Tsinghua University will rely on its significant advantages in civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, environmental engineering, advanced manufacturing, mechanical engineering, energy engineering, information engineering, life sciences and other academic disciplines, incorporate respective research forces of Beijing and Shenzhen campuses, and draw on Shenzhen's well-developed innovative merits and immediate geographical access to the South China Sea to build a leading interdisciplinary marine program.

This program is comprised of five main areas: ocean engineering, marine equipment, marine information, marine energy, and marine ecology and environment, aiming to serve the country's strategy in marine development, enhance marine science and technology, stimulate the growth of talents, and promote Guangdong and Shenzhen’s marine economy. Currently more than 200 staff at Tsinghua University are involved in marine research and development. Over recent years, they have undertaken more than 100 research projects and gained a number of influential achievements. In 2019, Tsinghua’s first scientific expedition and research vessel “Qing Yan 1” was successfully commissioned and started its maiden voyage in the Bay of Shenzhen.

As the entity of this interdisciplinary marine program, Tsinghua University’s Institute for Ocean Engineering (IOE) has established good foundations for exchange and cooperation with research institutions in China and abroad. They include University of Southampton, University of Manchester, Delft University of Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the National Oceanography Centre of UK, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), SCRIPPS, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the South China Sea Institute, Peng Cheng Laboratory and more. IOE also works closely with giant and leading marine enterprises such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China General Nuclear Power Group, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and PowerChina on joint industrial projects, personnel training and offshore in-situ tests.

Since 2011, Tsinghua SIGS has been training marine graduate students in Shenzhen. In 2019, SIGS started independent admission and enrollment in Shenzhen for the Marine Engineering and Technology program. A joint education base at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, also came into being. In 2020, SIGS further launched the Ocean Energy Engineering program. Our programs enroll over 100 graduate students each year, delivering outstanding youths to support R & D in Shenzhen and China.

Tsinghua University has paved a distinct path dedicated to building a marine discipline that brings major social-economic benefits and industrial influences. It will consolidate the integration of R & D outcomes with economic development, boost Guangdong Province’s marine development strategy, and help forge Shenzhen into a global marine center.

With marine science as foundation, and marine technology as support, our research will be applied to three directions of deep sea engineering, coastal engineering and technology, and marine ecological environment.