An Engineering Doctoral Program featuring technology innovation and leadership development launched in the Greater Bay Area

On March 29 2019, Tsinghua University celebrated the launch of the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS), the one and only campus of Tsinghua outside Beijing. Chen Rugui, Mayor of Shenzhen, Wang Lixin, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen, Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, and Yang Bin, Vice President of Tsinghua, attended the 1st Governing Board Meeting and the Launching Ceremony.

Jointly founded by Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Tsinghua SIGS is a further expansion of the Tsinghua Graduate School at Shenzhen and the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, a joint venture with UC Berkeley. SIGS aims at bringing together world-class faculty members and postgraduate students, tackling global challenges through cutting-edge research and international collaborations, nurturing the next generations of global leaders. SIGS is committed to serving economic and social development in Shenzhen, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, and beyond.

Chen Rugui and Qiu Yong co-chair the Governing Board. The Board appointed Yang Bin, Vice President of Tsinghua, as Dean of Tsinghua SIGS, and Gao Hong, Vice Provost for International Education, as Executive Dean. Kang Feiyu, Dean of the Tsinghua Graduate School at Shenzhen, and Zhang Lin, Co-Director of the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, were appointed as Vice Deans. The Governing Board also endorsed the bylaw of the SIGS, as well as the Strategic Plan and the Work Plan. The Board members gave many valuable suggestions for the implementation of SIGS.

Chen Rugui chaired the Board meeting. He extended his gratitude to Tsinghua University for its long-term support for Shenzhen. He noted that Tsinghua University had made great contributions to Shenzhen and to the country over the years. He was confident that the Tsinghua SIGS would advance the development of higher education in Shenzhen and serve as an international technology innovation center of the Greater Bay Area. The Shenzhen Municipal Government would continue to support to the continued success of Tsinghua’s international education, the mayor said.

Qiu Yong expressed his gratitude to the Shenzhen Municipal Government. He noted that Tsinghua University valued very much its close partnership with the Shenzhen Municipal Government. Tsinghua University has the confidence in and dedication to building SIGS as a world-class graduate school with the advanced academic resources of Tsinghua University and the vibrant entrepreneurship environment in Shenzhen. “Shenzhen is the most innovative city in China,” said Qiu Yong. “Tsinghua University has always cherished the spirit of pursuing reform and innovation. I hope that Tsinghua SIGS could take the initiative to serve the region’s rapid development, and act as the connection between Shenzhen and the world.” With the strong investment and policy support from Shenzhen, SIGS will attract more eminent scholars world-wide, pursue interdisciplinary research, reshape graduate programs, collaborate with international and industrial partners, and operate with international standards.

The Launching Ceremony was held right after the Board meeting. Chen Rugui, Qiu Yong, Wang Lixin and Yang Bin unveiled Tsinghua SIGS together. Both Wang Lixin and Yang Bin delivered speeches afterwards. Wang Lixin noted that this year marks the launching of Tsinghua SIGS and constitutes a new starting point. It is hoped that Tsinghua SIGS will continue the legacy of Tsinghua University, bringing more talents and original research findings to benefit the city development.

In his address, Yang Bin made brief introductions to the new Engineering Doctoral Program to be launched in the Greater Bay Area this fall. The program features interdisciplinary technology innovation and leadership development. It will recruit students in the Great Bay Area to pursue a professional doctoral degree in three engineering areas, i.e., Electronics and Information, Advanced Manufacturing, and Energy and Environmental Protection. The program will accept applications in mid-April and the first cohort of students will join Tsinghua SIGS in September.

As the most open and economically vibrant region in China, the Greater Bay Area plays a prominent role in the development of the country. The Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area paints the blueprint as a vibrant world-class city cluster and a global hub for influential innovation and technology. The cooperation of Tsinghua and Shenzhen will stimulate the innovation vitality of the area.

Since Tsinghua and Shenzhen’s first joint establishment of the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen in 1996, the University and the city have achieved many firsts. In 2001, Tsinghua and Shenzhen co-founded the Graduate School at Shenzhen, which was Tsinghua’s first graduate school outside Beijing. In 2014, the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute was founded, which marked the first educational institution jointly founded by Tsinghua and a foreign world-leading university. Then in 2018, Tsinghua SIGS was approved by the Ministry of Education.

Tsinghua SIGS consists of 7 theme areas, which are Energy and Materials, Information Science and Technology, Bio-Pharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Smart City, Ocean Engineering, Environment and Ecology, and Innovation Management. Tsinghua SIGS will work closely with enterprises in the area, and prepare future technology innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs through innovative graduate programs.