Hefei Declaration issued to boost university innovation

The opening of the 3rd China University Scientific and Technological Achievement Fair – at the Anhui Innovation Pavilion on Dec 18 – witnessed the signing of several major projects and the issuing of the Hefei Declaration which is designed to foster university innovation.

The declaration outlined the vision of Hefei – the capital of East China's Anhui province – to build a new mechanism. That's for transforming university achievements, removing institutional barriers, empowering researchers – and promoting the integration of education, personnel, innovation, and industry supply chains.

It also called for creating a new paradigm. This will aim to deepen the integration of industry and education – as well as attract the scientific and technological strength of high-level universities – focusing on key areas and links, building university-enterprise innovation alliances, and cultivating industries along the way.

Moreover, it proposed opening a new mode for precise liaisons between universities and enterprises – building databases of university achievements and enterprise demands, providing efficient services, and supporting the development of economically weak areas.

In addition, it suggested constructing a new platform for transforming sci-tech advances. This would give full play to the resource advantages of universities – tackling key core technologies and bottlenecks and development problems.

It also advocated opening a new path for allocating innovative elements, as well as promoting the coordinated development of education, science technology, and talent.

In so doing, that's expected to support the construction of the Outstanding Chinese Scientists Innovation Center in Hefei, the build-out of the Grand Union of Innovation to a high quality, and the enhancement of the city's overall international influence and competitiveness.