The Path to High-Quality Development of Universities in the Integrated Reform of Education, Science and Technology, and Talent Cultivation: A Perspective from “Investing in People”

As “Investing in People” emerges as a new national macro-policy orientation, a critical question arises: how can universities, positioned at the central nexus of education, science and technology, and talent cultivation, achieve high-quality development to underpin the integrated reform of these three pillars? To address this practical imperative, this paper first systematically demonstrates the role of universities as the core engine and their contemporary mission in this integrated reform from historical, theoretical, global, and higher education-specific dimensions. It then conducts an in-depth analysis of the current realities faced by universities, highlighting the structural challenges they encounter in areas such as the allocation of educational resources, research and innovation effectiveness, and the talent development ecosystem. In response to these challenges, the paper finally constructs a systematic framework for the high-quality development of universities. This framework proposes building an integrated education ecosystem through the synergy of “values-content-methods-evaluation”, establishing a research innovation ecosystem centered on the continuum of “basic research-key breakthroughs-transformation and application-feedback into education”, and fostering a talent development ecosystem through the synergistic cycle of “structure-paradigm-evaluation-resources”. The study indicates that through the coordinated advancement of these three pathways, universities can effectively translate the strategic concept of “Investing in People” into concrete practices at the micro level, thereby realizing high-quality development while fulfilling their mission as the pivotal hub for the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent.