Most Chinese university students interested in innovation

Speakers: Li Ningjing, Sam Duckett and Lu Sirui

[Photo: thinkstockphotos.com]

More than 60 percent of China's university students say they are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, but more than half of these students do not think universities offer enough support for these fields.

A think tank report says, about 98 percent of students think that entrepreneurship and innovation education need to be promoted by universities, while around 70 percent of the roughly 2,800 students interviewed for the study do not think their universities offer adequate support for entrepreneurship-related activities.

The report, which was arranged by the Center for China & Globalization (CCG), a Beijing think tank, also said that a shortage of staffers and funding, inadequacy of practical courses, and a lack of specific approaches for start-ups are among the problems blocking development in this field.

The report found that more than 60 percent of those interviewed think that the primary thing about entrepreneurship is the money, and that the main source of funding and support is from universities and the government.

However, according to the report, the funding and support from universities and government is quite limited, and, at the same time, it's difficult for students to borrow money from a bank because of the lack of credit and fixed assets. 

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.