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Volume 1, Issue 1
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Abstract

Abstract

This paper examines the role of China’s university–industry integration (UII) policies and practices in transforming the country’s educational landscape, with a particular focus on their function as a dynamic interface between knowledge production and policy. The paper draws on an analysis of policy documents, case studies and relevant literature, as well as on the exploration of conceptual innovations emerging from the Chinese context. It argues that UII has not only evolved into a key mechanism for aligning education with the demands of a rapidly changing economy, but it also effectively illustrates the special Chinese model of knowledge-policy/practice nexus (KPPN). It highlights the distinctive features of China’s UII policy environment, including its experimental nature, adaptability to local contexts, and integration with broader strategies of sustainable development and innovation. Analysing the dynamics of creating and using knowledge, as well as the relationship between various knowledge producers and users, it pays special attention to the role of embedded epistemic communities and instrumental epistemologies in shaping UII practices and discourses. The study contributes to the understanding of how educational systems can become more flexible, contextualised, and sustainable by engaging in deeper forms of collaboration with industry and government actors. It also contributes to understanding the nature of knowledge production and utilisation in a specific education policy area.

© Gábor Halász & Min Huang
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2025-10-01
2025-12-14
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Using knowledge to enhance policy innovation: the case of integrating education with industry in China
EJEP 1, 1 (2025); https://doi.org/10.5117/EJEP2025.1.002.HALA
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Keyword(s): Chinese education policy; deliberative democracy; higher education reform; knowledge mobilisation; knowledge-policy/practice nexus; university-industry cooperation; university-industry integration
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