University and college is considered to be one of the most important organizations of a modern society; its social function goes beyond education and research, coming into indispensable relation with society and economy. Serving the needs of the market has become the tertiary function of the University and college. The actual conduction of University and college's function and its link with industrial sections and other social organizations exert a significant impact on a country's innovation capacity and its sustainable development. Whether an institution of higher learning can make the best of its strengths exerts even greater influence on present China when the country is undergoing industrialization and intellectualization and following the policy of peaceful rejuvenation strategy. However, this issue is lacking specific and systematic research in the Chinese academia.Starting from the status and function of the university and college in national innovation system, this article makes a vertical historic analysis and finds out: the University and college provides education and training so as to become naturally one of the main bodies in national innovation system; after entering into 20th century the mutual action of some internal and external factors made it logical for universities to participate in the national innovation system in a more complicated pattern-the universities are not only the representatives of the academia as providers of basic research but also increasingly go deep into national innovation system through a complex network with industry. On the other hand a horizontal comparison is carried out on the status and role of universities among OECD countries and China, then an inductive analysis is made in terms of the function of Chinese universities and their relations with other main bodies in national innovation system. On such basis some policies and proposals are put forward to: the relations among main bodies in national innovation system should be restructured, the diversified University and college system should be built up, the unique phenomenon of the University and college being involved in economic activities and establishing and managing the enterprise should be tackled properly, the risk capital market should be cultivated, and the environment which helps to promote the derived enterprise should be constructed vigorously, etc. |