On April 9th, the Ministry of Education held the 2024 annual working conference of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction in Zhengzhou, which aimed to summarize work, analyze the situation, and promote high-quality development of universities from Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction. Wang Guangyan, a member of the Party Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Song Zhenghui, Vice Governor of Henan Province, was present and gave a welcoming address. Dong Zhaowei, Vice Governor, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Provincial Department of Education of Hebei Province, along with Yang Jie, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Autonomous Region's Department of Education, also attended the meeting. Relevant comrades from the National Development and Reform Commission's Social Development Department, the Ministry of Finance's Science, Education and Culture Department, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's Department of Education, and representatives from Fudan University, Zhengzhou University, Nanchang University, and Guizhou University participated in the meeting and gave presentations. IMU’s President Wu Limin attended the meeting.

Xu Zheng, Executive Vice President of Fudan University, focused on introducing specific practices and effectiveness that have helped IMU achieve high-quality development in his speech. Firstly, he emphasized the strengthening of mutual visits and exchanges, actively participating in planning and construction. Supporting IMU in establishing a Development Strategy Advisory Committee with four academicians (Jin Li, Xu Ningsheng, Zhao Dongyuan, and Zhao Guoping) invited to serve as members of the committee, providing strategic guidance and top-level design for IMU "Double First-Class" initiative. Secondly, he highlighted the importance of cadre exchanges and leveraging the role of high-level talents. Comrade Wu Limin was appointed as the Executive Vice President of IMU (later appointed as the President), and Comrade Hu Wei was appointed as the Dean of the College of Life Sciences and the Director of the Provincial and Ministerial Jointly Built National Key Laboratory for Grassland Livestock Reproductive Regulation and Breeding. Thirdly, he discussed focusing on platform construction to advance the development of distinctive disciplines. Academicians Jin Li and Zhao Dongyuan led the construction of the Institute of Biomedical Research and the Institute of Energy Materials Chemistry, respectively. Fourthly, he mentioned the sharing of teaching resources and the joint cultivation of students. Supporting the the construction of IMU’s Biological Science Top-Notch Student Training Program 2.0 base, accepting IMU’s selected graduate students for joint training at Fudan's College of Life Sciences. Among them, the doctoral student Gong Hongyu, as the co-first author, published research results in an international top journal in the field of metabolism research.

Vice Minister Wang Guangyan comprehensively summarized the achievements of the 14 universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction in recent years, and specifically mentioned the President Xi Jinping’s instructions during the visit to IMU on July 16, 2019,  which emphasized the need to "open up educational practices, develop through competition, and run a first-class university with distinctive characteristics." He fully affirmed IMU's efforts and effectiveness in implementing President Xi Jinping’s important instructions and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's ten specific measures to support IMU’s  "Double First-Class" initiative, forging a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation, and strengthening the construction of think tanks. At the same time, he set clear requirements for the universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction to continue to advance the high-quality development of the Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction. Firstly, to implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, leveraging the unique advantages of universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction in nurturing talent, building a new ecosystem and pattern for education, and effectively addressing the core issues of building an educationally strong nation. Secondly, to lead industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, encouraging universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction to build strong "major platforms," strive for "major projects," produce "major results," actively cultivate new quality productivity, and serve the construction of regional innovation and development hubs. Thirdly, to benchmark against the "two pioneering and trial" initiatives, explore the cultivation of top-notch talents, build regional talent centers, optimize and adjust the layout of disciplines, serve as pioneers for local service, and better fulfill the responsibilities of leading universities. Fourthly, to play a leading role in culture, provide good policy advisory services, enhance the level of influence, and better drive regional quality improvements. Fifthly, to serve China's distinctive major-country diplomacy, play the role of bridges and links in international cooperation and exchanges among the universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction and enhance the level of opening up in education. Sixthly, to open up new tracks in digital education to empower the digital transformation of research platforms, shape new advantages for universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction, and solidify the digital foundation for high-quality development.

Next, IMU will thoroughly implement the spirit of this meeting, focus on the construction of a strong educational country, and promote the work of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction from a higher starting point. In accordance with the requirements of the "Opinions on Deepening the Work of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction and Promoting the High-Quality Development of Universities of Ministry-Provincial Joint Construction", IMU will adjust and optimize the structure of disciplines and specialties, focusing on the construction of discipline groups such as biology, ecology, and ethnology, and thoroughly implement the strategy of strengthening IMU with talented individuals. IMU will spare no effort to create large-scale research facilities (platforms) such as the Grassland Livestock Germplasm Innovation and Breeding Base, Biomedical Research Institute, Energy Materials Chemistry Research Institute, and the Base for Forging a Strong Sense of Community of the Chinese Nation. IMU will focus on constructing national key laboratories such as the Grassland Livestock Breeding National Key Laboratory and the Grassland Ecological Protection and Utilization National Key Laboratory, comprehensively enhance the construction level of advantageous and characteristic disciplines such as biology, ecology, ethnology, and material chemistry, continuously strengthen the sense of responsibility, urgency, and mission to serve high-quality development, and strive to answer the epochal questions of "What role does education play in building a strong country?" and "What role does IMU play in building a strong region?", thereby continuously enhancing its support and contribution to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's two major tasks.

Comrades in charge of the Development Planning Department for the Education Department of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the Development Planning Department of IMU accompanied the attendees.