As a vital component of China's higher education system, vocational undergraduate education serves as a crucial bridge connecting human capital supply with regional industrial demands. Building upon theories of human capital, growth poles, and triple helix innovation, this study employs panel data from 28 vocational universities across six major regions (2020-2023) to construct a two-way fixed-effects econometric model. Through three analytical dimensions—human capital supply, science and technology innovation drive, and industrial service alignment—we empirically examine the contribution mechanisms and distinctive characteristics of vocational undergraduate institutions in regional development. The analysis reveals that full-time faculty size, research funding received, and patent approvals significantly enhance regional industrial innovation capabilities. Meanwhile, student-to-faculty ratios and per-student educational expenditure indirectly boost regional economic growth by improving applied talent cultivation quality. Notably, the contributions of regional technology service personnel numbers and service expenditure to industrial upgrading exhibit regional heterogeneity. Based on these findings, we propose differentiated development strategies for vocational undergraduate institutions, providing theoretical foundations and practical references for optimizing vocational education resource allocation and advancing industry-education integration across regions.
Liyang Huang (Sun,) studied this question.