As the seasons cycle and time flows like a melody, the bell of the New Year is about to ring. We extend our warmest wishes to all members of the Fudan community and friends of Fudan University!
In 2025, our esteemed university celebrated its 120th anniversary. President XI Jinping sent us a congratulatory letter, charting the course for our future. This marked a milestone in Fudan’s 120-year history, filling all faculty, staff, students, and alumni at home and abroad with immense pride and inspiration.
The best way to honor history is to create new history. This year, guided by our mission, the entire university has forged ahead with determination. We remained committed to a people-centered approach. By advancing the integrated reform of institutions and mechanisms pertaining to education, science and technology, and talent, we paid tribute to Fudan’s 120 years of glory through nurturing, empowering, serving, enlightening, and connecting people. We continued to write a chapter of struggle—mission-driven, down-to-earth, fearless of hardships, and courageous in scaling new heights.
Nurturing Every Seed, Reaching for the Sun
As a designated pilot, we have taken on the mission of spearheading three national comprehensive reforms, staying true to fostering virtue and cultivating talent. Our Education and Teaching Reform 3.0 is in full swing, with 120 talent cultivation programs established. This year welcomed students to six new engineering colleges, and saw the launch of the School of Biotechnology and the School of International Communication and Global Leadership. The student affairs system innovated to meet new needs, and we have launched several initiatives, including the Youth Innovation Center Fund, to provide multifaceted support for cultivating our most promising talents. These individuals are defined by their multidimensional potential, interdisciplinary skills, and ability to drive their own intellectual growth. Fudan students achieved remarkable success in national competitions, broke records and won medals in events like the National Games.The Fudan Postgraduate Volunteer Teaching Corps continues the legacy of bridging regional divides through education. A large number of graduates chose to contribute their talents in western China, grassroots communities, and key national entities, embodying Fudan’s tradition of patriotism and fine academic ethos. Student activity centers in the South Student Residential Quarter and Jiangwan Campus were upgraded, and Fudan was selected as a national demonstration unit for “one-stop” student communities. We hope every student can fulfill their potential here and contributes to society in a manner that is genuinely practical rather than narrowly utilitarian, deeply engaged with real-world issues, and aligned with the broader needs of national advancement.
Celebrating Educators’ Journeys, Inspiring Future Legends
The reform of the tenure-track system progressed steadily, pioneered by nearly 700 teachers who transitioned into it. ZHOU Jian was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while YU Jintai and ZHANG Fan were selected for the “New Cornerstone Investigator Program”. Over the year, 50 people were awarded the title of National Leading Talent and 81 people were awarded the title of National Young Talents. 8 people were recruited as the university’s Xianghui Scholars. 108 individuals were selected for the new batch of the university’s Zhuoshi and Zhuoxue cultivation programs. Fudan ranked first among national postdoctoral stations in the number of candidates selected for the National Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program. Over 10 individuals received honors such as the National Advanced Worker Award, the research team on functional mesoporous materials was recognized as one of the fourth batch of “Huang Danian-style Teaching Team”, a top-tier, state-recognized faculty honor in Chinese higher education. The pancreatic surgery team of the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center was awarded National Advanced Collective in the Health Sector. Our faculty have dedicated themselves to research and education, turning countless dreams into reality. It is with profound sorrow that we bid farewell to esteemed masters such as QIU Xigui, GU Yudong, SUN Xin, and WANG Xun, who now shine as eternal stars, illuminating our path forward. The best way to honor them is to advance on the path toward a world-class university with Chinese characteristics and strive to reach the pinnacle of global excellence.
Advancing Scientific Frontiers, Shaping Humanity’s Future
Significant progress has been made in basic research exploration, serving major national strategies, and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The annual full-caliber research revenue reached a historic milestone, exceeding 8.5 billion yuan for the first time, building on the previous year’s base of 6 billion yuan.
Three national key laboratories began full operation to further advance the university’s capability in basic research, and institutes such as the Xuemin Institute of Advanced Research and Shanghai Zuquan Innovation Institute were inaugurated. The Ultrathin microprocessor WUJI and subnanosecond flash memory PoX making their debut. International journals such as Science and AI, were launched, and a batch of new technologies and products emerged. National key R&D programs and major national science and technology projects achieved notable successes, with Fudan ranking among the top institutions in terms of both the number and funding of projects in the “Brain Science Research” and “Prevention and Control of Emerging and Major Infectious Diseases” categories. The number of projects approved for National Natural Science Foundation of China has exceeded 1,000 for the first time, and outstanding achievements were made in the Shanghai Science and Technology Awards, with the university leading in first prizes for natural sciences. 17 achievements shone at the China International Industry Fair, earning the highest number of awards among universities. JIANG Yugang, SHU Yilai, and ZHANG Jiayi received the Xplorer Award, while WANG Guozhen was awarded the Shiing-Shen Chern Mathematics Award. From predicting the risk of hundreds of diseases with a single blood draw to reviving batteries with an injection, discovering new targets for Parkinson’s disease, enabling paralyzed individuals to walk again through brain-spine interfaces, and offering hope for stroke patients with aphasia to regain speech—innovations ranging from breakthroughs in life science to key advancements in people’s liveliood, from the depths of basic research to the vibrant competition in technology transformation, countless original achievements are igniting new engines for high-quality development, turning people’s longing for a better life into reality.
Converging Humanities Thoughts, Engaging in Civilizational Dialogue
The original site of Fudan University, after renovation, which now consists of Fudan University History Museum, Fudan University Museum, Fudan University Science & Technology Innovation Museum, Fudan Art Museum, Fudan Alumni House and Fudan University Special Collections Archives, glows with renewed charm. The university event calendar “Fudan Events” features a wide array of activities. Progress were made in our liberal arts reform. Phase III of the “Two Major Projects” in humanities in which top scholars and students were organized into teams to tackle foundational questions in philosophy, social sciences, and Chinese culture, were launched. The Institute of Marxism deepened its reforms, and major tasks for constructing an independent knowledge system progressed steadily. The compilation and publication of the Complete Works of Sima Guang（《司马光全集》）have been successfully accomplished, and the revision of the Atlas of Chinese History (《中国历史地图集》) has officially commenced. The Intelligent Conference for Humanities and Social Sciences was held, while emerging fields like archaeological science, civilizational traceability, cultural communication, and culture-tourism integration brimmed with vitality. The innovation in philosophy and social sciences represents a significant synthesis, characterized by its cultural richness, theoretical depth, and methodological rigor. Fudan ranked second in the country in the number of major projects approved by the National Social Science Fund, won the “Five-One Project” Award, China’s top state-level honors for outstanding cultural works, in the theoretical articles category, and saw its “Silver Age Future Laboratory” selected as a Ministry of Education Laboratory for Philosophy and Social Sciences. 139 achievements led the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Awards, securing the top spot in the city, with ZHU Liyuan and GE Jianxiong honored with Academic Contribution Awards. 9 individuals have been honored with the Shanghai Culture and Arts Awards, with LIU Fangtong, WANG Shuizhao, and CAO Peilin receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards, and WU Xiaoming and CHEN Shangjun being awarded for Outstanding Contributions. Fudan also secured the leading position in the number of Shanghai Awards for Outstanding Research in Policy Consultation. We always bear in mind that the charm of a university lies in its role of continuing the lifeblood of the nation. With our profound cultural heritage and lofty pursuit of values, we provide society with spiritual nourishment that is ever more abundant, refined, and empowering.
Partnering Across Regions, Hand in Hand for Shared Success
The 120th-anniversary celebration and the University Seminar on Building a World-Class University were successfully held. The Global Alumni Innovation Center (Hongqiao Park) was inaugurated. With donation revenue increasing significantly and reaching an all-time high, the Fudan University Education Development Foundation’s net assets doubled. The “4+1” education development funds set sail, which include four discipline-specific fund clusters focused on Basic Research, the New Liberal Arts, the New Engineering and the New Medical Science, and one fund cluster dedicated to fostering campus culture and supporting youth innovation. The university further deepened its cooperation with various juridictions in the city. The renovated Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center resumed operations. High-level platforms such as the Hongqiao Medical Innovation Park, the Jiading Fudan International Education Technology Innovation Center, and the Qingpu Fudan Future Technology Research Institute were established. The Binjiang Campus of the International Division of the Affiliated High School to Fudan Univeristy and the new branch of Shanghai East Hospital were completed, and the Fudan Pudong Experimental School opened. University-local and university-enterprise collaborations expanded, with over 40 university-level strategic agreements signed, City Outreach Week 2.0 has yielded remarkable achievements, paired assistance produced fruitful results, and the National AI Application Pilot Base was established at Zhongshan Hospital. 3 national regional medical centers have successfully achieved the rank of top-tier (Grade A, Class 3) hospitals. The Center for Global AI Innovative Governance, the Secretariat of the Global South Think Tank Cooperation Alliance, and the Secretariat of the Life Sciences Open Alliance were established. International joint laboratories and research projects thrived, and visits by heads of state, faculty, and students were frequent. The community of shared-interest partners continues to grow, and the network for sci-tech innovation keeps expanding.
As we look back upon a glorious 120-year history, it is precisely the shared ideals and collaborative journey of countless teachers and students that have shaped the university’s future and splendor. When we unite as one, the legacy endures; when all join hands with concerted effort, the dream becomes attainable.
Currently, the university is seizing the opportunity of formulating and implementing its own 15th Five-Year Plan to shift its educational philosophy and governance from a purely disciplinary logic to one that serves science and technology, industry, and social development. This further aligns its ideals with the broader coordinates of national priorities. We firmly believe that as long as all members of the Fudan community integrate personal aspirations into collective goals, dedicate themselves to the nation through hard work, remain self-reliant, and strive for continuous renewal day by day, they will surely ride the waves of the times, pioneer new frontiers in reform and development, and paint a vibrant new vision of taking the lead and serving as the vanguard. This will contribute steadily to the advancement of Chinese modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
May our motherland soar like a dragon and prosper! May all the Fudaners across the globe achieve their aspirations and crowned with swift success!
QIU Xin, chair of Fudan University Council
JIN Li, president of Fudan University
December 31, 2025
