On January 11^th, the Southern University of Science and Technology Education Foundation (SUSTCEF) held its annual Gala Dinner to honor those who have contributed to fund innovative teaching grants to educators and excellent students of the university. 

The Gala Banquet is the most prestigious gathering of the leaders from various industries, inculding Ma Weihua, a council member of SUSTech, and former Executive Director and President of China Merchants Bank; Chen Kexiang, Vice President of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Ltd.; Li Yanbao, former Chairperson of Sun Yat-sen University; Wang Jian, Chairman of BGI and Zhang Xiang, a fellow of the US National Academy of Sciences.

The evening provided an opportunity to network with the most influential leaders, celebrating the foundation’s delivery of education and research to the community in 2016.

Guo Yurong, Chairperson of SUSTech and Chairperson of SUSTCEF, delivered an opening address. Guo said, “As a top university of science and engineering established by Shenzhen in the context of China’s higher education reform, SUSTech plays a leading and model role in China’s higher education reform, and is committed to serving the construction of an innovation-oriented country and the construction of Shenzhen into an innovative city.”

Professor Chen Shiyi, President of SUSTech and Vice Chairman of SUSTCEF, extended heartfelt thanks to the municipal committee, the municipal government and all other guests for their strong support to SUSTech.

Chen said, “Positioned as a world-renowned high-level research university, SUSTech aims to transfer top innovative talents to society. By November 2016, SUSTech had introduced over 330 talents, of whom all hold PhD degrees, 90 percent worked abroad, and more than 60 percent worked or studied at the world’s top 100 universities. They include 14 academicians and fellows (including seven full-time ones). In 2016, 197 research projects of SUSTech were approved, with a total research fund of some 370 million yuan (nearly seven times the amount of 2014 and more than twice the amount of 2015). To date, SUSTech has acquired a total research fund of 590 million yuan. SUSTech has been growing in the number of approved projects and funding amount year by year.”

In 2016, SUSTech signed education donation contracts with enterprises such as Amer, Baoneng and CheerLand Investment, with a total contract amount of nearly 260 million yuan and a total donation amount of nearly 400 million yuan. The donations have been used in SUSTech’s assistantship and scholarship construction, talent development, campus construction and campus culture construction, giving concrete and positive support to students, teachers and campus construction. At last, Guo expressed thanks to all donors on behalf of SUSTech, expecting to work with them in the hopeful year of 2017.

The senior executives of SUSTech attended the conference. Zhou Qiren, a professor of economics from the National School of Development at Peking University, was invited to deliver a keynote speech.

Leaders from the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government and SUSTech’s sponsors attended the conference. They listened to the introduction of SUSTech’s achievements and the foundation. All were inspired, applauded, offered advice, and undertook to pay constant attention to SUSTech’s development and continue to support SUSTech in its efforts to become one of the best universities in the world.

Background Information：

SUSTCEF is composed of the Board of Directors, Board of Supervisors and Secretariat. The Board of Directors is the highest authority of the Foundation; the Board of Supervisors is responsible for checking the financial and accounting data as well as supervising the compliance of the Board of Directors with the laws and regulations; and the Secretariat is the standing administrative office of the Foundation, taking charge of the routine work of the Foundation under the leadership of the Board of Directors.

The main duties of SUSTCEF is to accept the donations from the domestic and foreign associations, enterprises, trading companies and individuals, and establish the funding projects depending on the demands of the university and the wishes of the donors such as supporting the poverty-stricken students, donating for disasters,rewarding the faculty and students who make contributions to teaching, scientific research, high-tech development and other work, and ensuring the continuous improvement of SUSTech’s teaching and scientific research level and promoting the sustained progressive development of SUSTech’s education reform.