Published by: Converged Media Center | Edited by: Media Convergence Center
By: Ni Hongwei, Secretary of the WUST Party Committee
& Lv Yong, President of WUST
Dear Faculty Members, Students, Distinguished Alumni, and Friends,
As the old year gives way to the new, we stand at the dawn of 2026, filled with hope and anticipation. On this joyous occasion, we extend our warmest New Year's greetings and most sincere wishes to every member of our global community—our dedicated faculty and staff, our esteemed retired colleagues, our cherished alumni worldwide, and all friends who have steadfastly supported the growth of Wuhan University of Science and Technology (WUST).
The year 2025 was a landmark period of glorious achievements in advancing Chinese modernization and the successful conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan. For WUST, it was equally fruitful, marked by significant strides in first-class discipline development and a successful undergraduate education teaching audit. Throughout the year, every member of WUST have anchored themselves to the goal of “taking the lead and staying ahead,”shouldering great responsibilities in serving national strategies. We have worked diligently to foster virtue and talent, promote the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, and delivered outstanding outcomes in high-quality development.
In 2025, we reached relentlessly for first-class standards, building powerful momentum for our cause. Aligned with Hubei's “71020” discipline innovation system, we optimized our academic programs. Notably, twelve of our disciplines were listed in the 2025 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, cementing WUST’s leading position among Hubei provincial universities for the sixth consecutive year. In a spectacular leap, Material Science and Engineering soared 96 places globally to a record high. Our ESI discipline rankings climbed steadily, with total citations and domestic/international standings ranking first among our provincial peers. These accomplishments were underscored by the Hubei Provincial Government signing agreements with China Baowu Steel Group and China Minmetals to support our first-class discipline development, and were celebrated in a full-page feature in Hubei Daily. Maintaining our position among the nation's top 100, WUST ranked 83rd in the 2025 Alumni Association Chinese University Ranking. A visit from Li Dianxun, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, brought full affirmation of our work and encouragement to translate more scientific innovations into real productivity.
In 2025, our commitment to innovation and pioneering spirit yielded frequent and celebrated successes in scientific research. Adhering to the “Four Orientations”strategy, we strengthened organized research. WUST continued to lead provincial universities in National Natural Science Foundation funding, securing for the first time the “Ye Qisun” Science Fund and winning major National Social Science Fund projects for the fifth consecutive year. A highlight was winning the first prize of the Metallurgical Science and Technology Award as the primary institution, along with 23 Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Awards. Our team's gold award in the 4th Hubei High-Value Patent Competition made us the only provincial university to receive this honor. The foundation for our high-quality development has been fortified, our pace steadier, and our momentum more robust than ever.
In 2025, our dedication to nurturing talent yielded exceptional graduates. We closely aligned with Hubei’s “51020” industrial clusters to optimize program offerings. We obtained approval to independently establish the interdisciplinary doctoral and master’s program in “Low-Altitude Technology and Engineering”, added four new undergraduate programs, and launched three dual-degree programs. We innovatively implemented the “3+1+2” Excellence Engineer Institute and the “Top Talent Cultivation Program,” deepening industry-academia integration through tailored training collaborations with enterprises such as WSGRI Engineering & Surveying Incorporation LTD and Liuzhou Iron &Steel Company, LTD. Oue students excelled remarkably, earning 2,307 awards at provincial level or above, and leading the way among provincial universities in premier competitions. The high employment and further education rates of our graduates stand as a testament to their widely recognized comprehensive competence and innovative capacity.
In 2025, we focused on precise recruitment and development, achieving fruitful results in building a first-class faculty. We intensified efforts to attract and nurture top scholars. We were honored to recruit one full-time academician from the Singapore Academy of Engineering and one from the Academy of Science of South Africa, cultivated three national-level talents, and saw 43 scholars selected for provincial talent programs. Six were selected for national overseas young talent programs, and 17 for provincial overseas talent initiatives. One team was proudly recognized as a “National Huang Danian-style Teaching Team,” the only one from a provincial undergraduate institution in Hubei. The international impact of our faculty was further demonstrated by fourteen scholars listed in the “Career-long Scientific Impact” ranking of the world's top 2% scientists, and 45 in the “Annual Scientific Impact” list, both rankings leading provincial universities in Hubei. The cultivation of leading talents and young backbone faculty continues to strengthen, optimizing our talent structure for the future.
In 2025, by building a supportive environment and establishing new platforms, we have infused our innovation system with vibrant energy. We focused on optimizing the scientific research platform system to solidify the foundation for innovative development. The State Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractories was inaugurated, and one ministerial-level key platform was approved. We established a Refractory Materials Innovation Alliance with 12 leading enterprises worldwide and launched a groundbreaking science and technology seed fund with the Yangtze River Industry Group and Qingshan District government, totaling 200 million CNY—the largest among Hubei provincial universities. Thirty national media outlets visited the campus, highlighting WUST’s progress in “Serving the Hub, Striving for First-Class.”
In 2025, we expanded cooperation and served society with a focus on tangible outcomes. We concentrated on industry-university-research collaboration to translate more scientific achievements into real productivity. These efforts were underscored by the introduction of a three-year action plan for hub development and the approval of the Hubei Concept Verification Center, which contributed to research funding climbing for the fifth straight year to a new record high. We deepened the “Alumni Return” initiative, empowering Hubei’s hub development and continuously transforming alumni resources into strong momentum for industrial upgrading and scientific innovation.
In 2025, we enhanced international exchange and embraced the world, charting a blueprint for open education. We deepened cooperation with renowned universities worldwide. The WUST-Madrid Complutense Institute was approved by the Ministry of Education and welcomed its first cohort—marking the first Hubei provincial university to partner with a top-200 global institution. We secured three projects under the China Scholarship Council’s “Special Project for Talent Training in Western China”. We launched a “3+1+1” bachelor’s-master’s program with the University of Technology Sydney, obtained approval to enroll postgraduate students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and established a comprehensive training system spanning bachelor’s to doctoral levels.
In 2025, we deepened reforms and optimized administration, implementing practical initiatives for the well-being of our community. We established three undergraduate experimental teaching centers and upgraded 14 teaching laboratories. The 11th “Qinghu Fish Feast” was held in a warm atmosphere, alongside a series of practical initiatives that enhanced the lives of teachers and students. These included upgrades to student dormitories and restrooms, the installation of air conditioning in classrooms, the addition of elevators to faculty housing, and the launch of a public healthcare reimbursement platform. Through these efforts, the campus appearance has been renewed, fostering a heightened spirit across our community.
In 2025, we focused on moral and faith education to foster unity, enhancing Party building to consolidate our institutional bedrock. We thoroughly studied the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Our experience was featured in Hubei Daily. We continued to deepen the “Integration and Double High” initiative, obtained approval as a pilot unit for comprehensive reform in fostering virtue and talent under the “Three-Year Action Plan for Building a Strong Education Nation,” and saw the emergence of role models such as the National March 8th Red Flag Holder and the National Self-Reliance Model. The Qinghu Voice Choir performed on CCTV’s Lantern Festival Gala, the Chinese Nation Community Research Institute was recognized as a provincial advanced collective for ethnic unity, and several groups and individuals received national commendations in the steel industry’s Communist Youth League awards.
Visionaries achieve far, and achievers make it happen. Every honor, every figure, every project approval is engraved with the perseverance and dedication of the WUST community. It is your day-and-night effort that drives the university’s remarkable progress. We once again express our highest respect to the hard-working faculty and staff, the striving students, the alumni at home and abroad who care for their alma mater, and the friends from all sectors who strongly support us!
As the year turns and a new chapter begins, 2026 marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan and a critical year for WUST to achieve breakthroughs in first-class discipline development and realize leapfrog development. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will strengthen confidence, embrace responsibility, and advance the integration of education, technology, and talent with firmer conviction, more pragmatic conduct, and stronger measures. We will accelerate first-class discipline development, serve national strategies and Hubei’s hub construction, and write a new chapter in WUST’s high-quality development!
As we step into the New Year, we offer our sincerest wishes:
May our great motherland continue to thrive in prosperity and strength!
May Wuhan University of Science and Technology scale new heights of achievement!
And may every member of our WUST family, our alumni across the globe, and our partners everywhere enjoy a year filled with success, health, and happiness!
