BEIJING, Nov. 25 -- China plans to invest 20 million yuan (3.26 million U.S. dollars) annually to support college students to contribute to the development of the next generation of the China Education and Research Network (CERNET).

"Independent research and development should be strengthened so as to make a breakthrough in internet technology," said Wu Jianping, head of the expert panel of the CERNET, at a symposium on Tuesday.

The CERNET2, adopting the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), has now become the world's largest network based on IPv6.

The CERNET was established in 1994, and now provides access to more than 2,000 universities and research institutes.

It now extends 30,000 km and links more than 200 cities with its backbone networks of 100G signals.

The CERNET studies key technologies, including internet administration, web search and router management.