Anhui Agricultural University (AAU), located in Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, is an institution with a long history and enjoys high prestige in agriculture, forestry and biotics studies, which have now been developed into its featured disciplines. As a jointly-funded university by Anhui Provincial People’s Government, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration, AAU is one of first ten Chinese universities approved to construct an "Institute for New Rural Development", a member of National Basic Ability Construction Project of Western and Central China, and a high-level institution with local characteristics sponsored by Anhui Province.
AAU started its history as a college of agriculture in 1935 under then Provincial Anhui University, which was founded in 1928. In 1953, the college became an independent institution and was renamed Anhui Agricultural University in 1995. Currently, AAU has 19 schools, with a full-time enrollment of 27,012 students (including 149 international students), of whom 6,351 are master’s and doctoral candidates. Among 2,106 faculty members, 878 are professors or associate professors, and 915 are doctoral and master’s advisors. In addition, AAU has engaged 4 part-time CAS/CAE fellows, and is staffed with 34 national-level talents and 163 provincial-level talents.
At present, AAU has four disciplines listed among top 1% in ESI, 1 National Key (Cultivation) Discipline, 19 provincial and ministerial key disciplines, 1 provincially-funded program for world-class discipline development, 1 for national first-class discipline development, and 4 programs selected into the construction of peak disciplines in colleges and universities in Anhui Province. Also, it has set up 5 research centers for post-doctoral studies (primary disciplines), 8 doctoral degree programs in primary disciplines, 18 master's degree programs in primary disciplines, and 1 master's degree programs in sub-discipline, and 11 categories of master’s degree conferment. AAU now offers 73 undergraduate programs, 33 enlisted into national or provincial "Double Ten-thousand Program" at national or provincial level (world-class undergraduate specialties), 5 national programs of distinction, and 2 national pilot programs for integrated specialty reform. So far, AAU has developed 2 national-level faculty teams, 2 national-level quality courses, 1 national online open course, 1 national quality resource sharing course, and 3 national first-class courses. Other programs, bases and undertakings launched by AAU include 1 national university practice and education base for innovations and start-ups, 1 national-level base for off-campus internship, 1 national demonstration center for experimental teaching, 3 national bases for integrated agricultural talent cultivation relying on science, technology and education, 2 national pilot reform programs for education and cultivation of outstanding agricultural and forestry talents, 4 national programs for new agricultural science research and reform, 2 national programs for new humanities research and reform, and 1 national-level textbook (planning).
AAU has built up great strength in scientific research, and so far has established 1 state key laboratory, 1 national & local joint engineering laboratory, 1 joint international research laboratory, 1 international sci-tech cooperation base, 1 base for OEI for disciplinary innovation in universities funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, 1 provincial laboratory, 61 provincial and ministerial research platforms, 2 provincial-level "2011 collaborative innovation centers", 1 provincial key think tank, 1 provincial university think tank, 1 provincial think tank of sci-tech innovation, 1 provincial research institute of industrial technology, 1 "Innovation Team Development Program" funded by the Ministry of Education, 10 provincial "115" industrial innovation teams, and 7 provincial university scientific innovation teams. 7 professors at AAU serve as post scientists in China industrial technology system of modern agriculture, and 8 are chief scientists in Anhui industrial technology system of modern agriculture. Since the starting of "the 13th Five-Year Plan", AAU has presided over 4 national key R&D projects, 29 research tasks and 367 national fund programs. Over the years, AAU has won 2 second prizes of National Science and Technology Progress Award, 60 scientific and technological awards at provincial or ministerial level, and 9 provincial social science awards. It has examined and approved 165 new animal and plant species at provincial level or above, and was awarded with 951 invention patents; 237 scientific and technological achievements were transformed, with a contract value of 52.429 million yuan. In 2022, AAU achieved achievement transformation exceeding 21.42 million yuan, and technologies exporting in the Province amounting to 250 million yuan.
AAU attaches great importance to educational internationalization, and has fostered a close link with universities and institutes in over 30 countries and regions. After approved by the Ministry of Education as an institution eligible to admit international students funded by Chinese government scholarship, AAU has been greatly improving its educational services oriented to international students, and obtained "National Higher Education Accreditation for International Students in China" with outstanding performance. Efforts have also been made to build a platform for international cooperation. AAU is one of designated foreign language training centers for the South-South Cooperation Program, a national demonstration base for international scientific and technological cooperation, and the "agricultural base for Anhui overseas talents" supported by China Association of Science and Technology. Besides, AAU was approved by the Ministry of Education to launch exchange programs for undergraduates in forestry with Lakehead University of Canada; in cooperation with Colorado State University, USA, AAU founded "China-US University-Based Agricultural Extension Alliance", which has become an important cooperation platform between universities and governments in the field of agricultural scientific research.
Upholding its mission of serving "Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers", AAU has long been dedicated to rejuvenating agriculture and Anhui through science, technology and education. It has successfully opened up a "Dabieshan Road", whose objective is to revitalize education, agriculture, farmers and the University. This nationally renowned "Dabieshan Road" has made prominent contributions to the development of modern agriculture and local economic and social construction. Especially in recent years, AAU has launched the "Modern Young Farmers Project", established "Station-Consortium-Center" mechanism jointly founded by Counties and the University, "Four Integrations" (a new agricultural sci-tech promotion service model), and an industry-level poverty alleviation program in which "the University provides supports to industrial development, industries introduce and foster enterprises, enterprises cooperates with large farmers, and large farmers help low-income households". These undertakings have received wide recognitions from the Party and state leaders, ministries, Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.
AAU, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, makes in-depth exploration into the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress. The University, as always, will take "talent cultivation through moral education" as its fundamental task and duly shoulder the task of "rejuvenating agriculture, rural areas and farmers". It will seize the great opportunities arising from China's rural revitalization strategy and the "Double First-class" Initiative, and strengthen the overall leadership of the Party on the university work. Also, the University will spare no effort in promoting the deep integration of Party building and school development and achieving high-quality development through quality Party building. AAU will speed up the construction of a high-level agricultural university with distinctive characteristics and strive to make new and greater contributions to the cause of building a modern and beautiful Anhui. (Data as of Dec. 31, 2022)
