SHANGHAI — Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan has urged universities to step up international exchanges and cooperation, pool innovative resources from all walks of life, attract and cultivate high-caliber talent, improve technological innovation abilities and help promote high-quality economic development.

She made the remarks during a tour to Shanghai from June 17 to 18, which brought her to Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and ShanghaiTech University as well as a symposium with officials from Shanghai and certain universities.

Calling universities the main channel to innovation and the main site for cultivating innovation talent, Sun stressed greater efforts to make breakthroughs in research and development of core technologies.

Universities should plan and promote scientific and technological innovation from a global perspective, enhance the ability to use global innovation resources, and make a leap-forward development in terms of higher education, she said.

Sun stressed strengthening the curriculum of basic subjects like mathematics, encouraging teachers and researchers to concentrate on research and creating a better research environment.