Continuing and Speeding up the " 211 Project" to Enhance HEIs' Capabilities in Knowledge Innovation

17. The "211 Project" started in l995 focuses on the priority development of a number of higher education institutions and fields of study. This Project has already laid an important foundation for training creative and innovative talents and developing the state innovation system. With the advent of the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the Project has entered a substantially constructive stage. Efforts should be made to ensure the completion of the first phase of the "211 Project" by the year 2000, and to initiate on this basis the second phase of the project for further improvement of the knowledge innovation capability and research level in HEIs.

The funds needed for the second phase should still be jointly raised by the central government, all the sectors concerned local governments and the HEIs concerned£® The intensity of investment contributed by the central government will be no less than that of the first phase. This part of funding is mainly used to strengthen those programs already initiated for developing selected fields of study. Project management should be improved to ensure cost-effectiveness of the fund used.