In the new era, against the macro background of new productive forces, the higher education system, especially the practices of carbon-neutral talent development, is undergoing a profound supply-side structural reform. This paper conducts mixed-methods research focusing on policy orientation, case analysis, and quantitative statistics to systematically deconstruct the innovative mechanisms underlying the development of carbon neutrality disciplines. The study reveals that the innovation model for dual-carbon discipline construction in universities is centered on three key pillars: the reconstruction of a “technology-economy-policy” ternary knowledge network, the integration of innovation chains through a five-dimensional collaborative mechanism of “government-industry-academia-research-application,” and the reshaping of training systems based on a “micro-major-project-based-dual-mentorship” model. Drawing on a tracking study of 37 pilot universities, the empirical results of the innovation triangle model, along with the practical challenges faced in dual-carbon discipline construction, have led to the proposal of a three-stage policy framework encompassing “institutional breakthrough-resource restructuring-ecological evolution.” This framework provides significant guidance for universities in constructing dual-carbon disciplines and carbon neutrality talent development at their Xiong’an campuses. Also, this paper offers theoretical support and practical paradigms for higher education to serve the national dual-carbon strategy.
Xie et al. (Fri,) studied this question.