Abstract:

The biomedical industry cluster in the Chengdu-Chongqing region has exceeded RMB 2.2 trillion in scale. In 2024, it was included in the list of national advanced manufacturing clusters, and Chengdu and Chongqing jointly released a list of 104 biomedical public service platforms. Survey data show that professional and skilled personnel account for 86.1% of talent demand in the medical and health industry, while shortages remain prominent in high-end positions such as gene-edited model designers. As the "foundation" of the talent cultivation system, undergraduate education requires systematic clarification of its linkage mechanism with industrial demand. This study examines the necessity and pathway for establishing an undergraduate major in Laboratory Animal Science in the Chengdu-Chongqing region, with a focus on talent cultivation under industrial upgrading. Methods (1) a talent-gap model was constructed to analyze supply-demand contradictions; (2) the case of North Sichuan Medical College was used to examine regional resources; and (3) investment multiplier theory was applied to assess the driving effect of educational investment. Main findings: (1) on the demand side, industrial expansion has increased the demand for laboratory animal professionals, and undergraduate education can provide both a reserve talent pool for graduate education and mid-level applied personnel; (2) on the supply side, the absence of undergraduate programs has resulted in insufficient reserves for high-end talent and a discontinuity in the supply of mid-level personnel, revealing structural contradictions; and (3) the case study indicates that the region already has a practical basis for undergraduate program establishment. This study proposes a system of "one-core leadership, multi-point support, and industry-education integration," in which high-level universities provide leadership, application-oriented institutions and other entities offer support, and quality and management requirements are embedded into the curriculum. Establishing undergraduate education in Laboratory Animal Science is an important measure for serving national biosecurity, supporting industrial cluster development, and responding to the strategic westward relocation of industry. It will help promote the systematic reconstruction of the talent cultivation system.

Key words: Laboratory animal science, Undergraduate education, Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, Biomedical industry, Talent cultivation, Industry-education integration, National strategy