On the morning of October 22, the opening of Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit aka. the High-end Forum for Production of Industrial Talent was held in Jiangbei New Area (Pilot FTZ). Liu Yi’an, Chairperson of Nanjing CPPCC and the "chain leader" in charge of the IC industrial chain, Luo Qun, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Nanjing Committee and full-time Deputy Secretary of the CPC Working Committee in Jiangbei New Area, Guan Zhaoyong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, and Ding Hui, Vice President of Southeast University attended the event which was presided over by Chen Chanmei, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Jiangbei New Area.

As Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit was inaugurated, Shi Longxing, Director of Nanjing IC Industry Service Center and Chief Professor of Southeast University was hired as President of Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit. During the event, representatives from universities, research institutes, and businesses, signed an agreement on industrial talent training collaboration with Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit.

Luo Qun said that Nanjing University of Integrated Circuits will become the tipping point for the birth of an innovative city. The IC industry will be one of the pillar industries in Jiangbei New Area (Pilot FTZ) where a "chip town" will be built with an ecosystem suitable for independent innovation and high-quality development. A magnet of outstanding personnel in innovation and entrepreneurship has emerged to build a complete industrial chain integrating both the upstream and downstream businesses. With the great potential of the pilot FTZ, Jiangbei New Area now ranks among the top ten in terms of IC design across the country. The industrial output value of the entire industrial chain is expected to exceed RMB 50 billion this year.

The newly-founded Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit has made a new model possible for production of industrial talent. Contrary to conventional wisdoms, Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit is an open platform that connects universities and businesses and promotes the integration of industrial and educational development. It is a significant supplement to college-level education and an important source of talent for businesses.

Nanjing University of Integrated Circuit differs from other institutes of higher learning in terms of constituting bodies, positioning, source of students, quality of faculties, curriculums and graduation certificate. It was built to answer the call of the local industrial development by Jiangbei New Area Administrative Committee, and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education or the provincial and municipal education authorities. Unlike other universities that focus on academic performance and theoretical knowledge, this university is a talent training organization emphasizing on tutorial practices of skills, which produces industrial talent with practical and professional skills.

The commencement of the university today signals a solid step taken by Jiangbei New Area (Pilot FTZ) in building an independent and controllable 100 billion-grade integrated circuit industry. In the future, the university is expected to gather a greater number of innovative talent and cultivate more high-quality professionals. Jiangbei New Area (Pilot FTZ) will strive to build a complete industrial chain whose output value exceeding RMB 300 billion by 2025, with over 30,000 highly-skilled professionals working in the IC industry, and become a world renowned IC industrial cluster underpinned by rigorous innovation and strong talent pool.