The Core Characteristics, Growth Patterns, and Cultivation Strategies of Top-notch Innovative Young Talents in Universities

Top-notch innovative talents serve as the strategic force supporting China's high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, which is crucial for accelerating the development of new productive forces. Among them, young top-notch innovative talents in universities are not only potential stars in this group but also the backbone of university development. Their selection, cultivation, evaluation, and growth paths have always been core issues of national strategic needs. Through an in-depth study of the core characteristics of these young talents, we find that they possess three key qualities: ethical integrity as the priority, a lofty sense of historical mission; thinking as the foundation, meticulous logical thinking; and willpower as the source, persistent exploratory spirit. Additionally, their growth is influenced by three major laws: the symbiotic effect law under environmental incubation, the accumulation effect law under the emergence of abilities, and the group effect law under team collaboration. Therefore, we propose the following strategies for cultivating young top-notch innovative talents in universities: firstly, attracting and gathering talents by establishing a reasonably graded and closely connected growth channel; secondly, promoting talents based on their abilities by establishing highly compatible and targeted evaluation policies; and thirdly, respecting and accommodating talents by establishing sustainable and high-quality development incentive mechanisms. These strategies aim to provide useful references and assistance for the cultivation, evaluation, and development of young top-notch innovative talents in universities.