In September 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission released the detailed lists of universities and disciplines to be developed under China’s Double First-Class [Pinyin: shuāng yī liú] initiative. The Double First-Class initiative is China’s largest education development scheme to date, aimed at increasing the global recognition of China’s university system by 2049 (the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China). The plan was first announced in November 2015 and the implementation plan was issued in January 2017.

 

Under this initiative, 42 universities have been identified as having the potential to develop as world class, including 36 universities categorised as type A (already well on the way to being world class) and 6 universities as type B (considered to have the potential to be world class). In addition, 465 disciplines from 140 universities (including the group of 42) are also identified as having the potential to become world class.

 

The list of 42 universities includes all 39 of the former “985” project universities, plus three additional universities from the former “211” project: Zhengzhou University (Henan), Yunnan University (Yunnan) and Xinjiang University (Xinjiang). The discipline development list is composed mainly of former “985” and “211” project universities, with an additional 25 non “211” project universities that have strengths in particular fields.

 

The Double First-Class initiative covers all provinces and regions in mainland China, with a broader geographical spread than the former “985” and “211” projects. This preferential policy support towards regional areas is designed to help achieve the national education development goal of having more balanced and equitable education for all. However, the majority of disciplines to be developed are still clustered in major cosmopolitan areas in the eastern region of China. Beijing topped the chart with 162 disciplines, followed by Shanghai with 57 and Jiangsu with 43.  These three provinces together have more than half of the total disciplines to be developed.

 

Australian universities have developed strong partnerships with Chinese universities over the years, and should expect to see partners included in the Double First-Class rise in international rankings, with substantial support afforded by the initiative.  An analysis of Universities Australia data shows that almost 60% of the active institutional agreements in 2016 between Australian and Chinese universities are with universities that are included in the initiative, and of the 36 Australian Studies Centres established across China, 13 are located in Double First-Class universities.

 

The following lists of disciplines can assist Australian universities and researchers to identify potential education and research partners.

 

For further enquiries, please contact the Education and Research Section of the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

 

 

 

 “Double First-Class” initiative University development list

#	Province	University Name	Type	Previous Status
1	Anhui	University of Science and Technology of China	A	985 & 211
2	Beijing	Beihang University	A	985 & 211
3	Beijing	Beijing Institute of Technology	A	985 & 211
4	Beijing	Beijing Normal University	A	985 & 211
5	Beijing	China Agricultural University	A	985 & 211
6	Beijing	Peking University*	A	985 & 211
7	Beijing	Renmin University of China*	A	985 & 211
8	Beijing	Tsinghua University*	A	985 & 211
9	Beijing	Minzu University of China	A	985 & 211
10	Chongqing	Chongqing University	A	985 & 211
11	Fujian	Xiamen University*	A	985 & 211
12	Gansu	Lanzhou University	A	985 & 211
13	Guangdong	South China University of Technology	A	985 & 211
14	Guangdong	Sun Yat-sen University*	A	985 & 211
15	Heilongjiang	Harbin Institute of Technology*	A	985 & 211
16	Hubei	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	A	985 & 211
17	Hubei	Wuhan University*	A	985 & 211
18	Hunan	Central South University	A	985 & 211
19	Hunan	National University of Defense Technology	A	985 & 211
20	Jiangsu	Nanjing University*	A	985 & 211
21	Jiangsu	Southeast University	A	985 & 211
22	Jilin	Jilin University	A	985 & 211
23	Liaoning	Dalian University of Technology	A	985 & 211
24	Shaanxi	Northwestern Polytechnical University	A	985 & 211
25	Shaanxi	Xi'an Jiaotong University	A	985 & 211
26	Shandong	Ocean University of China	A	985 & 211
27	Shandong	Shandong University	A	985 & 211
28	Shanghai	East China Normal University*	A	985 & 211
29	Shanghai	Fudan University	A	985 & 211
30	Shanghai	Shanghai Jiao Tong University*	A	985 & 211
31	Shanghai	Tongji University	A	985 & 211
32	Sichuan	Sichuan University	A	985 & 211
33	Sichuan	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	A	985 & 211
34	Tianjin	Nankai University*	A	985 & 211
35	Tianjin	Tianjin University	A	985 & 211
36	Zhejiang	Zhejiang University*	A	985 & 211
37	Hunan	Hunan University	B	985 & 211
38	Liaoning	Northeastern University*	B	985 & 211
39	Shaanxi	Northwest A&F University	B	985 & 211
40	Henan	Zhengzhou University	B	211
41	Xinjiang	Xinjiang University	B	211
42	Yunnan	Yunnan University	B	211

*indicates that the university hosts an Australian Studies Centre (ASC) as of November 2017