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05 Jan 2021

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A New Year Message from Fudan University



As the great tide of the times keeps surging forward, the last page of the extraordinary 2020 will soon be turned over. We would like to extend our New Year greetings and best wishes to all the students, faculty staff, retirees and alumni at home and abroad and to people from all walks of life who have long cared and supported Fudan’s development.

One can travel far only with faith in heart. At the juncture where the start of a new centenary journey meets profound changes unprecedented in a century, Fudaners have been eager to do their part in the realization of national rejuvenation. They have made extraordinary achievements with the might of the ordinary, risen to challenges with perseverance, and prepared themselves for opportunities with hard work. Fudan has been committed to fostering virtue through education and striving for excellence in education, contributing to China’s answer to all the challenges and difficulties this year that will go down in history.

In the face of the pandemic, Fudaners hold fast to the principle of putting people first and serving the country. We will never forget our 511 medical workers, in 13 batches, who went in harm’s way to Hubei, the once epicenter of the pandemic, over ten thousand medics who guarded at the gates to the country and the city, researchers who tackled the most pressing medical problems and offered scientific solutions to contain the virus in their research papers, and scholars of humanities and social sciences who have presented more than 300 policy proposals to the central government and local authorities regarding the virus control, societal and economic recovery. A number of medical professionals, have become the public faces who engage themselves in societal education of public health at home and abroad. All the teachers have carried out unprecedented online teaching against all odds, with 4,821 courses launched in perfect order during the spring semester. All the students have kept doing their best in learning, research and voluntary services. Our faculty staff have stood firm on their posts day and night and our alumni have made generous donations and offered kind assistance.

Shouldering the task of building a first-class university, Fudaners have been committed to serving the country through education and innovation. This year, the fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee has drawn a new blueprint for building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. This year, we have successfully completed the 13th Five-Year Plan for Fudan’s development and the first round of the “Double First-Class” program. What was dreamed by our predecessors a century ago has gradually come true. Our university is striding towards a world’s leading university with Chinese characteristics and endeavoring to take the center stage in higher education worldwide as a Chinese university.

Over the past year, we have promoted education in a sound and fast way. The “2020 First-class Undergraduate Education Action Plan” has been successfully completed. The launch of “Plan for Strengthening Basic Disciplines” has helped attract more excellent students nationwide, with 6 majors selected into the “Bajian Plan 2.0” approved by the Ministry of Education and 52 courses recognized as first-class national undergraduate courses. With the implementation of the “Boying Plan” and “Zhuobo Plan”, the comprehensive reform of postgraduate education has been launched in an all-round way and the number of doctoral students has further increased.

Over the past year, our management system has been optimized and expanded. The layout of three campuses plus one scientific innovation zone has essentially formed and a new pattern of centralizing undergraduate education, conducting scientific research in different campuses and concentrating on major innovations has taken shape. Substantial progress has been achieved in the construction of three comprehensive experimental zones for higher education in the new era: the preparation of the Budapest Campus in Hungary has been moving ahead steadily; Yiwu Research Institute has been inaugurated; and the planning of the Qingpu Campus in Shanghai has entered the review stage. All these have laid a solid foundation for the high-quality educational development in Fudan’s 14th Five-Year Plan.

Over the past year, we have implemented our plans in discipline construction. Progress has been made in all the five discipline categories. The construction of the first-level discipline of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering has begun, followed by that of two first-level doctoral programs of Information Science and Technology and Aeronautics. We have continued to improve our basic disciplines and basic platforms for discipline development, establishing the Frontier Institute of Chip and System, inaugurating the Wangdao Institute and carrying forward the Public Health Discipline Group Action Plan.

Over the past year, our capability in scientific research and innovation has been enhanced. The total research expenditure of the whole year has set a record high of over 4 billion yuan. The establishment of the Basic Science Center for Functional Mesoporous Materials of the National Natural Science Foundation of China has been approved. Major breakthroughs in basic scientific research have been made. This year, Fudan researchers have published 37 original papers in top international journals such as Cell, Nature, Science, NEJM and the Lancet, and acted as corresponding authors/first authors of 20 papers of them. Nearly 200 of our research projects in humanities and social sciences have received funding from governmental organizations above provincial and ministerial levels. We have had 5 research projects listed as key projects of philosophy and social science of the Ministry of Education, topping any other Chinese university. We have ranked the third in the number of the 8th Outstanding Achievements Award in University Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences category). We have actively participated in the establishment of national laboratories, and have been assigned the mission to lead the Shanghai National Applied Mathematics Center. Our ecological observation and research station in the Yangtze River Estuary Wetland has been listed as a national station. We will continue to develop the Zhangjiang-Fudan International Innovation Center. Our national major science and technology infrastructure for systems biology has been added to Shanghai’s development plan, and the R&D and transformation functional platform of the big data experimental site has been approved. We have initiated the “Navigation Program for Clinical Medical Research” and participated in the establishment of the Shanghai Institute of Major Infectious Diseases and Biosafety, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response. The National Clinical Research Center for Radiology and Therapeutics has been set up in our affiliated Zhongshan Hospital. 

Over the past year, we have striven to recruit outstanding teaching and research faculty. We have gradually expanded our teaching faculty and recruited those with exceptional talents and capabilities. A total of 228 high-level talents have joined us this year. We have selected the first batch of personnel into our “Excellence 2025” program. Two of our professors are awarded the title of Senior Professor of Liberal Arts which is considered equivalent of Academician. We have further expanded the pool of full-time researchers by selecting 462 Super Postdocs who will be entrusted with major innovation tasks. We have continued to carry out reforms of assessments on professional titles and work performance, so that our faculty and researchers can continue their work knowing that their benefits and welfare are in safe hands. 

Over the past year, we have aligned our work with national strategies. Guided by major national and regional plans of the Yangtze River Delta Integration, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Huai River Ecological Economic Belt, etc., Fudan has reached out to key provinces such as Shandong, Guangdong and Zhejiang, and deepened cooperation with key industries and leading enterprises. Fudan has initiated the Developer Alliance of the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integration Development Demonstration Zone as a founding member. We have made reforms in medical education and improved the organizational structure of Shanghai Medical College which is co-run by the Ministry of Education, National Health Commission and Shanghai municipality. Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital has been listed as an affiliated hospital to Fudan University. Other affiliated hospitals such as Zhongshan Hospital, Huashan Hospital and Children’s Hospital have continued to contribute to the development of national and regional medical centers. 

Over the past year, we have consolidated our relations with international partners. We have opened a new chapter in the cooperation with the world’s top universities such as the University of Cambridge and established a strategic partnership with the University of Luxembourg. We've taken the lead in the implementation of the Education Action Plan for the Belt and Road Initiative. IRDR has approved the development plan for establishing an International Center of Excellence (ICoE) under Fudan University.

Over the past year, we have stepped up efforts in infrastructure upgrades. We have added new facilities of 121,500 square meters on campus and made renovations to old buildings of 55,700 square meters. We have put on shelf 49 online services, and launched “Fudan Campus Code”, namely the virtual eCard. We have upgraded the North Canteen and student accommodation facilities. We have launched campaigns to advocate garbage classification and energy conservation. The first batch of Fudan residents has moved into the Bay Valley Community, a residential quarter of affordable rental apartments close to Fudan’s Jiangwan Campus. 

Looking forward, we have new goals to achieve. Difficulties will not vanish just because the calendar turns over another year, and we are sure to face new challenges. As we embark on a new journey, we need to put more effort into the realization of our goals. 

2021 will mark the country’s new journey to build a modernized socialist country, the start of the implementation of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the start of Fudan’s new journey to become a forefront university in the world. We will maintain high-quality development as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party and gather all strength to become a world’s leading university with Chinese characteristics to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and human progress in the world.


Chair of Fudan University Council 

Jiao Yang

President of Fudan University

Xu Ningsheng


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