To fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), the Open University of China (OUC) is dedicated to embedding innovation education throughout all educational activities.
This initiative aims to enhance students' core competencies in innovation and entrepreneurship, foster high-quality talent equipped with innovative thinking and creativity, and significantly boost students' innovative spirit. Additionally, it promotes the profound integration of business education and innovation practice at the OUC.
On 25-26 April 2024, the School of Economics and Management at the OUC hosted the inaugural session of the Innovation Competition “Elites Training Camp” for Emerging Business Majors (hereafter referred to as "Training Camp"). Liu Xuanxuan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the OUC, attended the opening ceremony via video link. The event was chaired by Liu Zhifang, dean of the School of Economics and Management. The Training Camp was attended by more than 300 individuals, including teachers and trainees from the OUC headquarters and nearly 40 branches.
Liu Xuanxuan stated that the OUC places high importance on innovation and entrepreneurship education, integrating these skills into the core qualities of students. The inaugural session of the Training Camp represents another significant stride in the OUC’s exploration of innovation and entrepreneurship education, crucial for enhancing the quality of talent development in open education. She emphasised that to advance innovation and entrepreneurship education in open universities, it is essential first to establish the "OUC Model" of innovation and entrepreneurship education. The OUC should proactively explore new modes of talent development focused on innovation and entrepreneurship and develop a set of exemplary courses in this field. Additionally, the OUC should enhance the deep integration of industry and teaching in innovation and entrepreneurship. It is vital to refine ideas and leverage the training camp as a mechanism to promote such deep integration. Thirdly, it is necessary to support the effective transformation of high-quality outcomes by hiring professional advisors for in-depth guidance and fostering the successful application of these outcomes.
The Training Camp invited Professors Liu Dan from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) and Wang Yanru from the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) to deliver thematic lectures. Professor Liu Dan presented a lecture titled "Project Launch and Preparation Planning for Innovation Competition." She focused on interpreting the national competition's macro policies, sharing the successful experiences and models of representative schools, and discussing project incubation. Her insights provided new ideas for participants to further promote innovation and entrepreneurship education. Professor Wang Yanru delivered a lecture entitled "Project Polishing and Roadshow Skills," where she explained the rules of the Innovation Competition and concentrated on the techniques for refining projects and enhancing on-site presentations, offering valuable guidance for participants looking to improve their business plans and roadshow skills.
At the roadshow, 54 projects from 34 branches were showcased. Ten experts offered one-on-one guidance on these projects, providing valuable advice on improving project quality. The experts unanimously agreed that the projects in the Innovation Competition should emphasise their unique positioning and clarify their core competitiveness. They also recommended strengthening in-depth industry research to enhance project feasibility and effectively aligning project narratives with the national strategy.
The participants engaged in detailed discussions with experts on various topics, including how to select the right competition track and how to boost the enthusiasm of teachers and students for participating in the competition. They noted that the training was highly beneficial for project enhancement, future competition preparations, and improving innovation and entrepreneurship skills. The School of Economics and Management will leverage this training as a springboard to focus on developing students' core competencies. By emphasising innovation and entrepreneurship education, the school aims to enhance the quality of its talent development in open education.
Written by Lin Lin, Xu Jinhai, and photos by Lin Lin, OUC