About the university
Located in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province of China, Anhui Agricultural University (AAU) is a key university, with a long history specializing in agriculture and forestry. It is supported by the Anhui provincial government, China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration. It was recognized by the Chinese central government as one of the first ten universities nationwide to establish a Research Institute for New Rural Development, and it was selected as one of the “distinctive universities with unique features” in Anhui Province. Mr. JIANG Chun is the Secretary of the CPC committee and Professor Xia Tao is the President.
AAU started its history as a college of agriculture in — under Provincial Anhui University founded in —, it became an independent higher learning institution in — and changed its name to Anhui Agricultural University in —. AAU currently has 19 schools, with a full-time enrollment of — students (including 156 international students), of whom — are postgraduates. Among the — staff, 804 are professors or associate professors. Among this group, 889 work as PhD and master’s students’ supervisors. Besides, AAU possesses one part-time academician, 18 national talents and 94 provincial talents.
At present, two disciplines in AAU are listed among top 1% in ESI, and there is one national key discipline in process, 19 provincial key disciplines, 1 provincially funded project for world-class discipline development, one for national first-class discipline development, five post-doctoral mobile research stations, five A-level and eight B-level PhD programs, as well as 17 A-level master's degree programs, and 8 special doctor’s programs. At present there are 73 undergraduate programs, including 26 programs selected as national or provincial first-class undergraduate programs, five national-level programs of distinction, two national-level pilot programs, two nationally recognized pedagogical teams, four nationally recognized courses (two superior courses, one national online open course, one national top E-course). AAU has one national embark center for students innovation and entrepreneurship, one nationally recognized off-campus internship base, one national-level teaching laboratory, three national-level integrated agriculture, science and education training bases, two types of national-level pilot projects in advanced agricultural personnel training and 4 national projects for research and development of new agriculture.
AAU has great strength in research, possessing one state key laboratory, one national engineering laboratory, one international joint laboratory, one international science and technology cooperation base, one ministerial base of discipline innovation and talent recruitment in higher education, one provincial laboratory and 54 provincial key laboratories, two provincial “—” collaborative innovation centers, one provincial key think tank, one provincial research institute of industrial technology, one "Innovation Team Development Plan” supported by China Ministry of Education，nine “115” provincial innovation teams, seven provincial university scientific innovation teams, six scientists are appointed to the posts of national modern agricultural extension technology network specialists, eight scientists are appointed to the posts of provincial modern agricultural extension technology network chief specialists. During the past three years, AAU has won two National Scientific and Technology Awards, 34 awards in provincial or ministerial levels, including four first prizes in Provincial Scientific and Technological Significant Achievement Award. There are also 72 new animal and plant species, as well as 836 patent application, among which 313 were granted. Besides, 3 national key research programs, 27 scientific projects and 148 national funding programs.
With an open-minded strategy for educational internationalization, AAU has set up close links with universities and research institutes from over 30 countries and regions, such as US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany and Australia. AAU was ratified respectively by China Association of Science and Technology as one of “Anhui Overseas Talents’ Agricultural Bases” and by China Ministry of Education as one of Chinese universities eligible to admit international students funded by China Scholarship. China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs conferred to AAU one of its foreign language training centers for the South-South Cooperation Project. A “National Demonstrative International Science and Technology Cooperation Base” was approved as well. The cooperation between AAU and Colorado State University of USA has been incorporated into the “China-US University-Based Agricultural Extension Alliance.”
Upholding the school mission of serving “Agriculture, Countryside and Farmers”, AAU has always been dedicated itself to developing rural areas via science and technology and developing Anhui via science and education. It has successfully created a well-known “Dabieshan Road” with the goal of advancing the university through instructional innovation and poverty alleviation. In recent years, AAU advocated and implemented the “Modern Young Farmers Project,” and explored a new framework of agricultural extension, called "one station & one alliance & one center", which is a combination of industry-university research cooperation and agricultural extension highly praised by China’s Central Government and the provincial government for its great significance and contributions to alleviating poverty through education and industrial development.
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, as well as the guidelines of the 19th NPC and National Conference of Education, rooted in the duty of cultivating national comprehensive talents, and coping with the strategy of rural revitalization, AAU is currently taking the opportunity of developing national “Double First-rate” project, moving towards a high-level agricultural university with its own distinctive features, with the view of making beautiful Anhui Province a prosperous society.