Tongji University held its research conference on December 25 to review and summarize the achievements and experiences since the 13th Five-Year Plan, and to map out the critical tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for the research high-quality development. Present at the conference were: University leaders FANG Shouen, CHEN Jie, WU Zhiqiang, WU Guangming, GU Xianglin, FANG Ping, and LEI Xinghui; academicians YAO Xi and LV Xilin; and academicians GUO Chongqing and XIANG Haifan (online). The conference was presided over by Tongji Vice President LV Peiming.
Participants at the conference
According to President CHEN Jie, looking back on the 13th Five-Year Plan shows Tongji University made a series of breakthroughs in science and technology innovation. Breakthroughs run as follows: a) the overall level of the University’s research team has been advanced; b) the construction of research platforms has achieved remarkable results; c) the research quality has improved; d) the research competitiveness has been enhanced significantly; e) the social services and achievement transformation have made sound developments; and f) the effectiveness of the integration of science, education, and research education has gained inspiring results. Looking ahead to the 14th Five-Year Plan in the face of the new era and new requirements, Tongji University is duty-bound to become the vanguard of major national strategies and institutional innovation, as well as being the pacesetter in the construction of Shanghai Technology Innovation Center and the development of the Yangtze River Delta region.
Tongji University President CHEN Jie
CHEN Jie pointed out that we should focus on the following three key elements to promote high-quality research development:
First, to strengthen basic research further, we should be willing to sit on the bench, explore freely in the spirit of “persistence is the key to success,” and aware that research is a process of long-term accumulation. We should venture into the “depopulated zone” of innovation and strive to achieve further breakthroughs.
Second, to further strengthen scientific and technological innovation in interdisciplinary and emerging disciplines, we should encourage and promote the cross-integration of various fields with Tongji’s competitive disciplines. Based on the advantageous engineering, rigorous science, high-quality literature, and featured medicine, we should encourage cross-discipline integration with “AI+” as the main feature, empower traditional disciplines, and realize the leapfrog development of the disciplines.
Third, to further strengthen organized research, we should: a) adhere to the demand-oriented and problem-oriented research and proceed from the urgent and long-term needs of our country; b) rely on the platforms of major research bases; c) carry out organized research and centralized tackling of key issues; and d) and improve comprehensively the University’s scientific and technological tackling ability under the guidance of “gathering strong teams, building large-scale platforms, undertaking key tasks, and generating great achievements.”
According to CHEN Jie, we need to focus on “One Goal,” carry forward “One Spirit,” adhere to “One Guidance,” and build “One Good Team” to promote high-quality development and serve the national strategy.” That is, we should: a) center on the goal of “walking with the motherland, helping the world through science and education, and building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics;” b) carry forward vigorously the spirit of scientists with “patriotism, innovation, truth-seeking, dedication, collaboration, and talent-cultivating” as the main connotation; c) adhere to the guidance of “high-quality development of scientific and technological innovation;” and d) build a research team characterized by its core competency, strong periphery, reasonable structure, excellent quality, rich in the enterprising spirit, and expanding international influence. CHEN hoped the whole University might create a cultural atmosphere of advocating science, seeking truth, and pursuing excellence to establish a noble value orientation, and inspire and motivate Tongji people to strive to be explorers of the cutting-edge unknown fields as climbers of scientific peaks, creators of significant achievements, and leaders of educating people through science and education.
Tongji University Vice President LV Peiming presides over the conference
Many advanced collectives and individuals with outstanding performance during the 13th Five-Year Plan’s research work were commended at the conference. The award-winners are as follows:
Eleven schools and colleges, including the College of Civil Engineering, were awarded the Advanced Collective (Unit) in Research.
Twelve teams, including the “European Thought and Culture” team, awarded the Advanced Collective (Team) in Research.
Seventy-seven persons, including WAN Xiaoping, awarded the Advanced Individual in Research.
Thirteen persons, including MA Jie, awarded the Advanced Individual in Research Management.
The University leaders presented awards to the winners.
Group photo of the advanced collectives (units) in research
President CHEN Jie presents the advanced research collectives (units) award
Group photos of the advanced collectives (teams) in research
Group photo of the advanced individuals in research
Vice President GU Xianglin gave his report, titled: Mapping out Forward-looking Layout, Deepening Reform, and Promoting High-quality Development of Research. In his statement, he: a) summarized the research work of the University during the 13th Five-Year Plan; b) analyzed the opportunities, challenges, and problems faced by the current research work; c) proposed the development goals and guiding thought of the 14th Five-Year Plan; and d) introduced the essential tasks and eight key initiatives to promote the high-quality development of research work during the 14th Five-Year Plan. Facing the 14th Five-Year Plan, the University will: a) adhere to the “Four Orientations;” b) focus on scientific and technological innovation and high-quality development; c) promote the overall improvement of scientific and technological innovation capabilities; and d) support the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics by conducting cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation. The eight initiatives cover eight aspects of: a) basic research capacity enhancement; b) key core technology research tackling capacity improvement; c) integrated innovation capacity strengthening; d) research base platform construction; e) research talent team building; f) social service capacity upgrading; g) academic influence reinforcing; and h) research system mechanism reform.
Tongji University Vice President GU Xianglin
Assistant to the President and Director of the Department of Research Management TONG Xiaohua introduced the University’s Research Policy System’s improvement, and the formulation and revision of research-related policies. He noted this work is aimed at exploring new mechanisms for science and technology in the new development stage, supports the high-quality development of research, and forms a research management system that “serves the national science and technology development strategy, respects the laws of research and the growth of talents, and improves the quality of scientific and technological innovation in an all-round way.”
Assistant President and Director of the Department of Research Management TONG Xiaohua
The School of Mathematical Sciences Dean XU Xuejun, College of Electronics and Information Engineering Dean CHEN Hong, School of Medicine Vice Dean WANG Ping, and School of Foreign Languages Dean WU Yun delivered their speeches in succession to introduce the promotion of research and the achievements achieved by their school or college during the 13th Five-Year Plan.
Dean of School of Mathematical Sciences XU Xuejun
Dean of College of Electronics and Information Engineering CHEN Hong
Vice Dean of School of Medicine WANG Ping
Dean of School of Foreign Languages WU Yun
The participating teachers were divided into six groups to hold group discussions on the following topics:
Research layout and ability improvement,
Research organization and platform support,
Research transformation and cross-integration,
Research performance and evaluation system,
Social service transformation,
Academic impact and research integrity,
Philosophy of the social sciences and think tanks.
CHEN Jie, WU Guangming, GU Xianglin, and other University leaders participated in the group discussions. YANG Yaping, DAI Xiaohu, LING Jianming, LIU Riming, WANG Yijun, and GAO Shaorong introduced the discussions on behalf of the six groups, respectively.
Photos of the groups’ discussions
Nearly 400 people attended the conference at the 129 Auditorium on the Siping Campus, to include relevant administrative department heads; Party secretaries, deans, research directors and secretaries of all schools/colleges and affiliated units; research base platform directors, directors of cooperative institutes; teachers and, full-time researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and postgraduate students. The conference was broadcast live on streaming platforms, simultaneously.
Tongji University’s “13th Five-Year Plan” Research Achievements Exhibition was also on display at the conference.
Tongji University’s “13th Five-Year Plan” Research Achievements Exhibition
The research conference continued on the morning of December 26.
Related link: Review or the Research Work of Tongji University during the 13th Five-Year Plan (https://news.tongji.edu.cn/info/1003/76190.htm)
Written by AI Jiao
Photo by JIANG Ping and ZHOU You
Video by LI Hua, WU Yixiang,
SONG Yuxing, and CHEN Shenyu
Source: https://news.tongji.edu.cn/info/1002/76211.htm
