Education-Driven and Industrial Symbiosis: Empirical Evidence from the Coupling of Higher Education Development and Industrial Upgrading in China

Based on the interaction mechanism between higher education and industrial structure, this paper constructs an evaluation index system for the higher education development (HED) and the industrial upgrading (IU) by integrating their core characteristics. Using the entropy weight method, TOPSIS method, and coupling coordination model, as well as Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), it measures the comprehensive development levels and synergistic level of HED and IU in Chinese provinces (cities) from 2009 to 2020 and explores their spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. The findings reveal the following: (1) The overall level of China’s HED and IU shows an upward trend, but the absolute scores remain low, with significant regional disparities, and are divided into Balanced Development, Structural Imbalance, Industry-Supported, and Education-Supported. (2) The interaction between HED and IU is progressing toward a higher level, characterized by a reduction in low-value regions and a narrowing of regional disparities. However, the overall coordination remains in a “running-in stage”. (3) The eastern region has formed a virtuous cycle of interaction. The central region has achieved rapid improvement, benefiting from policy support, while the western region, constrained by resource limitations and policy lag, experiences slower progress in coordination. The northeastern region, lacking coupling momentum, exhibits long-term stagnation at a low level.