sha Zhou, an undergraduate student of 2018 of Chongqing University-University of Cincinnati Joint Co-op Institute was given the gold award in the 7th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in recognition of the student's contribution to insulation oil performance improvement and reduction of waste mineral insulation oil brought by environmental pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.
Li Li, a doctoral candidate of 2018 of the School of Opto-Electronic Engineering, was given the silver award in the 6th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition after he used big data, VR and other artificial intelligence technologies to provide transformation and upgrading services for tens of thousands of enterprises.
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In the past 5 years, CQU students claimed a total of 4,633 awards (ranking the 13th place among all colleges and universities in China) in various competitions, including 6 gold awards in the 7th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Chongqing University students demonstrated the courage and ability to "make innovation and start up business" of the fresh force of I&E and made great contributions to the innovation of China in various areas including AI, power energy, biochemistry, and public welfare undertakings.
By deepening the comprehensive reform of higher education and nurturing the main force for "widest possible participation in entrepreneurial activities and mass innovation", Chongqing University has laid a solid foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship. In the Development Planning for the "14th Five-year Plan" Period of Chongqing University and the Comprehensive Reform Scheme of Chongqing University, deepening the I&E education reform is among the list of 43 major reform measures. Chongqing University will strengthen its top-level design, incorporate I&E training into the entire process of talent training, and systematically design an undergraduate I&E ability training system with awakening of I&E consciousness, thoughts training, spirit cultivation and ability training as the main line. A progressive growth path will be established to allow students in different stages of different levels to find suitable I&E resources to make self-improvement. Furthermore, it is making efforts to exploring diversified I&E talent growth paths including innovation team, scientific innovation class, Hongshen experiment class and enterprise-university order-based training, so as to bolster individualized development and consolidate the I&E foundation.
Chongqing University has set up a student I&E work leading group with the President acting as the group leader. In addition, the I&E Education Steering Committee has been set up to strengthen organization leadership and promote inter-department coordination. The I&E School, which includes the Department of Innovation Practice, the Department of Entrepreneurship Training and the Department of Enterprise Incubation and Expansion, has been set up. It has essential resources including supervisors and incubation resources and is in overall charge of the implementation of I&E education. Chongqing University has been making heavy investment in gathering high quality I&E education resources that cover all students, to lay a solid foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship. Every year the University spends more than 10 million yuan in supporting national, municipal, university-level I&E training projects for students and college student I&E projects and provides students with rich I&E resources and a wide range of choices. More than 15,000 students participate in these projects each year.
It is also introducing high quality resources and building an I&E faculty with diversified structure. At present, Chongqing University has set up an I&E supervisor base of 303 professionals in and out of Chongqing University. In particular, 234 of the professionals are renowned scientists, enterprise managers, technical experts and successful entrepreneurs with international or national fame.
With innovation as the core, the national key labs, the Students' Maker Space and other platforms and resources are open to all students. Students are encouraged to set up student I&E teams. More than 40 influential organizations including KAB Entrepreneurship Club, Student Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Association have been established. In addition, interdisciplinary teachers are called upon to guide students in innovation and entrepreneurship.
With training as the foundation, the "national-municipal-university level" I&E practice project system has been established. In 2021 alone, 145 national I&E training projects for college students, 295 municipal I&E training projects for college students and 353 university level "scientific research training plan projects for college students" were approved to be established in Chongqing University. A total of 2,273 students participated in the projects. Chongqing University students claimed 1,784 awards or higher awards of the ministerial and provincial level in I&E competitions, including 2 international special awards, 12 national special awards and 54 national first awards.
To build a first-rate I&E ecological system, Chongqing University has held a great variety of "I&E" events. More than 200 I&E related events are held each year under the "Four-one Program" that features "one festival" (the Scientific and Technological Culture Festival), "one week" "the I&E Activity Week", "one lecture" "the I&E Lecture", "one session" "the I&E Sharing Session", so as to create an inspiring atmosphere for I&E.
Enterprise-university integration
Exploring diversified top innovation talent training mode
In July 2021, Li Cheng, a student of Mingyue Scientific Innovation Experiment Class of Chongqing University (the "Mingyue Class"), designed a "Braille multi-line reader" in collaboration with his classmates.
In view of the large volume and high production cost of Braille books, this reader included an electromagnet microcontrol unit that drives lifting of the convex point to make electronic, light-weight and low-cost Braille books possible. This product was selected as one of the top 200 key cultivation projects in Chongqing Competition Area of the 8th China College Students' 'Internet+' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. It is now competing for a place in the National Final.
In December 2020, Chongqing University, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Mingyuehu International Intelligent Industrial Scientific Innovation Base launched the Mingyue Class, which served as the experimental field of construction of new engineering disciplines of Chongqing University.
Promoting integration of science and teaching and strengthening education through integration of production and education. "The most distinct characteristic of Scientific Innovation Class is its inter-disciplinary integration and cross-border cultivation". Luo Yuanxin, Vice Dean of the Undergraduate School of Chongqing University, said that drawing on the latest achievements in China's higher education and the advantages of the teaching mode of Olin College of Engineering, the Mingyue Class had set up a project-driven, inter-disciplinary curriculum system. Chongqing University has picked 30 outstanding teachers from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, the School of Physics and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to form a teaching team of the Scientific Innovation Class. An interdisciplinary course teaching mode that involves science, technology, engineering and art is adopted. Each course is taught by 2 to 3 teachers, with an emphasis laid on inter-disciplinary knowledge, problem generation, critical construction and innovation driving.
Designed to cultivate I&E leading talents urgently needed in the future, the Mingyue Class lays particular emphasis on the hands-on ability of students. It is working with Huawei, DJI and other enterprises to build the laboratory of talent education through university-enterprise integration, promote the connection between the students' scientific innovation activities with the incubation of hard technology products, carries out the social demand-oriented research of practice project, and break the boundary between industry and the University.
The Mingyue Class is only one of the examples of the efforts made by Chongqing University to explore the diversified top innovation talent training mode. As a state key high-level research comprehensive university and a university under the "Double-First-Rate" Construction Program, Chongqing University always takes into account the major need of China, the world frontier science and technology and advantages and characteristics of Chongqing University for its top-level teaching design.
In 2018, Chongqing University released the 2029 Action Plan for Undergraduate Education of Chongqing University, which aims to cultivate the "5C" core abilities of students in an all-round manner (innovation ability, critical thinking ability, communication ability, cooperation ability and sustainable learning ability), and called for efforts to "optimize the disciplinary structure and establish innovative, diversified talent cultivation mechanism."
Besides the Mingyue Class, Chongqing University has also set up other schools or experimental class of different types and characteristics. For instance, there is Hongshen Honors School that was established to train top innovation talents with the ability to lead the development of basic disciplines in the future; Liberal Arts College that is devoted to training outstanding talents in the humanistic and social science field for the future; the engineering practice education platform established in collaboration with Changan Automobile in areas such as machinery manufacturing and vehicle engineering; the "Robot I&E Education Center" established in collaboration with Chongqing Googol Changjiang Research Institute; the "micro-degree mode" established in collaboration with Aliyun and Huike Group; the Chongqing University-University of Cincinnati Joint Co-op Institute; among others.
In September 2022, the newly established Chongqing Higher Institute of Engineers ushered in its first 250 students. In the Institute, the small-class teaching system is adopted for all courses of the Institute under 3 main disciplines, including intelligent cars, intelligent manufacturing and product innovation. Project teaching system is adopted for engineering courses. Each student has a place in the laboratory and is given an average of 30,000 yuan as the scientific innovation project funds. If a project turns out to be successful, it will be selected as a seeded project of Mingyuehu international Intelligent Industrial Scientific Innovation Base, and may be entitled to million-yuan-level incubation funds.
Serving development of Chongqing
Training innovation talents that meet the industrial needs
In order to serve the eco-social development of the country and the region, a university shall always respond to the need of the country and prioritize people's wellbeing.
China needs more innovation-oriented industries and high-tech industries to enhance its future competitiveness as a country. This will be impossible without a great number of I&E talents. By launching I&E training programs, Chongqing University is closely monitoring the emerging demands and dynamic trend of the society, so as to incorporate the requirements of the industries into the I&E education system in a timely and realistic manner.
Chongqing University encourages students to learn while preparing for competitions, so as to train fresh I&E forces. Besides, by launching interdisciplinary cross-program joint graduation design programs and university-enterprise cooperation programs, Chongqing University, Chongqing University is building a new talent training mode characterized by "integration of general education and professional education and cross-border cultivation". For example, the interdisciplinary joint graduation design of the School of Big Data and Software Engineering, the School of Arts and Meishi Film Academy highlights integration of technology and arts in terms of topic selection design, process management, and work display; seven programs of the Faculty of Built Environment, including architecture and civil engineering, worked with China Southwest Geotechnical Investigation & Design Institute Co., Ltd., and launched the "super-ministry system joint graduation design" program, which includes full-process practical training of architectural design. The works won the first place in the National Architectural Design Professional Observation and Evaluation for College Students a number of times. Chongqing University is making efforts to lead knowledge integration of students, and promote the transformation of the I&E talent cultivation from the single-discipline mode to interdisciplinary mode.
Chongqing University encourages teachers to improve their teaching skills in preparing for the competitions and explore new paths of quality-oriented education. It also encourages students to take the initiative to serve the national strategy and regional development. For example, Chongqing University has been focusing on the industrial development in Chongqing, and has set up a number of new engineering disciplines including AI, robot engineering, in an effort to train high quality talents urgently needed by Chongqing. Besides, as an important player in the Intelligent Connected Vehicles Project, Chongqing University is giving full play to the advantages of "Chongqing Automotive Collaborative Innovation Center" (2011 Program). It is also making efforts to promote co-building of the Higher Institute of Engineers, which will train product engineers and system engineers needed for the industrial development in the future. CQU is at the same time giving full play to the roles of its School of Big Data and Software Engineering, one of the first "characteristic demonstration software schools" approved by the Ministry of Education, which focuses on industry and industrial software. CQU has worked with Changan Automobile and its brother universities to establish the School of Software Engineers, with joint efforts being made to establish training programs and promote the mutual recognition of credit. By strengthening construction of computer schools including "Shuguang Computer Gifted Class" (1 of the only 13 in China) of the 2.0 Base under the Training Program for Top Students in Basic Science of the Ministry of Education and consolidating talent training in areas such as integrated circuit, semi-conductor and AI, CQU is making contribution to development of Chongqing's intelligent industry.
Chongqing University encourages its students and teachers to make innovation while preparing for competitions, so as to promote close connection between transformation of competition achievements and the production, study, research and application, and serve the high-quality development of economy. For example, companies incubated by CQU in preparing for competitions, including Chongqing VR.Chot Technology Co., Ltd. and Chongqing Ruiyun Technology Co., Ltd. have developed into national high-tech enterprises with revenue topping 100 million yuan. Chongqing Voltmao Technology Co., Ltd. incubated by Chongqing University has grown into an enterprise of Chongqing with estimated value of above 100 million yuan that features "specialization, delicacy, characteristics and novelty". It has been dubbed as the "Xiaoping Scientific and Technological Innovation Team". The "Weina Anke" and "Cloud Atlas 3D" have been granted Angel round series financing of tens of million yuan.
Chongqing University students are striving to become pioneers in the I&E and make contributions to the country. About 30% of the undergraduates, 40% of the postgraduate students and 50% of the doctoral candidates of Chongqing University decide to find a job or start a business in Chongqing, in hope of realizing their life goals while fighting for their Chinese dream.
In 2016, Chongqing University was selected as a National College Practice Education Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base; in 2017, it was selected as one of the first demonstration universities and colleges for deepening I&E education in China; in 2019, CQU was approved as one of the model colleges and universities with rich experience in I&E education; in 2020, Chongqing University was approved as a national demonstration base for "widest possible participation in entrepreneurial activities and mass innovation".
In the future, Chongqing University will stick to its vision to "build a well-equipped and influential university" and build a world-first-rate university with Chinese characteristics, while making efforts to bolster the connotative development, characteristic development, high quality development as part of its "Double-First-Rate" construction. Moreover, it will stick to its basic mission of strengthening moral education, cultivating people and deliver talents for the CPC and China. Its goal is to become a national first-rate high-standard research comprehensive university with distinct characteristics and international fame by the end of the "14th Five-year Plan" period; become one of the world first rate universities by 2029, which marks the 100th Anniversary of the founding of CQU. become one of the top world first rate universities by 2049, which marks the 100th Anniversary of the founding of China and the 120th Anniversary of the founding of CQU.
