With its strong research ability and international vision, the enterprising faculty at University of Science and Technology of China is set to take the college to a new level of scientific innovation.

The prestigious institution in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, is China's top research university and has an outstanding track record in academic research. It has put building a top-quality faculty at the top of its development agenda.

USTC has ranked among the top universities in China in recent years for the number of high-level professionals it has on staff, and the number continues to increase annually. Today, its faculty includes 422 high-level professionals.

The structure of the team has also been optimized, with young, talented researchers now making up 50 percent.

"We've long explored the most effective ways for cultivating talent and have been working hard to create a favorable environment for career development," said Huang Fang, deputy director of human resources at USTC.

Huang said the university puts a lot of effort into supporting researchers and scholars to realize their aspirations, such as by providing competitive incentives, an interactive research environment, various supporting facilities and rich scientific resources.

Huang said the young talent program can bring in frontier knowledge and advanced ideas from top schools in Europe and North America.

"The program not only helps broaden students' vision and expand overseas exchanges but also helps break the barriers in academic research and increases USTC's international competitiveness," Huang said.

USTC has many other recruiting programs, too, with different offers to attract experts and professionals from around the world, such as for master-chair professors, contract positions for research professors and associate professors, and regular two-year positions for postdoctoral researchers and international visiting professors.

In addition to attracting talents from overseas, USTC also pays close attention to developing young professionals from China. Each year, it sponsors young faculty members to study and research at first-class institutions and laboratories at home and abroad.

Since launching the overseas training plan in 2009, 345 young faculty members have been sent to study abroad. This plan aims to improve their academic level, especially in the areas of engineering and information, the university said.