About
Three Breakthroughs 1. Ecological restoration of degraded water bodies in the Yangtze River Economic Belt 2. Sustainable development of freshwater fisheries 3. Microalgal biotechnology | Five Key Research Areas 1. Strategic study of aquatic ecology and environmental conservation in the Yangtze River basin 2. Fish molecular design breeding 3. Eco-toxicological effects of toxic and harmful pollutants in aquatic environments 4. Species and genomic diversity of aquatic organisms 5. Environmental adaptation and morphogenesis of microalgae |
In recent years, IHB scientists have been leading a series of national key S&T projects:
* National Science and Technology Major Project (e.g., Major S&T Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment)
* National Key Research and Development Program (e.g., Blue Granary S&T Innovation Project, Synthetic Biology Project, Developmental Programming and Metabolic Regulation Project)
* National Natural Science Foundation of China Programs (e.g., Science Fund for Creative Research Groups, Distinguished Young Scholars Fund, Excellent Young Scientists Fund, Major Research Plan and Key Program)
* CAS Strategic Priority Research Program and other important research programs supported by local governments and large and medium-sized enterprises
A sequence of research achievements, with significant breakthrough in theories and promising prospect in application, have been achieved to support the protection of water environment, sustainable development of freshwater fisheries, and resources conservation and utilization of aquatic organisms. These achievements meet the state’s strategic demand and have produced great socio-economic and environmental benefits with extensive impact on society.
International Cooperation and Exchanges
IHB frequently communicates and cooperates with foreign institutions. Over the past decade, the institute has sent nearly 800 scholars to over 30 countries and regions for the purpose of conducting cooperation and researches with foreign researchers, or for advanced studies and short-term visits. In the meantime, it has also hosted more than 2,200 scholars and experts from nearly 40 countries and regions to undertake academic exchanges, cooperation and advanced studies in China. As a core member, IHB participated in several international cooperative research projects, such as the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Assembling the Tree of Life project, which aims to reconstruct the evolutionary origin of all living things. The institute also successfully organized the International Symposium on River and Lake Environments in 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2012 respectively, and actively engaged in international multilateral cooperation, such as a joint investigation project on freshwater dolphins, the multilateral cooperation project on the mechanisms of red tides and hypoxia as ecological marine disasters and technologies for its early warning along the “Belt and Road”.
Graduate Education
IHB is one of the first institutions authorizzed by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council to offer PhD degree programs and master degreee programs. It is qualified to enroll and train students from both home and abroad. By May 2020, IHB has mentored 621 graduate students (including joint cultivation students).