1. Location

Dongqian Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Zhejiang province. It harmoniously combines the grace of West Lake and the verve of Taihu Lake, said Guo Moruo, a well-known Chinese litterateur.

In August of 2001, the Ningbo Municipal Government made a decision to accelerate the development of the Dongqian Lake area, and founded the Dongqian Lake Resort. 

In 2015, the resort was listed among the first national tourist resorts. In 2016, it was rated as a national water conservancy scenic spot.

2. Regional planning

The CPC Ningbo Municipal Committee and Ningbo Municipal Government attach great importance to the development of the Dongqian Lake area. Since 2017, a new stage of improvement has been underway. Academician Wu Zhiqiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, seeking a leap-forward development of the Dongqian Lake area, drew a blueprint for "creating smart Dongqian Lake" that combined the innovation process with landscape space, and envisioned building Dongqian Lake into a source platform of scientific and technological innovation, a research and development field for application and practice, and a home for mass results. 

At present, the overall urban design results of Dongqian Lake have been achieved, and major projects such as the International Conference Center and Expo Center have been settled. The Ningbo Academician Center, as the core and highlight of the Dongqian Lake project, has landed and been quietly completed.

3. Main buildings

A total of 500 million yuan was invested in the construction of the Ningbo Academician Center. The construction started in July 2019 and completed in October 2020.

Absorbing the old campus of Ningbo Normal University which was rebuilt in the 1960s the center possesses a total land area of 32,000 square meters and a total construction area of 22,000 sq m. It was planned and designed by Academician Wu Zhiqiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The four main buildings, namely the academic complex, the design and research building, the Taogong lecture hall (Taozhugong, also known as Fan Li, was a minister of the Yue State in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC)) and the visitor center, are connected through a landscape corridor, and are equipped with intelligent systems such as smart energy saving and human-computer interaction, forming a high-end intellectual innovation complex.

(1) Academic Complex (East Building): The total construction area is about 7,950 square meters, and is mainly used as temporary office space for academician teams, short-term residences for leisure and academician summit forums, conference organization, daily operation and maintenance management, and smart data activities.

(2) Design and Research Building (West Building): The total construction area is about 7,599 square meters, and the building is mainly used as a permanent or temporary office, or as meeting and accommodation rooms for academicians.

(3) Visitor Center: The total construction area is about 3145 square meters. Often used as an cultural exhibition hall for academicians and scientists, it also hosts receptions, catered events and other similar services.

(4) Taogong Lecture Hall: Its total construction area is about 2637 square meters, and it is a functional venue for research results release and promotion, academic exchanges, and salon discussions. 

(5) Academician Forest: Academicians plant osmanthus fragrans in the forest, symbolizing the continuation of the scientific spirit. 

4. Achievements

In May 2019, the Ningbo Academician Center was listed in the first batch of pilot units of "Zhejiang Academicians' Home" by the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee Organization Department and the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology. 

In September 2020, the Ningbo Academician Center passed the effectiveness evaluation for pilot construction and was officially licensed. 

On October 15, 2020, the Ningbo Academician Center was officially opened under the witness of 15 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The center integrates platforms for innovation, academic exchanges, consulting and training, incubation and co-creation, urban smart control, and health and leisure. On this basis, it will effectively serve industrial transformation, technological upgrading and innovative development by docking with strategically emerging industries. It will focus on developing key technologies and promote the transformation of results, facilitation of decision-making consultation and academic research while cultivating innovative talents, spreading scientific culture, and furthering academicians’ leisure and well-being.

The center will make every effort to become a destination for academicians at home and abroad, and an intellectual highland.

Up to now, the Ningbo Academician Center has welcomed hundreds of academicians and experts, among whom 40 academicians have settled down at the center. Nine academic seminars and cultural communication activities have been carried out, and 14 consultations have been submitted to academicians. In addition, nine industrial projects led by a team of academicians and experts in scientific and technological research have been initiated, and five more are actively matching and negotiating. The brand effect of the Ningbo Academician Center has begun to take shape.