Specialists who attended this symposium included Mr. Tang Min, former Asian Development Bank (ADB) Chief Economist, Counsellor of the State Council, Executive Vice Chairman of Youchange China Social Entrepreneur Foundation; Academician Qian Xuhong, former President of East China University of Science and Technology; Academician Qian Feng, member of The National Committee Of The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology; Ms. Zuo Xiaolei, Chief Economist and Chief CEO Consultant of China Galaxy Securities Co., Ltd. ; Mr. Zhou Mansheng, Deputy Director and Researcher of Consultative Committee of National Center for Education Development Research under Ministry of Education, Professor of Beijing Normal University; Professor Ying Fangtian, member of Committee of Teaching Guidance of National Center for Education Development Research under Ministry of Education and Vice Dean of International Design Institute at Zhejiang University; Doctor Li Wei, Professional of 1,000 Talents Program, Dean of Research Institute for Intellectual Economy at Zhejiang University of Technology, etc.
Academician Chen Shiyi, President of SUSTech, attended the symposium and made his opening remarks. President Chen Shiyi introduced the vision and goals of Shenzhen and SUSTech concerning the development of innovation and entrepreneurship education as well as abundant entrepreneurship resources and enabling environment in Shenzhen and even the Pearl River Delta. President Chen Shiyi hoped that by innovation and entrepreneurship education, unique educational features of SUSTech will come into being, and entrepreneurial spirit will penetrate into students’ and faculties’ minds.
Academician Liu Ke, Dean of the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, chaired the symposium. Academician Liu Ke expected that more successful experience can be included and more talents can participate in the implementation of construction schemes and operation guidelines of the institute.
During their addresses and discussions, specialists put forward examples and guidance from multiple aspects in terms of the construction of the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and teaching direction in the future.
Open Education
Specialists all agree that innovation and entrepreneurship education in SUSTech should not only be limited in pure knowledge education on campus, but also should go outside to Shenzhen, an open entrepreneurship city. SUSTech should bring in practical experience from a host of enterprises in Shenzhen and other parts of Guangdong Province and integrate itself into the atmosphere of “mass innovation and entrepreneurship”, which will enable it to become a think tank in Shenzhen, “the Chinese Silicon Valley”, as well as cultivate more talents in this field.
Advocate Entrepreneurial Spirit
Entrepreneurship education does not require students to start up their own business right after graduation. Instead, it advocates entrepreneurial spirit. Students are taught to enhance the awareness of entrepreneurship and encouraged to innovate and start up their business. Apart from a number of relevant public courses, universities and colleges can also encourage students via various channels, such as lectures given by successful entrepreneurs and practical activities sponsored by schools.
Keep Pace with Industrial Design
Industrial design serves as a necessary path of transforming application technology into products. Application of a certain kind of technology in various fields depends on multi-dimensional industrial design. At an early stage after its establishment, the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship had introduced the discipline of industrial design, which not only provides students who need to start up their business with convenience, but also cultivates and offers talents and human resources for start-up enterprises.
Focus on Transformation of High-End Technological Outcomes
When it comes to the practice of innovation and entrepreneurship, specialists all believe that universities and colleges should focus on technology-intensive industries instead of labor-intensive ones. Although it is difficult for students to come up with great innovation in their short-term higher education period, they can learn and grasp application technology from their professors and transform it into products. The Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship can promote students to learn and practice in R&D bases. By promoting students to start up their business, SUSTech will be able to introduce their technology to the society and build its own brand in the meantime.
Integrate Social Resources to Jointly Boost Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education
Innovation and entrepreneurship education is an emerging discipline without authorized textbooks. The Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship can consider introducing a few successful courses from universities and colleges from home and abroad, invite a number of excellent entrepreneurs to give lectures, and share the courses and lectures to China and even the world in the form of MOOC. This not only enriches SUSTech’s educational resources and improves its disciplinary system, but also greatly boosts its brand effect among the public.
Interdisciplinary Technological R&D Platform Is the Most Powerful Educational Practice Base
The Interdisciplinary Technological R&D Platform under the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship aims to attract experts with industrialized techniques to start up business with students and cultivate future entrepreneurs. SUSTech’s brand new patterns and features of innovation and entrepreneurship education are: combining the enterprise cluster linked by SUSTech specialists and professors with educational practice of the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, setting up a powerful educational practice base and cultivating talents with entrepreneurial ideal and experience.
