Project 211. Project 985. Do you know about these two Chinese government-run education projects? If you don't, you should. Read on to learn more.
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Project 211 was first announced in 1993 and implemented in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of China. The name Project 211 comes from an abbreviation of the 21st century and 100—the approximate number of participating universities. This was the first project undertaken by the Chinese government in the higher education field since 1949. The Project was launched with the goal of developing a network of comprehensive research universities and academic disciplines that are able to produce world-class research and teaching, and increase the reputation of Chinese higher education worldwide.
During the first phase of this project (1996-2000), the Project gave Chinese universities nearly $2.2 billion in priority government funding. This funding aimed to improve universities’ facilities and curricula, with the expectation that they will train the next generation of high-level professional manpower in the sectors key to China’s future development. Chinese universities have to meet scientific, technical and HR standards, offer set advanced programs, and have a reputation at both the national and international levels.
Today, China has 112 universities and institutions (about 6% percent) designated as Project 211 institutions. These schools currently take on the responsibility of training four-fifths of PhD students and two-thirds of graduate students (Edinburgh, 2011).
The project identified 80 key academic disciplinary areas and 602 specializations. Particular emphasis has been placed on programs that will promote the country’s social and economic development, scientific and technological advancement, and national defense system. Of the 602 specializations identified by the government for Project 211 funding, 255 (42%) are in engineering and technological science, 89 (15%) are in fundamental science, 66 (11%) are in health and medicine, 62 (10%) are in humanities, 57 (10%) are in law and economics, 42 (7%) are in environmental sciences and 31 (5%) are in agricultural sciences (World Education News&Reviews, 2006).
Project 985
Supplementing Project 211, Project 985 was initiated on May 8, 1998 on the 100th anniversary of Peking University. This project was named after the date of the announcement, May 1998, or 98/5, according to the Chinese date format. During its first phase, funding was made available to an elite group of nine universities, which later formed the C9 League. The second phase of Project 985, launched in 2004, widened the number of universities to a total number of 39. This project involves both national and local governments allocating large amounts of funding to the selected universities. In addition to developing new research centers, and improving teaching qualities and facilities, much of the 985 funding is being used to hold international conferences, attract world-renowned faculty and visiting scholars, and help Chinese faculty attend conferences abroad. Through these international networking opportunities Chinese universities are expanding ways to partner with institutions around the world.
C9 League
The first nine universities selected for Project 985 formed the C9 League in October 2009, which is referred to as the Chinese equivalent of the US Ivy League. These universities have about 3 percent of the nation’s research and development personnel, but receive about 10 percent of China’s R&D expenditures. They consistently generate more than 20 percent of the nation’s output of journal articles, and these papers have attracted approximately 30 percent of China’s total citations (Thomson Reuters, 2011).
