Jiangnan University (JNU)

Jiangnan University (JNU) is situated in Wuxi, which is located in the southern part of Jiangsu Province. Approximately 128 km. away from Shanghai, Wuxi occupies an area of 4,787.61 square kilometers and has a population of 6.34 million, including 2.2 million dwellers in the city center. Wuxi’s transportation conveniently offers the Shanghai International Airport, about a two-and-a-half hour drive to the east, and the local Wuxi Airport, accessible to many domestic cities in China and some Asian countries. During a long history—over three thousand years—Wuxi has remained an important metropolis in terms of agriculture, business, commerce, and culture. Wuxi is also famous for its numerous distinguished citizens, dating from ancient times to the present. Thus, the highly developed local economy, convenient transportation, and quality education have laid solid foundations for the development of Jiangnan University, a university with even equally distinguishing features.

Jiangnan University is the center (and one of the major supporting institutions) of China's light industry, food science, and biotechnology. The National Key Lab of Food Science and Technology, approved by the Ministry of Science & Technology, is the only one of its kind in China. In addition, it has six national engineering research centers and twenty-one laboratories at the ministerial and provincial levels. Since the implementation of China’s Eleventh Five-Year Plan, Jiangnan University has undertaken a large quantity of national, provincial, and ministerial projects, including the “863 Projects,” “973 Projects,” National Key Special Projects, National Key Scientific and Technological Projects, and the National Natural Science Fund. It has received four hundred national, ministerial, and provincial awards, including eleven National Technology Inventions and two Humanity and Social Science Awards. In 2012, 1,479 academic papers published by JNU faculty members were SCIE, EI, and ISTP-indexed. In the same year, research works resulted in 5,037 patent applications, including 1,409 patents for inventions. More than 2,570 patents were granted, which is second to none in Jiangsu. The number of granted patents and effective patents for inventions ranked third and the fourth respectively at the provincial level. In 2012, JNU’s total research funding was at 444 million RMB.

The newly completed university campus, covering 208 hectares, is located by Lake Taihu, a national scenic resort in the south of Wuxi. It was designed and built to demonstrate the concept of an “Eco-campus”, landscaped with beautiful greens, elegant gardens, unique bridges, and tranquil streams. In addition, the Digital Energy Management Platform, based on IOT technology, and eight power reserve and management systems were established to fully utilize water and electricity for the university—signaling a brand new stage from which to achieve fast, sustainable development in the near future.

Jiangnan University, with its century of achievements in several key disciplines, is now striving for even greater success with the ultimate goal of becoming a high-level comprehensive university of international reputation.