Xia Yuanjie, Yang Mei

szrbgracexia@126.com

PRESIDENTS from seven of the world’s prestigious universities shared their insights and plans about constructing Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) into first-class innovative talent hubs at the World University Presidents Forum in Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Nanshan District, yesterday.

The event is one of the conferences held during the ongoing China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) 2021. The forum, hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, invited professionals and experts, including SUSTech’s president Xue Qikun, University of Macao’s (UM) president Song Yonghua, the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) president Duan Chongzhi and the Georgia Institute of Technology’s (Georgia Tech) president Ángel Cabrera, to provide suggestions on how to cultivate internationally competitive talents.

At the forum, Xue said that high-end talents, first-class universities and disciplines are more urgently needed than ever. From his point of view, supporting basic and applied basic research, and constructing first-class universities, disciplines and large-scale scientific facilities are highly significant in developing a quality workforce in the new era.

Cabrera introduced Georgia Tech’s talent training programs in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. He expressed confidence that his school, one of the world’s top 10 engineering universities, can construct Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI), Tianjin University, into another exemplary engineering higher educational institution.

GTSI was jointly established by Georgia Tech and Tianjin University in 2020, offering master’s and doctoral degree programs in five engineering subjects, such as electrical and computer engineering.

The heads of UM and CUHK vowed to accelerate the commercialization of research and innovative achievements, and the establishment of interdisciplinary programs. These world-leading schools are striving to nurture innovative talents in response to the GBA’s industrial and market demands.

Zhou Yu, president of Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, and Li Qingquan, president of Shenzhen University, also delivered speeches at the forum.

Yesterday’s event is part of the first X-Lake Forum, which is committed to building a platform for the co-management of the GBA’s collaborative innovation ecology.