A BCI product, Xhand, is showcased at China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair on April 15, 2021. Photo: VCG

The School of Future Technology under Tianjin University has recently opened a new major specializing in brain-computer interfaces (BCI), with a major recruitment process underway, the Global Times learned. It marks the first Chinese university to do so, as the development of BCI technology has entered a critical stage of innovation breakthrough and application expansion and China is therefore in a thirst for “diversified, interdisciplinary” talent, the university said in a statement shared with the Global Times on Friday. 

The new program adopts a “secondary selection” from the new students enrolled in Tianjin University. The selection procedures include comprehensive test and experts’ interview, and admissions will be based on the combined results from those processes. 

In terms of the curriculum, the new BCI major will provide lessons involving medicine, electrical and information engineering, covering the entire industrial chain from the basic theory underpinning BCI, related device systems as well as translation and market application, the statement read.  

The program will also adopt a unique training model through research training and collaborative education training between academia and industry companies. It aims to cultivate a new generation of engineers and scientists who possess the ability to design, manufacture, and develop future bio-intelligent electronic interfaces, and who can lead the advancement of China’s BCI technology and industry development.

BCI is one of several cutting-edged tech fields at the forefront of global technology. 

Industry insiders said that at the current stage, individual countries are still developing core BCI technology and tentatively applying it in commercial settings. China has an edge in areas such as core component device, and it is expected that with government policy support and concerted efforts, as well as an amassing talent pool, the country will achieve breakthrough in certain directions such as non-invasive BCI technology.

In July, China is mulling over establishing a BCI standardization technical committee under its Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), aiming to guide enterprises to enhance industrial standards and boost domestic innovation.