As we stand poised on the dawn of 2026, we also celebrate a year of transformative growth and remarkable strides at Tsinghua SIGS. To our esteemed faculty, dedicated students, accomplished alumni, and cherished friends across the globe: thank you for being integral parts of our extraordinary journey. Your invaluable contributions are sculpting a pioneering model for graduate education and research that fuels technological innovation and drives societal advancement.
As our previous five-year strategic endeavor concludes, the past year has been distinguished by noteworthy accomplishments and substantial progress. As part of Tsinghua University’s strategic southward expansion in Shenzhen, our efforts have been steadfastly guided by a commitment to the Three Highs: fostering high-level international cooperation, nurturing high-standard talent development, and promoting high-quality innovation practices. We have firmly anchored our objective in serving as a catalyst for Tsinghua University's disciplinary excellence, enhancing its global engagement, and integrating cutting-edge innovation, thereby solidifying its esteemed position among the world’s leading universities.
We take immense pride in the strides we've made in cultivating a globally competitive academic community. Over the past five years, SIGS has witnessed a remarkable expansion of its top-tier talent pool. This year alone, we have had the honor of welcoming six academicians and four nationally recognized scholars, including the world-renowned expert in nanoscience and chemistry, Professor Charles M. Lieber. Notably, an impressive 5% of our full-time faculty members have been featured in Clarivate's 2025 List of Highly Cited Researchers, while 28% have been ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the Single-Year Impact list, and 11% in the Career-Long Impact list. These metrics vividly highlight the exceptional caliber and far-reaching influence of our faculty.
Our research teams have achieved substantial breakthroughs, publishing a total of 75 papers in Cell, Nature, Science (CNS) and their affiliated journals, with 7 of these appearing in the prestigious main journals. Significant strides have also been made in international scientific collaboration and foreign scholar programs. The number of authorized patents has seen an approximate 30% year-on-year increase, while the number of technology transfer projects has doubled. Key initiatives, such as the Shenzhen–Tsinghua Fundamental AI Research Project and the Joint Research Center for Industrial Embodied Intelligent Robotics, are driving innovation forward through cross-disciplinary collaboration, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of research and development.
We are also actively shaping the next generation of graduate education, dedicated to nurturing world-class engineering talents. Our student community has now expanded to over 6,100 individuals, all supported by a robust and dynamic academic framework. Notably, seven disciplines at SIGS have achieved global recognition, ranking in the top 1% according to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI), with Materials Science soaring to the top 1‰—a clear demonstration of our research prowess and academic influence. Through our strategic Double Ten Plan, forged in collaboration with industry leaders such as Tencent and Huawei, we are pioneering new pathways for the integrated development of education, technology, and talent cultivation. Our interdisciplinary programs, coupled with the seamless integration of AI across the curriculum, are equipping our students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
In 2025, we significantly enhanced our global outreach, broadening our network to encompass 81 partner universities across the globe. Our campus has evolved into a thriving intellectual epicenter, warmly embracing students from 56 different countries, each contributing unique perspectives that enrich our collaborative and inclusive learning environment. Our faculty, too, exemplifies remarkable international diversity, with 23% comprising international scholars and 93% possessing overseas research or study experience, thereby nurturing a truly cosmopolitan and vibrant academic culture.
As we step into 2026, Shenzhen is set to host the APEC summit, advancing its ambition to become a beacon of future urban development. In this spirit of relentless progress, we at SIGS are wholeheartedly embracing our pioneering role—nurturing an open, innovative, and interdisciplinary community that is redefining the landscape of graduate education. It is within this collaborative, risk-taking and out-of-box thinking environment, as highlighted by The Washington Post, that ideas flourish, generate meaningful impact, and drive global scientific advancement.
Forging ahead with a unified sense of purpose, we reaffirm the mission that binds us together: to educate with unwavering integrity, to explore the realms of knowledge without limits, to enrich society with our discoveries, and to tirelessly work towards a brighter future for humanity. This is our solemn promise. Constructing this future demands the collective effort of us all—and we eagerly anticipate standing shoulder to shoulder with you in the year ahead.
I wish you a joyful, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
Ouyang Zheng
Dean of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School
