Increasing its ability to serve society is an important direction for rapid development of Fudan as a world-class university. The school hopes to fully take advantage of its multidisciplinary approach and outstanding talent, to improve its ability to serve the nation and society, and to make a greater contribution to economic and social development of the nation, society, and region through policy-making consultation, technology transfer and student entrepreneurship, medical service, and educational training, along with strengthening and expansion of extensive links and cooperation between scientific research institutions, business and industry, local governments, and all sections of society.
The school is currently promoting its strategy for serving the city of Shanghai, linking up with Shanghai’s “four centers,” completely supporting and merging with Zhangjiang Hi-tech Center and the Yangpu National Innovation Pilot Zone; coordinating school resources to broaden the fields of cooperation with local and business organizations, and more rapidly building and spreading industry-university research institutes; focusing on core technologies and key fields, and promoting technology transfer with the support of industrialization forums and platforms for information on industrialization; continuously expanding science and technology parks, and improving the function of the parks, in order to serve the development of the local economy; and perfecting the “ecological chain of entrepreneurship” from student entrepreneurial activities to high-tech enterprise incubation, promoting the “Fudan Enterprise” brand.
Commercialization and various collaborations at Fudan are primarily the responsibility of the Science and Technology Institute and of the Fudan Asset Management Company. The Science and Technology Institute is responsible for negotiations and management of horizontal science and technology projects, organization of cooperation between the school and local governments, industry, and research institutions, as well as technological results and intellectual rights management. The primary responsibility of Fudan Asset Management Company are commercialization of the school’s technological and intellectual results; incubation of technology startups; representing the school in management of stockholder rights and management assets at companies in which it has invested, to ensure maintenance or appreciation of the value of state-owned capital; to develop cooperation with local government and businesses through the science and technology parks and incubators, promoting development of the regional economy.
In 2005 when Fudan University was cooperating with Yangpu District Government in creating Yangpu Knowledge Innovation Community (KIC) that integrates campus, science parks and public community, University-Industry-Community interaction was developed where the University provides intellectual input to KIC including innovative and entrepreneur projects, talents and means. The science park is a place where all walks from students, faculty to general public demonstrate the entrepreneurship and is a value-added economic development. The public community offers public services to KIC to creative a more desirable living and exchanging environment. Over years, KIC has become a success model of university serving society in China.
In May 2001, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education jointly approved Fudan University’s Science Center among the first group of National University Science and Technology Centers. The Science and Technology Center is operated by Fudan Science and Technology Center LLC, and implements the concept of “joint action in the three regions,” promoting the incubation and catalyst centers, implementing the three strategies of knowledge services, resource integration, and internationalization, and developing innovation services through the socialization operating model, exploring an approach to building university science and technology centers which is characteristic of Fudan. It was placed at the forefront of nationwide assessments by the ministries of science and technology and of education.
Currently 480 enterprises make up the Science and Technology Center, of which about 60% are electronic information enterprises. Fudan is a financial backer or holds shares in 40% of the park’s enterprises. The park has a large number of high-tech enterprises and elite innovation enterprises including Fudan Microelectronics, Fudan Guanghua, TCSoft, and Fudan Water which are the focus of much industry attention. In addition, Fudan Fenglin Biomedical Center hosts 70 businesses, of which Fudan is a financial backer or holds a share in 48.5%.
Fudan University is one of the first recipients of funds from the Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates, and is a member of the foundation. With the support of the Fudan Science and Technology Center and the Yangpu Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center, the school established the Fudan University Student Entrepreneurship Center, and provides student entrepreneurs who win the scholarship with office space, office equipment, personnel management, secretarial services, entrepreneurial guidance and consultation, as well as assisting the startups with various paperwork, related finance and preferential tax policies, and providing the student entrepreneurs with professional guidance and assistance. The Entrepreneurship Center has also established an entrepreneurship guidance group and tutorial sessions; organized attendance by the startups at various forums and exhibitions, in order to broaden the field of vision of the student entrepreneurs; and sponsored the “Jujin Cup” entrepreneurship competition, to find the best team of student entrepreneurs. For more information, please see Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates.
