Recently, the Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for Discipline Innovation (111 Center) in the Digital-Intelligent Economy and Applied Economics, led by Professor Yu Miaojie, President of Liaoning University (LNU) , was approved as one of China’s 2026 newly established Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for Discipline Innovation. It is the first national-level 111 Center at Liaoning University, marking a historic breakthrough in the development of national-level overseas expertise platforms. The approval of this center also marks Liaoning University’s first breakthrough in the development of national-level centers for 111 project, representing a major advance in attracting high-level overseas talents, promoting interdisciplinary integration, and enhancing its international research competitiveness.
The center is closely aligned with China’s strategy for the high-quality development of industrial chains and central-local coordinated policies amid China–U.S. economic and trade standoff. Relying on Liaoning University’s disciplinary strength in Applied Economics as a Double First-Class discipline, it deeply integrates AI and big data technologies. The chief expert of Chinese team is Professor Yu Miaojie, with Qiu Huanguang and others serving as leading experts. The overseas team is led by Russell W. Cooper as chief expert, with Hu Yongtai and others as leading experts. Together with scholars from ten countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, the team will focus on frontier areas such as digital economy governance, smart finance, and digital trade. What’s more, it also conduct high-level international collaborative research and talent cultivating, aiming at constructing an internationally influential academic hub and innovation engine.
The 111 Project centers are jointly organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security(MOHRSS) and the Ministry of Education, designed to support Chinese universities in building world-class universities and disciplines, which are widely regarded as the highest-level national platform for overseas expertise introduction in Chinese higher education. Following a rigorous review by experts, Liaoning University stood out as the only representative university from Liaoning Province, securing recommendation and final approval. This achievement is another major milestone in the university’s implementation of the Double First-Class initiative and its service to national strategic needs.
A range of tasks including topic selection, demonstration, project application and defense is organized and accomplished by LNU & CAITEC China Business Development Institute(Beijing) with support from the university’s Talent Office and China Economic Research Institute. The base will be developed over two five-year phases, covering a total period of ten years.
Liaoning University will take the approval of the base as an opportunity to strengthen institutional responsibility, improve management services, and ensure that the base plays a leading and demonstrative role in attracting world-class international talents, producing original research outcomes, and serving local economic and social development, contributing own strength to building China as a leading country in education.
