AS a deputy to the National People’s Congress, Fang Fuquan has brought a proposal of the blueprint and scheme for building a State-level applied mathematics center in Shenzhen.

Fang, who has spent his whole life in mathematics research, is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He came to Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) last year and took the lead in building the Shenzhen Applied Mathematics Center.

The Shenzhen Applied Mathematics Center is one of the 13 centers that were approved by the Science and Technology Ministry in 2020. The center is led by SUSTech with the participation of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, CAS and China Electronics Technology Group. It is an important project which plays a key role in improving fundamental research in Shenzhen.

In the proposal, Fang suggested the city government provide solid support in building the mathematics center.

As a nonprofit project, the center can benefit from the government’s support in introducing talent, funding and providing research sites.

The center, serving as a fundamental research institute, is supposed to absorb talent from home and abroad, develop research in applied mathematics regionally, and boost the commercialization of science achievements. Fang told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that this is practiced at the Beijing center and can also be replicated in Shenzhen.

“Math is the foundation of natural science and technological innovation development. China is in an important moment in the transformation of science and technology and comes across many bottleneck issues in the various fields including artificial intelligence, materials, energy and information technology. Breakthroughs on these tasks have to integrate the knowledge of math and relevant subjects,” Fang told the Daily.

Apart from the suggestion to build the mathematics center, Fang has made some proposals in strengthening the subject of mathematics by fostering talented students.

Fang suggested the local governments select some universities and institutes that have obvious advantages in mathematics to cultivate outstanding students who are brilliant in math and comprehensive qualities.

He also suggested the State give strong support in developing high-quality talent in mathematics, and provide financial and policy support and grant more autonomy to higher education institutes in enrollment, cultivation and evaluation. Fang also suggested to encourage universities and institutes to explore joint cultivation modes according to international practice.

Before working in SUSTech, Fang taught in Capital Normal University in Beijing for more than a decade. He was also involved in the construction of the State-level applied mathematics center in Beijing. Now, he has a new startup in Shenzhen.

(Chen Siqi)