Institute for the Development of Central China (IDCC)

Founded in 1893 and sponsored by both the Project 211 and Project 985 of the Ministry of Education to promote top universities competence and potentials, Wuhan University has been capitalizing on its unparalleled geographical location and extraordinary strengths in multi-discipline research to conduct intensive studies and extensive services to the development of Central China all these years.

Committed to the national strategy of the “Revitalization of Central China” initiated in 2006, the Institute was established in April, 2007 as a multi-disciplinary research entity under the joint administration of Wuhan University and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), a comprehensive Ministry of the Chinese Central Government administering reform-and-development-related issues across China. Ever since then, it has been engaged in policy consultation, academic research and talent training.

Its council, composed of the members from the provincial developments and reform commissions and important universities in 6 provinces of Central China, is chaired by the staffs of NDRC with duties to coordinate the researches on development issues of this region.

The Institute now has 12 full-time faculty members, including 3 full-time professors, 3 associate professors and 4 lecturers. They all are doctors, 1 of them received PhD in the U.S. and 5 were or are in the postdoctoral training. It also has 10 adjunct faculty members and 2 supporting staffs.

The Institute has been active in education, research and services. It has conducted over 120 research projects since 2007, with a total grant of over 16 million yuan. The series of monographs on the strategy for revitalization of Central China are going to press, with 3 already issued, 8 published by foreign press and translated into Chinese version. Among 130-some published academic papers, 80 pieces are compiled in famous and important academic periodicals. Over 20 consultation reports have been released, many heeded by high-level government agencies. The faculty members have attended more than 100 academic conferences and consultation meeting in recent years.

23 research projects funded by NDRC have been successfully completed by the Institute, including important projects on regional industry relocation, development strategy in the 12th Five-year-Plan Period, evaluation on revitalization strategies between 2006 and 2011, strategy of regional cooperation and opening-up and the benefit-balance mechanism.

The Forum on Development of Central China, with the sponsorship of IDCC and the support from the Regional Economy Division of NDRC, is held by different famous universities within the region and serves as an important platform for academic circle and government to exchange ideas. Over the past 5 years, it was held in Wuhan, Taiyuan, Nanchang, Changsha and Zhengzhou respectively, focusing on different issues on development. The Forum is often covered by famous Chinese media, such as People Daily, Xinhua News Agency and Hubei Daily and becomes a standing forum for discussion and researches on the development of Central China.

The Institute runs PhD program on regional economic development and has enrolled students for both master and doctor degrees since 2007. Currently, it has admitted 74 students, with 44 doing PhD and 30 master programs. 78 students have already completed their studies, 40 of themare doctors and 38 postgraduates. The Institute has a library of more than 3,000 volumes in stock, over 35 major journals and newspapers under subscription, as well as access to various databases and Internet resources.

Link:Institute for the Development of Central China (IDCC)