NADS Ranks 1st in Top 100 University Think Tanks in China

On January 19, 2018, the press conference of "Chinese University Think Tank Development Report (2017)" hosted by Zhejiang University of Technology and co-organized by Global Think Tank Research Center, Zhejiang University of Technology, was held in Beijing. Among the Top 100 University Think Tanks in China released in the same period, National Academy of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China (NADS) topped the list and won the first place in the Top 30 of Top Think Tanks in Chinese Universities.

As a special guest, Zheng Shuquan, deputy party secretary of Renmin University of China attended the conference. Mr. Zheng pointed that think tanks such as NADS among the list of Top 100 University Think Tanks in China, have accomplished impressive achievements in the past years. Such achievements were also the result made by Renmin University of China by playing its discipline advantage and finishing a series of institutional mechanism reforms. He insisted that the building of new university think tanks with Chinese characteristics should firstly aiming at serving the development of the country. Second, think tank research should adhere to the problem-oriented, to apply research, rather than purely academic research. Third, the construction of university think tanks should rely on the discipline and academic resources of the university. Fourth, the construction of those think tanks should be guaranteed by the innovative institutional mechanisms. Finally, the construction of university think tanks should rely on professionals as well. High-quality think tanks and high-quality research product are ultimately derived from talent. Mr. Zheng mentioned the report of the 19th CPC National Congress that stresses to deepen the study of Marxism Theory, to speed up the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics as well as China’s new type of think tank, which not only sets new requirements for the construction of new think-tanks with Chinese characteristics in the new era, but also points out the development direction for the construction of university think tanks and other types of think tanks as well. As a participant and practitioner in the construction of a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics, Renmin University of China will also take socialist thoughts with Chinese characteristics in the new era and the message of the 80th anniversary as guidance, and further strengthen the building of think tanks in order to make more contributions to the party and government in decision-making.

It is reported that the research team of Global Think Tank Research Center, Zhejiang University of Technology, innovatively used the “three-dimensional (FAC) model” and its evaluation index system to analyze 200 university think tanks selected from 1000 institutions in nationwide. After the processes of taking topical surveys, collecting data, comparing strength, grading the matching degree, searching for the activity degree, analyzing the degree of contribution, setting weights, and integrating indicator data, the list of Top 100 University Think Tanks in China finally formed. It is worth noticing that it is also the first version of list remarking top 100 Chinese university think tanks. According to the research team, NADS, National School of Development at Peking University (NSD), National Conditions Research Institute, Tsinghua University, Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan University Institute of International Law, and other 30 institutions with Chinese characteristics have played leading roles and became China’s top think tanks.

With quality resources integrated by Renmin University of China, NADS started its constitution in 2012 and was formally established in June 2013. In the end of 2014, NADS initiated a full reconstruction in response to the state's call for building a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics, and in 2015, NADS became one of China’s first batch of 25 pilot units for national high-end think tank construction.

The National Academy of Development and Strategy took the responsibility system of the president under the leadership of the Council, with Jin Nuo, Party Secretary of Renmin University of China, as Board Chairman, and Liu Wei, President of Renmin University of China, as Dean. Since the NADS founding, it has relied on the profound academic, personnel, information and international support system of RUC, innovated and explored system and structure in the fields like governance system, personnel selection, incentive mechanism, achievement evaluation, think tank fund system, internal reference system, communication network and support platform and established sustainable innovation system.

Since September 2013, NADS has continuously submitted over 800 decision-making consulting results to the Party and the State. Each year, it has obtained dozens of important instructions from the Party and State leaders. A considerable number of the research results have been directly translated into government important decisions. In the meantime, through "special lecture" and "high-level decision-making consultation meeting," NADS experts have directly offered their advice to the Party and State leaders and participated in high-end decision-making. Since 2017, NADS has earnestly implemented the requirements of “high-end think tank serves local government” by relevant departments of Central Committee and established the Qingdao Branch of the NADS and the Yibin Branch, cooperated profoundly with local governments in Sichuan, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. Moreover, NADS took every effort to build local observation points, innovate institutional mechanisms, extend local cooperation networks, striving to establish a two-way communication channel between the central government and local governments.