Challenges and Strategies for High-Quality Development of Local Application-Oriented Universities Under the Background of Building a Leading Country in Education

Under the context of the in-depth implementation of the strategy to build China into a leading country in education, local application-oriented universities, as critical nodes in regional innovation ecosystems, directly influence the organic integration of education chains, talent chains, and industry chains. Currently, these institutions face multiple structural contradictions in serving regional economic transformation and upgrading. In evaluation orientation, traditional academic assessment systems conflict with application-oriented positioning, resulting in low commercialization rates for research achievements. Regarding discipline development, there is insufficient alignment between academic programs and regional strategic emerging industries, with notable gaps in cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence and digital economy. In talent cultivation, curriculum systems mismatch industry competency standards, compounded by persistent weaknesses in practical teaching. At the industry-education integration level, university-enterprise collaborations predominantly remain symbolic agreements without substantive corporate participation in talent development processes. Additionally, the proportion of “dual-qualified and dual-capable” faculty members (with both academic and industrial expertise) remains low, coupled with widespread deficiencies in industrial practical experience. Through analyzing national policy evolution and regional case studies, this paper reveals the current status and challenges of local application-oriented universities, proposing systematic reform pathways. Guided by policy innovations and institutional mechanisms, such universities can transition from “passive adaptation” to “value co-creation”, offering replicable practical models for advancing China’s education power strategy.