A research center dedicated to assessing and supporting the development of think tanks was unveiled at the School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM), Tsinghua University on Thursday.

The Think Tank Research Center (TTRC) will use Tsinghua University's intellectual resources and research capacity to offer advice on the development of Chinese think tanks so that they can better contribute to sound decision-making, according to Yang Yongheng, deputy dean of SPPM at Tsinghua.

The center will conduct research mainly on the development of a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics, the development model of foreign think tanks and the appraisal of global think tanks.

Su Jun, chairman of the board of directors of the center, said that, as a research center affiliated with a university, TTRC will combine theoretical research and practical investigation together to provide guidance on the development of think tanks while cultivating professionals for future employment by them.

Xue Lan, dean of SPPM, and Hu Angang, director of the Center for China Studies at Tsinghua University, were recruited as consultants for the center.

China has been attaching greater importance to the role of think tanks in advancing its economic and social development in recent years.