The Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) is a national key university directly under the administration of the Ministry of Education of P. R. China, and is among the first Universities joining the national “211 Project” and “985 Project”. It was founded on May 26, 2000 as a result of the merger of the former Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Tongji Medical University and Wuhan Urban Construction Institute.
 
    At present, the University has eleven disciplines: engineering, medicine, management, science, philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history and agriculture, offering a variety of degree programs, including 86 undergraduate programs, 303 graduate programs, 237 PhD programs. There are 31 post-doctoral research centers, 7 national key disciplines, 15 national key subdisciplines.

    HUST covers an area of over 1,153 acres with picturesque environment, elegant surroundings and has 72% greenery coverage, which has been honored as the “University in the Forest”. It offers its students and staff first-class logistic service, efficient network service and abundant library resources. HUST has also entered into partnerships with more than 100 renowned universities and research institutions. Annually over 100 famous scholars and experts come to visit HUST and give lectures.

    Now the University has over 1,000 professors and 1,300 associate professors, including 24 academicians, 65 professors receiving funds from the Cheung Kong Scholars program, 36 winners of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 36 listed in the “National Talents Project” and 135 young scholars listed in “New Century Outstanding Talents Project” of the Ministry of Education. In recent years, with the implementation of “New Century Education Reform Project”, HUST has built up a course system based on such major disciplines as information, mechanics, civil engineering and environmental studies, electrical engineering, medicine, management, humanities, etc. It has greatly promoted the reform of credit system and English learning program for non-English majors, strengthened its education base and practical education reform, and built 13 student innovation bases.

    In addition, HUST has been awarded more than 10 national prizes for education reform, with 37 courses honored as the National Quality Courses and 126 excellent coursebooks listed in the National 11th “Five-Year Key Coursebooks”. HUST built various national advanced talents training bases, including the “National Exemplary Software Faculty”, the ”National Base of Life Science and Technological Talents”, the ”National Base of IC Talents”, the ”National Education Base of Basic Science Course”, “National Experimental Exemplary Base of Electronic Electrician Education”, etc. The Tongji Medical College achieved excellence in the national education evaluation on seven-year medicine program and succeeded in the application for the eight-year medicine program. And HUST students won prizes in various competitions of their own disciplines, such as the “Sony Cup” in the National Electronic Design Competition of University Students in 2003 and 12 first prizes in 2005 outnumbering other universities, the golden prize in the fourth “Challenge Cup” of College Students Entrepreneurship Contest in 2005, various prizes in the National Mechanical Creation Design Competition in 2006, surpassing other universities in the nation.

    As a university taking the lead in promoting quality education, HUST established the national base of quality education and the system of quality education with a distinctive character, and has been sponsored over 1,200 lectures to expand students’ knowledge of liberal arts and humanities, which is renowned both home and abroad.

    HUST also holds science festivals, cultural festivals and various campus culture activities in order to build up a distinctive atmosphere of humanity, culture and education.

    In recent years, with growing social impact, HUST has enrolled more high quality students. HUST graduates have been enjoying popularity among employers in the job market, and the employment rate has reached above 95%.
 
    During the construction of “211 Project” and “985 Project”, HUST has broken traditional discipline boundaries, integrated multi-disciplinary resources, played an active role in developing the national innovation system, built the high level and cross-disciplinary scientific innovation platform, and the innovation base of philosophy and social science. Meanwhile, all the 11 innovation platforms are under full development, including Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, the base of digital manufacturing of equipment and technology, the base of gravitation research, the base of transplantation medicine, the base of environment and health, the base of national defense science and technology, as well as the philosophy and social science base featured with “scientific development and humanism”.

    In accordance with the policy strengthening a coordinated development of both basic research and applied research, HUST founded a three-level vertical system of scientific and technological innovation, including a basic research level with national & provincial laboratories as its core, a hi-tech research level with the national engineering research center as its leader, and a technological development level with the national technology transfer center and the joint laboratory as its pillar.

    Nowadays, the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, supported by HUST, is now under full construction. Meanwhile, the pulsed high magnetic field facility, which is a major science and technology infrastructure project, has been approved. Besides, the University has four national key laboratories, two national specialized laboratories, one key national defense laboratory, one national engineering laboratory, thirty-seven provincial key laboratories, three key laboratories of the Ministry of Education (Level B), six national engineering(technology) research centers, eight provincial(technology) research centers, three cooperative research centers of the Ministry of Education and four provincial humanities and social science research bases.

   In recent years, the university receives increasing research funds, and its number of publications accepted in SCI, EI, ISTP was among the top ten universities in China.

   Sticking to the principle of “Securing Support through Service, Pursuing Development by Contribution”, HUST actively promotes commercialization of technological achievements, expands the coverage of education and in return enjoys satisfactory social and economic benefits.

    By establishing cooperative ties with other provinces including Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, HUST has strengthened its collaboration with the local government and large corporations. And HUST has been making contribution to the regional economic development through the establishment of research institutes and industrialization base and the promotion of scientific cooperation. Now it has become one of the seven national technology transfer centers.

    Focusing on combining learning and research with manufacturing and considering technology innovation and promotion as its task, HUST has established a group of advanced science and technology enterprises with “HUAGONG TECH CO., LTD” as a gleaming example. The University Science Park becomes the national “863” industrialization base, and the University science and technology enterprise incubator is honored as the “National Hi-Tech Innovation Service Center”. The “four step jump” pattern for science and technology incubation and industrialization has won acclaim from other universities across the country. National leaders, such as Hu Jintao, Li Changchun, spoke highly of the university’s achievements in hi-tech industry during their visit to HUST.

   The Affiliated Union Hospital and Tongji Hospital are large modern comprehensive hospitals integrating the function of medical service, education, scientific research and training. As the medical centers of Hubei Province and even South Central China, the hospitals boast a large number of sophisticated medical equipments, like advanced level superconductive magnetic resonance devices, X knife device. They also maintain leading positions in organ transplantation, cardiovascular surgery, hematologists, ENT, orthopedics, urology and other fields within the country. The affiliated Liyuan Hospital specializes in presbyatrics and is the research center of Geriatric Conditions of Hubei Province.

    Although the HUST did make a great progress in the past, it will keep on stepping forward with full vigor and vitality, aiming to gain its name as a world top-ranking university and create a brilliant future.