Shenzhen puts big bucks into university project

The southern boomtown of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is set to invest approximately 6 billion yuan ($840 million) in the initial construction phase of the new Shenzhen Ocean University campus, with completion expected by 2026.

Located in the scenic Dapeng district, the university's campus spans 66.70 hectares, with 40.12 hectares designated for construction.

Surrounded by mountains and the sea, the project is advancing rapidly. According to Yang Runhao, a manager on the construction team, about 90 percent of the foundations and infrastructure for the academic research and education area have been completed, as have about 60 percent of the student dormitory buildings.

The second phase of the project will include a dock and research vessels, while a marine museum is planned for the third phase.

Once fully completed, the university should be able to accommodate 8,000 students.

SOU is expected to play a pivotal role in transforming Shenzhen into a global ocean hub, aligning with national guidelines that support the city's efforts to become a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The university aims to develop itself into a world-class institution with top-tier disciplines, focusing on the marine industry and global maritime governance.

Over the past four decades, Shenzhen has evolved from a small fishing village into an international metropolis. Despite its rapid economic growth, the city has lagged in developing top-tier universities, a relative weakness for an innovation hub of its stature.

In the past decade, Shenzhen has accelerated efforts to enhance its higher education landscape, building nine new universities and focusing on both expansion and quality improvement. By May, the city was home to 17 universities, with a full-time student population of around 155,000.

Earlier this year, the establishment of the Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology was approved by the Ministry of Education, with the goal of becoming a leading science and technology institution in China.

Additional institutions, including the University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and the schools of medicine and music at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, are also in development.

Despite these advances, Shenzhen still needs to improve the quality of its higher education offerings. Currently, only one local university is included in the national list of world-class universities and academic disciplines.

Lu Xiaozhong, dean of the Institute of Advanced Study of Education Development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at South China Normal University, emphasized the need for higher education in Shenzhen to align with local socioeconomic development, as well as demographic shifts.

He urged local universities to seize opportunities to elevate the quality of their academic programs and talent cultivation models.

Lin Jian, head of the preparatory team for SOU, acknowledged that Shenzhen currently lacks sufficient marine scientific talent compared to other coastal cities such as Qingdao in Shandong province, Xiamen in Fujian province and Shanghai.

He stressed the importance of highlighting Shenzhen's unique strengths in building a new university dedicated to ocean studies, and said SOU will leverage Shenzhen's innovative culture and technological prowess to establish cutting-edge marine engineering and technology disciplines.