In recent years, Yunnan University has integrated itself into the national strategy by serving the economic and social development of Yunnan. It has committed to "taking a foothold in the southwestern frontiers, serving the people of Yunnan, promoting academic strengths, and developing distinct features" and "extraordinary and frog-leaping development from a higher starting point".

It has four national bases for talent cultivation, 3 national experiment teaching model centers, 3 national training programs for excellent engineers, 1 national educational training center for excellent practical and inter-disciplinary legal professionals, 4 national innovation experiment areas for talent cultivation model as well as 1 national pilot software school. It also has 1 national key research base for humanities and social sciences, 1 national educational base for cultural quality of college students, 1 national research center for cultural industry, 1 research center for national scientific decision-making consultancy, 1 Sino-Africa partnered academic center under "Sino-Africa Think-Tank 10+10 Partnership Program", 1 provincial research center, 7 key research bases for philosophy and social sciences in Yunnan Province, 1 national key lab, 1 national model entity for technology transferring, 2 key labs jointly developed by Ministry of Education and Yunnan Province, 6 provincial key labs, 2 provincial bases for training of high-tech innovation talents, 4 provincial international joint research centers, 4 provincial engineering research centers, 5 provincial synergy innovation centers and 1 national Linux technological training and promotion center.