A NEW university positioning itself as a key talent pipeline for the technological and industrial ambitions of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) was officially inaugurated in Dongguan on Saturday.

The establishment of Great Bay University is set to bolster the development of new quality productive forces, technological innovation, and emerging industries within the region, according to its founding president Tian Gang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“The university is defined as a high-level research institution that is science and engineering-based, compact, and elite,” Tian stated at the inauguration ceremony in Dongguan, a major global manufacturing hub.

Aligned with the GBA’s strategic advantages and developmental needs, the university will concentrate on six key disciplines: materials science, advanced engineering, life sciences, information science and technology, fundamental science, and financial management. Its mission is to cultivate top-tier, research-oriented talent capable of solving complex problems and driving innovation.

The campus is located near Songshan Lake within the pilot zone of the GBA’s Comprehensive National Science Center. It neighbors major scientific installations, including the world-leading China Spallation Neutron Source and the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory. A cluster of leading enterprises, such as Huawei, are also situated nearby.

The university received official approval from the Ministry of Education on June 19. It began operations in August, welcoming its first cohort of 80 students from 53 middle schools across 16 cities in Guangdong.

In a distinctive approach to education, first-year students do not declare a major, focusing instead on broad academic exploration.

“Starting from their second year, they can freely choose their majors and pursue interdisciplinary minor programs,” Tian explained.

The university is building a globally competitive faculty, having already recruited over 300 researchers — all hold doctoral degrees and over 70% possess overseas study or work experience.                                         (SD News)