Enter the Sanjiang Campus of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JUST), and the Gannan Laboratory—a core sci-tech innovation zone—stands out with its gleaming glass façade. Inside, researchers are deeply engaged in their work. As Jiangxi’s second provincial-level laboratory, it serves as a key platform for the university’s integrated “recruitment-cultivation-retention” talent strategy.
In early winter, a Xinhua news team visited this “cradle of nonferrous metallurgy talent” to explore how the university addresses the challenges of attracting and retaining talent in old revolutionary base areas. Aligned with Jiangxi’s “1269 Action Plan,” JUST has implemented institutional reforms and platform-building measures to help high-level professionals thrive in the red soil region.
Breaking Barriers: Bringing In and Integrating Talent
“I chose JUST because it hosts a top-tier national research platform in rare earths,” said Professor Huang Zhiqiang, named a “Young Yangtze River Scholar” in 2025. He now conducts research on the efficient development and utilization of rare earth and critical mineral resources at the Gannan Laboratory. “The university’s support allows me to focus entirely on my work.”
Professor Ma Shengcan, among the first high-level talents recruited by JUST, recalled the early days with emotion: “In 2016, I joined the establishment of the Rare Earth Magnetic Materials and Devices Institute. We had no fixed team back then—we built while recruiting, researched while educating.” Today, his lab has been approved as a Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Metallic Magnetic Materials and Devices, with a core team of 16 members supporting over 30 faculty members. “The university provided strong support, from infrastructure to talent recruitment policies.”
Behind this lies JUST’s bold reform in talent management. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, JUST became one of the province’s first universities to reform the “five-only” evaluation criteria. In 2023, the university issued the Implementation Plan for High-Level Talent Development, integrating recruitment and cultivation into a coordinated strategy and establishing a closed-loop mechanism linking “talent positions, professional titles, performance, and appointment periods.”
The results are evident: During the “14th Five-Year Plan,” JUST recruited one full-time academician and six jointly appointed academicians, added 15 national-level leading and young talents—including three national-level talents in 2025—and saw over 130 faculty members selected for provincial-level talent programs. The proportion of doctoral degree holders now exceeds 50%, while high-level talent coverage in key disciplines surpasses 90%.
Practical Cultivation: Empowering Talent for Rapid Growth
Anchored in its “talent-driven university” strategy, JUST closely aligns with Jiangxi’s industrial needs. Guided by the philosophy of “focusing on nonferrous metals, highlighting distinctive features, tiered development, and connotative growth,” the university has launched targeted initiatives such as the “Key Discipline Talent Recruitment Plan” and the “Rare Earth Talent Special Zone Plan.” It has also introduced policies like the “Leading Talent Cultivation Support Plan,” “Qingjiang Scholar Distinguished Appointment Plan,” and “Qingjiang Young Talent Support Plan,” forming a comprehensive talent recruitment and cultivation matrix.
High-level research platforms serve as fertile ground for practical engagement. The university has established over 30 national and provincial research platforms, including the National Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Structural Materials. It has also partnered with local governments to build industrial platforms such as the Advanced Copper Industry College. The Gannan Laboratory is accelerating its development with a focus on “high-end, intelligent, and super-functional technologies in electronics and electrification.” In partnership with Yingtan City, JUST co-established the “World Copper Capital Innovation Valley” and introduced the “Ten Talent Measures,” serving more than 220 copper material enterprises and supporting an output value of approximately 500 billion yuan.
The gathering of high-level talent has created a “leading goose effect.” JUST recruited Academician Ge Shirong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering as its president and has attracted over 30 national-level leading talents in rare earth and critical mineral fields.
“Jiangxi’s nonferrous metals industry accounts for over 40% of the national total. We gather talent through achievement transformation, carrying out innovative reforms in advanced metal materials and critical minerals,” said Zhang Xuehui, head of the Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Office at the Gannan Laboratory.
Career Empowerment: Retaining Talent with a Promising Future
Rooted in the revolutionary old district of southern Jiangxi, JUST is a vital talent cultivation and research base for China’s nonferrous metals and steel industries. Upholding the principle of “Party managing talent,” the university integrates its “Red-Gold-Green” Party-building brand—symbolizing loyalty, responsibility, and innovation—into the entire talent development process, building a triple guarantee of “competitive remuneration, career opportunities, and emotional warmth.”
As one of the earliest universities in Jiangxi to widely implement negotiated salary and long-term appointment systems, JUST broke through salary distribution barriers during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period. To date, over 200 high-level talents are under annual salary management, accounting for more than one-third of the university’s professors and senior professionals. “Remuneration follows performance, salaries adjust with contribution—this not only stabilizes core talent but also stimulates innovation,” said Li Bing.
The university has established a diversified incentive system comprising “performance-based, negotiated, and project-based salaries,” directly linking income to contribution. It has invested over 78 million yuan in the “Qingjiang Talent Cultivation Plan.”
Competitive remuneration has translated into enthusiasm for meaningful work. Over the past five years, guided by projects and funding, talent at JUST has actively contributed to local economic development, yielding remarkable sci-tech achievements: The university has led eight national key projects, including four under the National Key R&D Program; received 65 Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Awards, including 17 first prizes, maintaining an unbroken streak of first prizes in provincial science and technology progress awards for ten consecutive years; undertaken over 1,100 enterprise-commissioned projects with horizontal funding reaching 563 million yuan; and signed 157 achievement transformation contracts totaling 256 million yuan.
“The ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ period is crucial for building a ‘world-class university in rare earth and critical mineral fields.’ Talent is our core competitiveness,” said Liu Zuwen, Party Secretary of JUST. He emphasized that the university will implement the “First-Class Faculty Expansion Plan,” driven by the dual engines of “industry-academia-research integration and international collaboration,” to break through in three key areas: recruiting and cultivating high-level talent, nurturing outstanding young professionals, and elevating faculty quality, all while deepening talent system reforms.
