Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) has a long history of doing scientific researches on its campus. In the early 1950s, it successfully designed and developed China's first computer capable of speaking Chinese and playing chess, the first vertical copying turning machine, and the first machine tool of building block type in China. Since the beginning of 1980s, in terms of general R&D capability, it has been taking a leading position among all the Chinese universities with considerable progress made in its R&D activities. A number of its research results took the lead in China or went up to advanced world level. For example, the results of the overall evaluation of R&D capabilities conducted during the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of state '863' project showed, HIT stood the second among all the Chinese universities.

 

    Since 1994 when it received a total of more than 100 million CNY, its total amount of R&D funds tended to steadily increase. Since the beginning of 10^th five-year plan, HIT has received a total of 5 billion CNY of varied R&D funds, of which, 1.113 billion CNY was received in 2006. This indicate that in terms of scale and advanced level of R&D activities or amount of R&D funds, HIT has been taking the lead among China's key universities. For example, its 426 R&D programs won varied rewards, 63 persons were funded by Ministry of Education Talent in New Century Project, 6 R&D teams were selected as innovative teams, 8 persons won R&D Rewards For Chinese Youth, 41 persons were funded by provincial Outstanding Youth Fund, a large number of young teachers were selected as excellent middle-aged and young experts at national and provincial levels, and it has had 16 state outstanding youth Foundation winners, and 20 Changjiang scholars while a large number of doctor and master candidates with solid theoretical foundation and some practical engineering capabilities have been property trained and brought up. HIT now stands the third in terms of number of research papers indexed by EI, the second by ISTP, and stands the 9^th for the first time in terms of number of basic research papers indexed by SCI among all the Chinese universities. HIT is the only Chinese university that has its three journals indexed by EI.

 

    HIT has been mainly working on the key research programs in the space flight fields. It has achieved encouraging R&D results in such fields as inertia technology , radar technology, communication technology, automatic testing technology, simulation technology, new material technology, optoelectronic technology, computer technology, single key techniques related to satellite and spacecraft, ultraprecision and special processes, and precision thermal formation technology. In addition, HIT achieved its ISO 9001 quality system certification at one go in July, 1999, and became China's first university with certified quality assurance system for doing major programs.

 

    By bringing into full play its multidisciplinary advantage on the main battlefield of national economy. HIT has been taking an active role in the technologic updating and innovative activities initiated by large and medium enterprises. It has established steady cooperative relations with Huawei, Zhongxing, Haier, Hisense, NE Power Bureau, Daqing, Yiqi, Baogang, Angang, Three Gorge Project HQ, etc. It takes the lead in China in such fields as robot technology, automobile electronics technology, failure diagnosis technology, power station control technology, power station simulation technology frequency change and speed adjustment technology, petroleum instrumentation technology, and takes the lead both inside and outside China in such field as new material, robot, communication, simulation and computer technology. At the same time, it has opened up such new fields closely related to national economy as biochemical technology, environmental protection, energy conservation and communication technologies, and has achieved a number of significant R&D results with autonomous intellectual property rights and promising market prospects. In 2000, Harbin Institute of Technology became one of the first 15 universities in China with R&D parks on trial.

 

    HIT took an active role in launching collaborative researches and developments with foreign universities and well-known enterprises including IBM, Motorola, HP, Microsoft, CISCO, Rockwell, Yolkwagon, Simenz, Matsushita, NTT, Canon, Omlong, and initiated substantial technological cooperation with USA, Japan, Republicof Korea, Hongkong and Taiwan, and built up a number of first–rate research facilities, including state key Laboratory of Modern welding production technology, space material and environment engineering laboratory and robot research institute.

 

    HIT has established so far its R&D framework with basic research based on state '973' project and National Natural Science Foundation, applied technology research based on state '863' project and advanced defense researches, and application researches based on key state projects and technological updating and innovation programs initiated by large and medium state-owned enterprises, which exhibits the two major features of its R&D activities 'space flight' and 'project'.

 

    In order to multidisciplinary fusion of science and achieve the goal of world first rate university, at the earliest possible date HIT established its R&D research institute to find a new mode for its management system and operational mechanism of R&D activities.