Shanxi University's four scientific research achievements were honored at the awards ceremony for the Ministry of Education's 8th University Scientific Research Outstanding Achievement Award (Humanities and Social Sciences) held in Beijing on Feb 2.

First established in 1995, it is the highest-level triennial award in humanities and social sciences in China. It aims to commend and reward outstanding achievements in the fields of philosophy and social sciences at the nation's colleges and universities and inspire researchers to innovate, conduct meticulous scholarly work and create more fine works. It also aims to promote the prosperity of philosophy and social sciences in colleges and universities.

In recent years, Shanxi University's masterpieces in humanities and social sciences have continued to emerge, and innovation capabilities have been significantly improved.

The amount of scientific research funding has risen steadily, and significant projects have been approved year after year.

Since 2016, the university has engaged in 306 projects under the National Social Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Research Program, with funding increasing by 25.1 percent and 57.5 percent, respectively, compared with that of the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15).

Remarkable efforts have been made in developing scientific research platforms. By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), there were 20 scientific research platforms for philosophy and social sciences at or above the provincial or ministerial level.

Among them, the university's Jinju Opera Art Inheritance Center has further promoted the study of Jinju Opera in Shanxi, and the Yungangology Institute has carried out multidisciplinary research to build a top domestic and international academic highland for the study of Yungang Grottoes. The Great Wall Culture and Ecology Institute has also promoted the integration of culture and tourism in Shanxi.

The quantity and quality of scientific research results have been improved. The university published 4,096 academic papers on humanities and social sciences between 2016 and 2020, up 30 percent from the 2011-15 period. Among them, 1,961 have been published in journals for the Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index – an influential citation index in Chinese academic circles.

Shanxi University has also won 193 outstanding achievements at the social science research awards in Shanxi, up 43 percent from the 2011-15 period.

Talent cultivation and team building have been fruitful. Over the past five years, 12 people from the university have been selected into the Shanxi Provincial Colleges and Universities Top-notch Innovative Talent Support Program, accounting for half of the total number of candidates in the province. Fifteen people have been selected as outstanding young academic leaders of Shanxi colleges and universities.

The university's six teams, including the management and decision-making innovation team and the rural cultural development and communication research team, were selected into Shanxi's key innovation team development program.

Also, the university has been committed to enhancing its social service capabilities. It established the Institute of Shanxi Culture and Tourism Industries and the Shanxi Culture and Tourism Industrial Collaborative Innovation Center to provide advice for developing culture and tourism industries in Shanxi. It published the Report on the Transformation and Development of Shanxi's Resource-based Economy, which offered references for theoretical research and policy innovation on transforming and developing a resource-based economy.

This year, Shanxi University will further stimulate teachers' scientific research potential and improve scientific research management and the scientific research evaluation system. It will optimize the scientific research innovation environment, promote scientific research model innovation, and strengthen scientific research integrity, contributing its intelligence to Shanxi's transformation and development.