On 16 August 2019, the evaluation results of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) were officially announced. The project Research on Vocational Education Models for Cultivating Innovative and Entrepreneurial Professionals Driven by the Tax System submitted by Wang Guopeng from the Open University of China(OUC) was approved by the NSFC and won funding.

 
According to data released by the NSFC, 240,711 projects submitted by 2,364 supporting units were received during the application period this year. An announcement issued by the Foundation Committee shows that the foundation decided to fund 41,752 projects in all. For colleges and universities, the youth fund projects are mainly obtained by young university teachers and newly-introduced doctoral and postdoctoral students. The number of established projects reflects the potential strength of scientific research in colleges and universities, which is very important for their future development.

In recent years, the OUC has attached great importance to scientific research. One of the 2009 NSFC-approved and listed projects, Research on Dropouts from Open and Distance Education, headed by OUC teacher Ms. Li Ying, ended in 2013 and a monograph based on the research has been published. In 2016, a research project recommended by the OUC won third prize in the Fifth National Awards for Excellent Achievements in Educational Science.

In 2019, a number of projects submitted by OUC teachers have also been approved as provincial and ministry-level projects. Ms. Jiang Yilu's Research on a Collaborative Mechanism for Participation in the Construction of Learning Cities by Stakeholders was approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) as a key project. Ms. Lv Qian's Comparative Study on the Network Education Model in the New Era was approved by the MOE as a youth project. Mr. Yuan Yaxing’s Research on the Design and Practice of an Internet+ Based Credit Bank Support Platform in Vocational Education and Ms. Chen Min’s Research on a Route and Strategy for Open Universities to Promote Lifelong Education Development in Beijing were awarded as a key subject and general subject, respectively, of Educational Scientific Planning in Beijing.

By He Jing and Chen Min, OUC