During the visit, President Wang and Chairman Yang met with IHB Prof. HE Shunping, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Credit: IHB)

A delegation led by WANG Jinjun, president of Southwest University (SWU), visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on March 21, 2026, to explore deeper collaboration in research, infrastructure, and talent development.

The delegation, which included five senior university officials, was joined by YANG Zhi, chairman of the Wuhan Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

During the visit, President Wang and Chairman Yang met with IHB Prof. HE Shunping, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prof. He is also an alumnus of Southwest University. He reflected on his time as a student at SWU and shared insights from his research career in fish system evolution and biodiversity, as well as IHB's strengths in fish taxonomy and ecological protection of the Yangtze River.

President Wang expressed admiration for Professor He's scientific achievements and thanked him for his longstanding support of the SWU-IHB collaboration. He noted that IHB's experience in managing major research platforms, sharing scientific resources, and fostering industry-academia collaboration offers valuable lessons for Southwest University as it pursues its 'Double First Class' initiative - a national effort to build world-class universities and disciplines.

"Building on our deep history of cooperation and frequent personnel exchanges, we hope to establish a long-term mechanism for joint efforts in major research projects, shared innovation platforms, and high-level talent training," Wang said.

MIAO Wei, director of IHB, highlighted the deep historical ties between the two institutions. IHB's predecessor was once relocated to Beibei, Chongqing, which is home to Southwest University, where it produced a series of world-renowned research outcomes.

"Southwest University has long been rooted in Beibei and has trained and sent many outstanding researchers to IHB over the years," Miao said. "We hope to use our alumni connection as a bridge to further strengthen cooperation and contribute more wisdom to China's ecological civilization efforts."

Yang Zhi, the Wuhan CPPCC chairman, expressed optimism about the partnership. "Wuhan is rich in science and education resources, and both Southwest University and IHB are leaders in their respective fields," he said. "By using alumni networks and geographical advantages, we can build more platforms for regular exchange and deeper synergy between universities and research institutes. This will inject new momentum into Yangtze River conservation, high-quality fishery development, and ecological progress."