Eastern Institute of Technology

The Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) is a private research university in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, established with the support of the Ningbo municipal government and approved by the Ministry of Education in June 2025.宁波东方理工大学是中国浙江省宁波市的一所私立研究型大学，由社会力量举办、省市共同建设，并于2025年6月获教育部批准设立。

It is a small, research-intensive institution built around science, engineering, information technology and business, with four faculties and eight undergraduate majors by 2026.学校定位为高起点、小而精、研究型、国际化的新型研究型大学，设有四个学部，2026年本科招生专业达到八个。

Chen Shiyi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former president of the Southern University of Science and Technology, led the preparation from 2022 and became founding president in 2025.中国科学院院士、南方科技大学原校长陈十一自2022年起主持筹建工作，并于2025年成为学校首任校长。

History

• In June 2020 the Ningbo entrepreneur Yu Renrong, founder of the semiconductor company Will Semiconductor, proposed building a high-level university in his home city. He had made his career in semiconductors and wanted the new university to concentrate on science and engineering.2020年6月，半导体企业韦尔股份创始人、宁波籍企业家虞仁荣提出在家乡捐资建设一所高水平大学。他长期从事半导体行业，希望这所新大学聚焦科学与工程。
• In August 2020 Yu and the Ningbo municipal government signed a framework agreement on building and running the new university, setting out the city's support for the project.2020年8月，虞仁荣与宁波市人民政府签署合作办学框架协议，明确市政府对项目的支持。
• In October 2020 the Ningbo Yu Renrong Education Foundation was registered as the sponsoring body of the future university, with Yu's pledged donation as its main endowment.2020年10月，宁波市虞仁荣教育基金会注册成立，作为未来大学的举办主体，虞仁荣的捐赠构成其主要资金来源。
• Yu pledged more than 20 billion yuan to the project, one of the largest private commitments to higher education in China, much of it in shares rather than cash.虞仁荣承诺捐资200多亿元建设这所大学，其中很大部分以股权而非现金形式投入，这在中国民办高等教育中极为罕见。
• In January 2021 the Ningbo municipal government formed a preparatory leading group and a working office to coordinate the land, planning and approvals needed for the campus.2021年1月，宁波市成立筹建工作领导小组和筹建工作办公室，统筹校区土地、规划与审批事宜。
• On 12 March 2021 the Ningbo Eastern Institute for Advanced Study was registered as the preparatory body, with Chen Shiyi as its legal representative and director. The institute was set up as a non-profit research organisation rather than a degree-granting college.2021年3月12日，宁波市东方理工高等研究院注册成立，作为学校的筹建主体，由陈十一担任法定代表人和院长。该研究院定位为新型非营利科研机构，而非学位授予型学院。
• In November 2021 the institute began its first global recruitment of teaching and research staff and was approved to set up a Zhejiang provincial postdoctoral workstation.2021年11月，研究院首次面向全球招聘教研人才，并获批设立浙江省博士后工作站。
• On 29 December 2021 the Ningbo municipal government and the Yu Renrong Education Foundation signed the formal cooperation agreement to build the university.2021年12月29日，宁波市人民政府与虞仁荣教育基金会签署合作办学协议，正式启动大学建设。
• In December 2021 the institute announced a joint doctoral programme with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, opening a route to PhD training before the university itself could award degrees.2021年12月，研究院发布与香港理工大学联合培养博士研究生项目招生简章，在大学尚无法自主授予学位时开辟了博士培养通道。
• In September 2022 the first cohort of jointly trained doctoral students enrolled, studying under institute supervisors while registered at partner universities.2022年9月，首届联合培养博士生入学，学生在合作高校注册，由研究院导师指导开展研究。
• On 29 December 2022 construction of the permanent campus began in Zhenhai District, with a planned total floor area of about 1.5 million square metres.2022年12月29日，永久校区在镇海区开工建设，规划总建筑面积约150万平方米。
• On 3 January 2023 the Ningbo Digital Twin (EIT) Research Institute was established with the Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau as a jointly built innovation platform.2023年1月3日，由宁波市科学技术局与学校合作共建的宁波数字孪生（东方理工）研究院成立。
• On 27 February 2023 Yu Renrong transferred 10 million shares through Shaoxing Weihao to the education foundation as a further donation to the university project.2023年2月27日，虞仁荣通过绍兴韦豪向虞仁荣教育基金会无偿捐赠1000万股，继续支持大学建设。
• In April 2023 the university was registered as a legal entity, allowing it to sign contracts, recruit staff and hold assets in its own name.2023年4月，宁波东方理工大学法人主体登记设立，得以以自身名义签署合同、招聘人员并持有资产。
• On 19 July 2023 construction of the first phase and core area of the permanent campus formally started, following the earlier site preparation.2023年7月19日，永久校区一期（核心区）正式开工，此前的地块整理工作已经展开。
• In March 2024 the university's first board of directors was established and held its inaugural meeting, putting in place the governance structure needed for independent operation.2024年3月，学校首届董事会成立并举行第一次会议，建立起独立办学所需的治理架构。
• From 18 to 22 November 2024 the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education publicised the proposed establishment of the university and invited public comment. The notice was the last regulatory step before the Ministry of Education's decision.2024年11月18日至22日，浙江省教育厅就新设宁波东方理工大学向社会公示并征求意见。这次公示是教育部作出批复前的最后一道程序。
• In May 2025 the university's postdoctoral research station was approved to recruit postdoctoral researchers independently rather than through a partner institution.2025年5月，学校博士后科研工作站获批独立招收资格，可自主招收博士后研究人员。
• On 19 June 2025 the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the university, with four undergraduate majors in its first intake.2025年6月19日，教育部批复设立宁波东方理工大学，首批设置四个普通本科专业。
• On 30 August 2025 the university held its first opening ceremony and welcomed 74 undergraduates, all admitted from Zhejiang Province. The ceremony marked the start of teaching on the permanent campus in Zhenhai.2025年8月30日，学校举行首次开学典礼，迎来74名本科新生，全部来自浙江省。开学典礼标志着镇海永久校区正式投入使用。
• On 28 November 2025 the university was officially inaugurated at a ceremony attended by leaders from Zhejiang and Ningbo and by the presidents of several partner universities.2025年11月28日，学校正式揭牌成立，浙江省、宁波市领导以及多所合作高校校长出席仪式。
• By September 2026 it had established 11 colleges covering mathematics, physics, chemistry, materials, biomedical engineering, environment, electronics, computing and mechanical engineering, alongside business and humanities.到2026年9月，学校已设立11个学院，涵盖数学、物理、化学、材料、生物医学工程、环境、电子、计算机与机械工程，以及商学院和人文社科中心。
• In July 2026 the university reported 118 full-time principal investigators, 16 academicians and 68 national-level talents, and offered eight undergraduate majors.2026年7月，学校公布全职教学科研型教师118人，其中院士16人、国家级人才68人，本科专业增至八个。
• On 20 July 2023 the university held a welcome meeting for its 2023 doctoral cohort, with 46 new students attending in person and about 40 more joining online.2023年7月20日，学校举行2023级博士生新生见面会，46名新生到场，另有约40人线上参加。
• On 11 June 2025 the Ministry of Education published a public notice proposing the establishment of the university, eight days before formal approval.2025年6月11日，教育部发布拟同意设置本科高等学校的公示，八天后正式批复设立。

Academics

• The university is organised into four faculties, Science, Engineering, Information Science and Technology, and Business, together with a Humanities and Social Sciences Centre.学校下设理学部、工学部、信息科学与技术学部、商学院四个学部，以及人文社会科学中心。
• The Faculty of Science covers mathematics and statistics, physics, chemistry and life sciences, and is intended to anchor the university's basic research.理学部涵盖数学与统计、物理、化学和生命科学，是学校基础研究的支撑力量。
• The Faculty of Engineering covers mechanics and mechanical engineering, energy science, biomedical engineering, materials and chemical engineering, and civil and environmental engineering.工学部涵盖力学与机械工程、能源科学、生物医学工程、材料与化学工程以及土木与环境工程。
• The Faculty of Information Science and Technology covers electronic science and technology, computer science, information and communication engineering, and automation.信息科学与技术学部涵盖电子科学与技术、计算机科学与技术、信息与通信工程以及自动化。
• The Business School focuses on big data analytics and applications, business administration and financial technology, with an emphasis on links to technology firms.商学院聚焦大数据分析及应用、工商管理与金融科技，强调与科技企业的联系。
• In 2026 it offered eight undergraduate majors, including computer science with an artificial intelligence focus, electronic science and technology with an integrated circuits focus, intelligent manufacturing engineering, mathematical and physical basic sciences, chemistry, materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering, and big data management and applications. The list ranges from basic sciences to applied engineering and management, with the artificial intelligence and integrated circuit tracks promoted as flagship directions.2026年学校开设八个本科专业，包括计算机科学与技术（人工智能方向）、电子科学与技术（集成电路方向）、智能制造工程、数理基础科学、化学、材料科学与工程、生物医学工程以及大数据管理与应用。专业设置从基础科学延伸到应用工程与管理，人工智能和集成电路方向被作为重点特色。
• A graduate school administers joint doctoral admissions, supervision and thesis defence together with the partner universities that award the degrees.学校设研究生院，与授予学位的合作高校共同负责联合博士生的招生、培养与学位论文答辩。
• The university employs 118 full-time principal investigators, including 16 academicians and 68 national-level talents, and 94 percent of its principal investigators have overseas experience. Recruitment began in 2021, and the number of principal investigators rose from about 88 in 2024 to 118 in 2026.学校有全职教学科研型教师118人，其中包括16位院士和68位国家级人才，94%的教研人员具有海外经历。学校自2021年开始全球招聘，教研人员规模从2024年的约88人增至2026年的118人。
• It aims for a student-to-faculty ratio of about 10 to 1, a staffing level intended to support small classes and individual research supervision.学校按约10比1的师生比配置师资，以支持小班教学和个性化科研指导。
• Research is organised around the Chiplet CAD and Manufacturing Zhejiang Engineering Research Centre, which works on design tools and processes for advanced chip packaging. Chiplets are small dies combined into a single package, a route to advanced computing that avoids dependence on the most advanced lithography.学校建有芯粒CAD和制造浙江省工程研究中心，围绕先进芯片封装的设计工具与制造工艺开展研究。芯粒是把多颗小芯片组合封装的技术路线，可在不依赖最先进光刻的条件下提升计算性能。
• A Zhejiang provincial key laboratory of industrial intelligence and digital twin is jointly run with the Ningbo Digital Twin Research Institute and the carmaker Zeekr.学校与宁波数字孪生研究院、极氪汽车共同建设全省工业智能与数字孪生重点实验室。
• The Ningbo Digital Twin (EIT) Research Institute, established in January 2023, is directed by Chen Shiyi and run day to day by vice president Zeng Wenjun.宁波数字孪生（东方理工）研究院于2023年1月成立，由陈十一任院长，副校长曾文军任执行院长。
• The university is building a Ningbo key laboratory for advanced manufacturing industrial simulation and lists five provincial-level research platforms.学校正在建设宁波市先进制造工业仿真重点实验室，并已拥有五个省级科研平台。
• Doctoral students are trained jointly with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and other partners while the university builds its own degree programmes.在建设自有学位项目的同时，学校与香港理工大学、上海交通大学等高校联合培养博士生。
• By late 2025 about 437 doctoral students were enrolled in joint programmes, alongside the first 74 undergraduates, giving the university a strongly postgraduate profile.到2025年底，学校联合培养博士生约437人，加上首批74名本科生，整体呈现以研究生为主的结构。
• The 2026 admissions round offered eight majors, double the four approved for the first intake in 2025, including chemistry, materials, biomedical engineering and big data management.2026年招生专业增至八个，比2025年首批四个专业增加一倍，包括化学、材料、生物医学工程和大数据管理与应用。

Campus

• The campus occupies about 2,300 mu, or roughly 153 hectares, in Zhenhai District in northern Ningbo, at 2911 Haijiang Avenue in Jiaochuan Subdistrict.校区位于宁波市镇海区蛟川街道海江大道2911号，规划用地约2300亩，折合约153公顷。
• The first phase provides about 1.1 million square metres of floor space, and the full campus is planned at about 1.5 million square metres. The first phase includes lecture halls, laboratories, a library and student housing built as one coordinated complex.一期建筑面积约110万平方米，整个校区规划总建筑面积约150万平方米。一期工程把教学楼、实验室、图书馆和学生宿舍作为一个整体建设。
• Construction started in December 2022, the core area broke ground in July 2023, and buildings have been delivered in phases from 2025.校区于2022年12月开工，核心区于2023年7月动工，自2025年起分批建成交付。
• The campus includes a library, a sports centre and a museum and cultural centre, alongside lecture buildings and research laboratories.校园建有图书馆、运动中心和文博中心，以及教学楼和科研实验室。
• It stands in the core start-up area of the Yongjiang science and innovation zone, next to Ningbo University, the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering and the Yongjiang Laboratory.校区位于甬江科创区核心启动区，毗邻宁波大学、中国科学院宁波材料技术与工程研究所和甬江实验室。
• The site lies in northern Zhenhai, a cluster of campuses and research institutes on the edge of Ningbo's urban core.校址所在的镇海北部片区，是宁波主城区边缘高校与科研机构集中的区域。
• Phase one includes shared public technology platforms intended for both university researchers and local industry.一期工程还建设面向校内科研人员和本地产业的公共技术平台。
• Teaching buildings, laboratories and student residences are grouped so that the small cohorts can move between classes and research space on foot.教学楼、实验室与学生宿舍集中布局，规模较小的学生群体可以步行往返于课堂与研究空间之间。
• The university was approved with an interim full-time enrolment scale of 5,000 students, far above its first-year enrolment of about 500.学校获批时全日制在校生规模暂定为5000人，远高于首年约500人的实际在校规模。

Reputation

• In the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the Eastern Institute of Technology is placed in the 601-700 band.在2026年软科世界大学学术排名中，宁波东方理工大学位列第601-700名区间。
• The university does not appear in the 2027 QS World University Rankings.该校未进入2027年QS世界大学排名。
• It is not included in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.该校未进入2027年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名。
• It is not listed in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking.该校未收录于2026-2027年度U.S. News全球大学榜单。
• A place in the 601-700 band of the 2026 ARWU came little more than a year after the university's formal establishment, an unusual result for an institution of its age. ARWU weighs alumni awards, highly cited researchers and publication output, measures on which a new university can score through the faculty it recruits.在正式设立一年多之后便进入2026年软科排名601-700名区间，对这样年轻的大学而言并不常见。软科排名考察校友获奖、高被引学者和论文产出等指标，新建大学可以依靠引进的师资在这些指标上取得成绩。
• In the 2026 Zhejiang admissions it recorded a minimum score of 662, second among universities in the province and two points below Zhejiang University.在2026年浙江省招生中，学校最低投档线为662分，位居全省高校第二，仅比浙江大学低2分。
• Its 2025 first intake admitted 74 students against a planned 70, all from Zhejiang, and the strong score signalled rapid acceptance by candidates.2025年首年计划在浙江招收70人，最终录取74人，较高的投档线显示考生对学校的快速认可。
• The faculty includes 16 academicians and 68 national-level talents, and 94 percent of principal investigators trained or worked abroad.学校师资包括16位院士和68位国家级人才，94%的教研人员具有海外学习或工作经历。
• Joint doctoral training with established universities gave it a research pipeline before it had its own doctoral authority. The first joint cohort enrolled in 2022, three years before the university admitted its first undergraduates.与成熟高校的联合博士培养，使学校在尚未获得独立博士学位授予权时便建立了科研人才培养通道。首批联合培养博士生于2022年入学，比学校招收首届本科生早三年。
• Its focus on artificial intelligence, integrated circuits and intelligent manufacturing aligns it with national science and technology priorities.学校聚焦人工智能、集成电路和智能制造，与国家科技发展的优先方向相契合。
• Its 2026 minimum score of 662 placed it ahead of every other university in Zhejiang except Zhejiang University, including older provincial institutions.2026年662分的最低投档线，使学校在浙江省内仅次于浙江大学，超过包括多所老牌省属高校在内的其他院校。

Student life

• The first undergraduate cohort numbered 74 and came entirely from Zhejiang, so the university began with a small, locally recruited student body. All 74 came through the Zhejiang provincial examination, because the university had no national quota in its first year.首届本科生共74人，全部来自浙江省，学校由此形成规模较小、以本地生源为主的学生群体。由于首年没有面向全国投放招生计划，74名新生全部通过浙江省高考录取。
• About 437 doctoral students were enrolled in joint programmes by late 2025, making postgraduates the larger part of the student population. Most were registered at partner universities and supervised by the university's faculty in Ningbo.到2025年底，联合培养博士生约437人，研究生构成学生群体中较大的部分。多数学生在合作高校注册，由学校在宁波的教研人员指导。
• Undergraduates choose from eight majors, with artificial intelligence, integrated circuits and intelligent manufacturing among the most prominent.本科生可从八个专业中选择，人工智能、集成电路和智能制造是其中较为突出的方向。
• The university targets a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, and classes are kept small enough for students to work closely with principal investigators.学校以10比1的师生比为建设目标，班级规模较小，学生可以与教研人员保持密切的科研互动。
• Its stated aim is to train scientists with an entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurs with a scientist's grounding, mixing laboratory work with industry projects.学校提出培养具有企业家精神的科学家和具有科学家素养的企业家，把实验室训练与产业项目结合。
• The campus provides a library, sports centre and cultural centre, and its residential buildings sit within walking distance of teaching and laboratory space.校园配有图书馆、运动中心和文博中心，学生宿舍与教学、实验空间步行可达。
• Doctoral students work in the laboratories of principal investigators and take part in joint programmes with partner universities.博士生在教研人员的实验室开展研究，并参与学校与合作高校的联合培养项目。
• Because the university is new, its student societies and traditions are still being formed by its first cohorts.由于学校刚刚创办，学生社团与校园传统仍由首批学生逐步建立。

Notable people

• Chen Shiyi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a specialist in fluid mechanics and turbulence, served as president of the Southern University of Science and Technology from 2015 to 2020 and became the university's founding president. He was born in Tiantai, Zhejiang, in 1956 and studied mechanics at Zhejiang University before completing a doctorate at Peking University.陈十一是中国科学院院士、流体力学与湍流专家，2015年至2020年任南方科技大学校长，后出任学校首任校长。他1956年出生于浙江天台，先后在浙江大学学习力学、在北京大学获得博士学位。
• Yu Renrong, the founder of Will Semiconductor and chairman of the university's board, proposed the university and pledged the donation that financed its creation. Will Semiconductor, which he founded, is known for the image sensors used in smartphones and cameras.虞仁荣是韦尔股份创始人、学校董事会主席，他提出创办这所大学并捐资支持其建设。他创办的韦尔股份以用于智能手机和摄像头的图像传感器闻名。
• Zhang Dongxiao, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, serves as executive vice president and provost and formerly led Peking University's College of Engineering.张东晓是美国国家工程院院士，现任学校常务副校长兼教务长，曾任北京大学工学院院长。
• Zheng Chunmiao, a hydrologist and fellow of the American Geophysical Union, serves as a vice president and previously founded the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Southern University of Science and Technology.郑春苗是水文学家、美国地球物理联合会会士，现任学校副校长，曾在南方科技大学创建环境科学与工程学院并任院长。
• Zeng Wenjun, an IEEE Fellow and foreign member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, serves as a vice president and executive director of the Digital Twin Research Institute.曾文军是IEEE会士、加拿大工程院外籍院士，现任学校副校长兼数字孪生研究院执行院长。
• He Yiwu serves as one of the university's vice presidents alongside Zheng Chunmiao and Zeng Wenjun.何亦武与郑春苗、曾文军一起担任学校副校长。
• Jin Bo serves as party secretary of the university, heading its Communist Party committee.金波任学校党委书记，主持学校党委工作。
• Chen Zhangxing, a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the US National Academy of Engineering, is an academic leader at the provincial industrial intelligence laboratory.陈掌星是中国工程院外籍院士、美国国家工程院院士，担任全省工业智能重点实验室的学术带头人。
• Zhao Yusheng and Zhu Jingxu serve as special advisers to the president and take part in the university's academic planning.赵予生和祝京旭担任校长特别顾问，参与学校学术规划。
• The inauguration in November 2025 drew Jin Li of Fudan University, Ma Yanming of Zhejiang University, Chang Jin of the University of Science and Technology of China and David Leebron, president emeritus of Rice University.2025年11月的揭牌仪式上，复旦大学校长金力、浙江大学校长马琰铭、中国科学技术大学校长常进以及莱斯大学荣休校长David W. Leebron出席并致辞。