Scientific research innovation has intensified, experimental projects have increased in complexity, and interdisciplinary cooperation in colleges and universities has deepened. Consequently, laboratory safety risks have become diversified and diffused, posing severe challenges. Statistics on 176 laboratory safety accidents from 1984 to 2024 show that accidents caused by management defects have a significantly higher mortality rate. Problems such as irregular storage of hazardous chemicals and inadequate implementation of access systems reflect systemic management failures. The traditional “college-independent self-inspection” model has inherent limitations: management barriers hinder system implementation, college-only inspections create blind spots in hazard investigation, and insufficient technical support leads to fragmented rectification, seriously restricting safety management efficiency. Therefore, constructing a new safety management mechanism with cross-subject collaboration, standardized operations, and full-process closed-loop management, while transforming safety management from passive accident response to active risk prevention, has become an urgent task. Such a mechanism can help ensure the safety of teachers and students and support the sustainable development of scientific and technological innovation in colleges and universities.

This study combines literature research, system design, and empirical verification to address the challenges of laboratory safety management. It constructs an innovative three-in-one university–college cross-inspection model of “system diagnosis–on-site penetration–hierarchical governance.” An inter-college inspection team, in collaboration with the university, college, student, and administrative department, is established, and an interdisciplinary expert think tank is formed to develop the “Standardized Manual for Laboratory Safety Inspection.” Based on the PDCA cycle, a six-link standardized process (“overall planning–system diagnosis–on-site verification–hierarchical governance–feedback communication–closed-loop tracking”) is designed, integrating the “four-question working method” and the “AB corner responsibility system.” Supporting facilities include a dual-track access education system, an inter-college resource-sharing pool, and an intelligent laboratory safety management system, forming a full-chain “organization-process-technology-guarantee” solution that has undergone 2 years of practical verification at the university.

The practice achieves remarkable results. Quantitatively, the recurrence rate of hidden dangers drops from 60% to 10%, the average rectification cycle shortens from 14 to 5 days (65% acceleration), the compliance rate for safety management rises from 80% to 95%, and the missing rate of hazardous chemical records falls from 35% to 10%. Qualitatively, safety responsibilities cover all students; the training coverage rate for new teachers reaches 99%; the qualified rate for teachers’ and students’ emergency equipment operation increases from 65% to 95%. The conversion rate for excellent inter-college management experience reaches 80%, establishing norms such as “clearing up after use.” A responsibility system characterized by “full participation and layered responsibility” and a safety culture of “learning from each other” are established, realizing an in-depth transformation from “passive supervision” to “active self-discipline.” The core innovation of the model lies in breaking down management barriers through inter-college collaboration, improving investigation accuracy through standardized processes and intelligent technologies, and ensuring rectification effectiveness through hierarchical governance and closed-loop tracking.

The constructed university–college cross-inspection model effectively solves the problems of weak system implementation and investigation blind spots. This approach also addresses the fragmented rectification in traditional laboratory safety management through methodological innovation, technology-driven upgrades, and mechanism restructuring, thereby systematically optimizing the efficiency of safety management. This model is scientific, operable, and adaptable; it integrates interdisciplinary resources and strengthens full-process closed-loop control, providing a replicable paradigm for agricultural, forestry, and comprehensive universities. Promoting this model helps advance the long-term, scientific, and intelligent transformation of laboratory safety governance in colleges and universities. This approach also builds a solid safety barrier for scientific and technological innovation, and contributes to the construction of a country with powerful education, science, and technology.

Against the backdrop of global economic integration and the in-depth advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, international agricultural cooperation has recently emerged as a vital link for developing countries along various routes. However, these nations are facing a dual challenge: the urgent need for agricultural modernization and a critical shortage of professional expertise. Traditional agricultural education suffers from structural issues, including insufficient curriculum articulation, inefficient resource allocation, and cultural cognitive biases, which fail to meet the demand for the array of skills required in international agricultural cooperation. Hence, this study focuses on the field of crop science, utilizing a joint laboratory platform and aiming to develop an innovative talent cultivation model that facilitates cooperation between agricultural science and technology under the Belt and Road Initiative. Through systematic reform, it aims to enhance the professional capabilities, practical skills, and cross-cultural literacy of students, thereby cultivating high-quality specialists for international agricultural cooperation.

This study constructs a “Three-Dimensional, Four-Stage” innovative talent cultivation model for the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Crop Science. Centered on three core dimensions, the curriculum system integrates cutting-edge agricultural theories and practical courses to cultivate students’ professional competencies and cross-cultural communication skills. Knowledge Foundation: Advanced theories in crop genomics and digital agriculture are integrated using bilingual instruction and massive open online courses (MOOCs), with foundation courses in crop physiology and ecology strengthening students’ professional grounding and international academic communication. Competency Advancement: A capability matrix encompassing scientific research, technical transfer, and international negotiation is established. Project-based learning, including AI-assisted breeding projects, is implemented to cultivate students’ full-chain capabilities from laboratory research to industrial application. Cultural Empowerment: Courses such as “Comparative Study of Farming Civilizations,” combined with overseas field investigations and scenario simulations, enhance students’ cross-cultural collaboration and international policy interpretation skills. The “Four-Stage” progressive cultivation path systematically improves students’ ability to address practical agricultural problems through the following sequential phases: Basic Introduction—building a cognitive framework with standardized courses and basic experiments; Skills Enhancement—conducting complex experimental projects leveraging platforms such as molecular biology laboratories; Comprehensive Application—engaging in transnational breeding projects and regional agricultural engineering initiatives to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge; Innovation Expansion—exploring cutting-edge fields such as vertical agriculture and carbon sequestration to generate patents and policy recommendations. Additionally, a practical three-level linkage system, comprising campus smart farms, overseas joint experimental stations, and virtual simulation platforms, would be established to connect the entire research, learning, and application process, thereby facilitating the transformation and application of scientific research achievements.

This model effectively alleviates the deficiencies of traditional agricultural education using strategies such as dynamic curriculum adjustment mechanisms and intelligent resource allocation, and the professional skills and cross-cultural collaboration abilities of students have improved significantly. With these cultivated talents, they can better adapt to the needs of international agricultural cooperation, promoting the transformation of scientific research achievements into practical productivity.

The Three-Dimensional, Four-Stage model constructed in this study provides a replicable talent cultivation paradigm for international agricultural cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Its innovation lies in the deep integration of professional education with cross-cultural training, and scientific research with industrial application. In the future, a long-term follow-up evaluation will be necessary to assess the model’s long-term impact on students’ career development. The model should be expanded to fields such as animal husbandry and food science. Meanwhile, current plans include developing a meta-virtual laboratory platform and establishing a Belt and Road Agricultural Education Alliance to further integrate international resources and promote in-depth global agricultural education and scientific and technological cooperation.