en.Wedoany.com Reported - The University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) recently announced the establishment of China's first undergraduate major in "Carbon Neutrality Science and Engineering" and the formation of a "Carbon Neutrality Innovation Class" led by academicians. Carbon neutrality is a consensus among major countries worldwide, a significant national strategy for China, and a multi-trillion-yuan green and low-carbon industrial opportunity. However, the sector currently faces a talent gap of approximately 2 million, with a supply of only 300,000 to 500,000. This innovation class aims to cultivate professional carbon neutrality talent to meet future demands through a high-level mentorship team and an industry-education integration mechanism.

Organized by USTB, the innovation class is centered on a high-level mentorship team featuring "academician leadership - master scholar guidance - national talent dominance - young backbone support," led by Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians Mao Xinping and Zhu Rong, creating a distinctive "steel and iron backbone" education model. Academician Mao Xinping is a tenured professor at USTB and director of the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute, long dedicated to sustainable steel development and low-carbon technology pathways. Academician Zhu Rong is director of the National Key Laboratory of Green and Low-Carbon Steel Metallurgy and a pioneer in efficient clean electric furnace smelting and CO2 application in steelmaking. The class recruits through the "Engineering Experimental Class (Outstanding Engineering Talent)" program, selecting up to 50 students after the first academic year, and then up to 20 from these for doctoral training in research or project work after the second year.

As China's "dual-carbon" goals deepen their impact across industries, demand for specialized dual-carbon technical talent in related sectors is expected to surge over the next 5 to 10 years. It is projected that key enterprises such as Sinosteel, China Minmetals, China Baowu Group, and China Carbon Exchange will require over 30,000 dual-carbon professionals with graduate degrees or higher annually. USTB has established cooperation bases with over 20 major leading enterprises, including China Baowu Group, allowing students to engage in real projects from their second year, providing a platform for "enrollment equals entry into the industry, graduation equals employment."

The innovation class leverages multiple national-level platforms, including the Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center for Steel Industry Carbon Neutrality and the "Carbon Neutrality Research Institute," aggregating national-level awards and course resources. The Carbon Neutrality Research Institute was previously recognized as a "National Advanced Collective in the Education System" (awarded every five years), and the "Great Power Steel" course was designated a national-level "Curriculum Ideological and Political" demonstration course. Additionally, USTB was selected for the first batch of pilot projects under the Ministry of Education's Discipline Breakthrough Plan, with Academician Mao Xinping as chief scientist, and launched the high-level international journal cScience. Established in June 2021, the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute added the undergraduate major in Carbon Neutrality Science and Engineering and inaugurated the Carbon Neutrality College in April 2025, with research directions including low-carbon development technologies for the steel industry, hydrogen energy and storage, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. The core curriculum covers five categories: fundamental theory, computer science, economics and management, process industry, and professional applications, accompanied by a newly compiled textbook system and teaching materials.

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