China pushes higher education reform with focus on tech and industry

China will launch a new round of its "Double World-Class" project in 2026 as part of broader efforts to optimize the higher education landscape, the Ministry of Education announced on Thursday.

The initiative, aimed at developing world-class universities and disciplines, will enter a fresh phase focusing on guiding research-oriented universities to closely align with technological innovation and industrial development.

According to the ministry's national education work conference for 2026, advancing classified reforms for different types of higher education institutions is set as a major strategic task. The second phase of the initiative, announced in 2022, includes 147 universities the country aims to build into world-class institutions by mid-century.

Research universities will concentrate on sci-tech entrepreneurship and industry, while applied universities will be steered to connect with key regional strategies and serve socio-economic needs.

The ministry also emphasized strengthening education support for science, technology, and talent development to boost the overall efficiency of the national innovation system. Key measures include launching the construction of national interdisciplinary centers, improving the network for transforming scientific and technological achievements in universities, and exploring new models for cultivating top-notch talent in critical fields.