Jiangsu announces plans on April 1 to bring up a group of application-oriented universities that will play a strong supporting role in regional and industrial development. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

The Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education announced plans on April 1 to bring up a group of application-oriented universities that will play a strong supporting role in regional and industrial development, local media outlets reported.

According to the plan, Jiangsu will strive to help 10 application-oriented universities and 100 such majors get included in the national "double first-class" project by 2025. The project was initiated in 2017 with the aim of cultivating an elite group of world leading schools and disciplines.

The plan also said that by 2035, Jiangsu will have achieved significant progress in application-oriented university development and work out a distinctive application-oriented higher education system.

To achieve these goals, Jiangsu will encourage colleges and universities to seek educational progress in its leading industries, as well as in emerging industries. It will set up about 100 university-industry cooperation brands during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), aiming to encourage universities and research institutes to establish more coordinated innovation platforms, technology transfer service platforms, as well as training bases.