In 1940, Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), the first science and engineering university was founded in Yan’an by the Communist Party of China. It has been one of the key universities in China since the founding of New China and the first batch of universities which has entered the national “211 Project”, “985 Project” and the “Top A World-class University”. The name of BIT was inscribed by Chairman Mao, and Li Fuchun, Xu Teli, Li Qiang and other older generations of proletarian revolutionists successively took the lead of the university. The university is now affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. All the faculty members and students are striving for the goal of “two hundred years” of the national standard, and are fully committed to the goal of building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics.
BIT was founded in 1940 in Yan’an, Shaanxi Province and was relocated to Beijing in 1949. In 1952, the school was renamed Beijing Engineering College, the first defense industry university in the PRC. In 1988, the school was renamed Beijing Institute of Technology.
BIT now has 18 professional schools as well as Xu Teli School, Advanced Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Science, Institute of Advanced Structure Technology, Institute of Convergence Medical and Engineering, etc. Engineering, material science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and social sciences ranked in the top 1% of ESI international disciplines, among which engineering ranked in the top 1‰. In recent years, combined with traditional advantages and long-term development needs, BIT has focused on the construction of “5+3” subject groups—“Efficient Damage and Protection” subject group, “New Materials Science and Technology” subject group, “Complex System Perception and Control” subject group, “Delivery Equipment and Manufacturing” subject group, “Information Science and Technology” subject group and “Characteristic Science” subject group, “Convergence Medical and Engineering” subject group, “Civil-military Integration and Innovation and Development” subject group, forming the overall construction layout of “leading advantageous engineering, promoting the integration of characteristic science, assisting linkage of fine liberal arts and interacting frontier cross-innovation”. BIT now has more than 3,300 staff, including 22 academicians, 39 “Chang Jiang Scholars Program” professors, 38 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 33 leader talents of the Supporting Program of Global Experts, 4 state level teachers, 6 state level teaching groups, 4 innovative teams of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and 10 innovative teams of the Chang Jiang Scholars Program. BIT has 9 state level cooperative innovation centers, state level laboratories and 6 state level research centers.
BIT aims to develop students as leaders with ambition, wisdom, innovation and sense of duty. Of all the 300 thousands students graduated from BIT in the past 78 years, there are leaders of party and country such as Li Peng, Zeng Qinghong, Ye Xuanping, academicians such as Wang Xiaomo and Peng Shilv, leaders and constructors in every fields. BIT has received 19 national teaching awards, 10 national excellent courses, 10 national excellent video courses, 9 excellent resource-sharing courses, 15 excellent online courses and 2 national virtual simulation experiment programs up to now. BIT comprises 27,000 full-time students. Students of BIT have won 15” top 10 works” in 9 consecutive annual conference on innovation and entrepreneurship of college students, ranked 1st of the Chinese universities. Students won the champion of the international top events in the field of UAV in 2017, the golden metal of the China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition and top two of the “Internet+” Competition in 2018, the final champion of the ICRA 2019 RoboMaster AI Challenge in 2019. Currently, BIT has established inter-university collaboration with more than 270 renowned universities in 74 countries and regions on six continents and student exchange program with more than 50 partner universities. BIT is building an international university, and has created a global network for exchange and cooperation.
BIT has always formulated its strategies in light of national strategic needs and global developments in science and technology and education, and in accordance with its own strengths and missions. In the history of Chinee science and technology, the first television transmitting and receiving device, two-stage high altitude research rocket, light tank, low altitude height-finding radar and 20-kilometre remote camera were created by BIT. It has developed a clear edge in technologies relating to intelligent and bionic robotics, space adaptive optics, green energy, modern communications and industrial process control. BIT had participated in the research and development of the equipment appeared in 22 formations during the celebration for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 8 units and 29 formations during the military parade for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the army. Numerous technologic achievements of BIT have been applied in the Beijing Olympic Games, the Shanghai Expo, the Guangzhou Asian Games and the mission of Shenzhou VIII and Tiangong I. During the 12th five year plan, BIT had input about 10 billion yuan for the technologic development and received 23 national science and technology awards, ranked 15th in the organizing award, 3th in the national science and technology special award, 1st in the defense science and technology award of the Chinese universities. BIT has won 5 national science and technology awards in 2016 and 9 in 2017, as well as 6 organizing awards in 2018.
