The Plan of Innovation Ability Enhancement for Institutions of Higher Learning, also known as the “2011 Plan”, is managed by the Chinese government to promote collaborative innovation and dynamic integration of higher education, science and technology, economy, and culture. The 2011 Plan is the third state-level strategic project in higher education following the 211 Project and 985 Project.

The “2011 Project” Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy at Nankai University, certified by the Ministry of Education of China, is a research institute for inter-disciplinary innovations including biology, medicine, chemistry and pharmacy. The center is demand-oriented, fully opened-up, highly integrated and innovation-led while it aims to satisfy urgent demands of China and become one of the top research institutes worldwide.

Funded by the “2011 Project”, the center plans to create a sustainable developmental mode to achieve technological innovations through basic scientific research, the integration of industry, research and learning, and the optimized utilization of resources. Meanwhile, the center will also promote the cooperation among universities, institutes and firms in China and abroad. The center is focusing on the following topics: 1.Cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment; 2. Design, synthesis and screening of small molecular drugs; 3. Design of biological vaccines.