Credit： Central South University
Central South University (CSU) has developed a strong academic reputation in nonferrous metals, rail transit and medicine. It has the world’s most comprehensive academic range in the study of nonferrous metallurgy, covering all the relevant subjects from geology and mining, to materials and control sciences. Its metallurgical engineering and mining engineering programmes are rated second in their relevant categories of the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The rail transit cluster, supported by strong civil engineering and transportation programmes, leads in both theoretical and applied research, particularly on rail aerodynamics, crash testing, and train safety technologies. Its comprehensive research makes it a valuable contributor to China’s high-speed railway construction.
CSU’s biomedical science cluster, with clinical medicine at the core, has a global reputation for its quality research and health services. Its researchers spearheaded pharmacogenomics research, which aims for effective treatment tailored to a patient’s genetic makeup. They have also built large repositories of genetic resources for biomedical research.
An engine for industrial growth
Finding solutions to key technical industrial challenges and serving social and economic needs underpin research activities at CSU. Its innovations are driving relevant industries and regional development. The university set up a system of allocating profit to promote translation of research results. This has incentivized researchers to establish more than 150 companies, licensing more than 3,000 technologies, including three 100 million-plus RMB deals in 2018 alone. These technologies include the fabrication of wrought magnesium alloys, and the development of novel cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Another example is the electrochemical method, developed by CSU researchers, for high-efficiency lithium extraction from salt-lake brines. The technology was licensed to a Shanghai-based company for 105 million RMB.
These research results have also brought CSU more than 90 national science and technology awards, including 14 first-prize awards since 2000. Nine results were selected into the ‘top 10 science and technology progresses by Chinese universities’.
CSU’s educational model is also characterized by integration with industrial development. The university has enhanced industrial collaboration and practical education. Its training programmes incorporate general entrepreneurship with specialised knowledge training. Renowned industrial leaders and innovative talents have been nurtured at CSU, including many eminent scientists. Its alumni are well represented among leaders of large private or state-owned enterprises in nonferrous metals, as well as in management teams of China’s railway industry.
Going global
Selected for the national ‘double first-class’ initiative in 2017, CSU is well on the way to becoming a world-class university. Its efforts include establishing long-term cooperation with more than 200 universities and research institutes in 30-plus countries and regions, ranging from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. It has also built partnerships with multinational enterprises. CSU is striving to gather the world’s brightest researchers, and produces talented professionals for industry, driving societal development.