In September, 1995, the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention decided to set up the Asia and Pacific Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in China to manage hazardous waste and other wastes, and minimize the waste generation. In 1997, National Environmental Protection Agency approved establishing Asia-Pacific Regional Centre for Hazardous Waste Management Training and Technology Transfer (BCRC China) in Tsinghua University. In 2011, Chinese Government and the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention signed Framework Agreement on the Establishment of Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Asia and Pacific Region. BCRC China is autonomous institution established as national institution with regional role, and is one of the fourteen regional and coordinating centres (BCRCs) globally.

Core function of BCRC China decided by the Conference of the Parties to Basel Convention are training, technology transfer, information, consulting, awareness raising. Functions stipulated by Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) including providing management technical support and promoting implementation of international environmental conventions related chemicals and waste of the MEE China, conducting national strategy research and training on hazardous waste, etc. During the 2013-2014 and 2015-2018 performance evaluation of BCRCs globally, conducted by the Conference of the Parties to Basel Convention, BCRC China have twice achieved full score (100%) and was accessed as Excellent.

Since 2002, BCRC China has supported the Chinese government to participate in the negotiations of the Conference of the Parties and Open-ended Working Group to the Basel Convention, and since 2016, BCRC China has supported the participation in the negotiation of the United Nations Environment Assembly, as well as the negotiations of Minamata Convention on Mercury and the plastic convention. BCRC China initiated the Basel Forum in Asia-Pacific Region, aimed at promoting information exchange and gradually guide regional implementation and development direction. Launched the International Conference on Waste Management and Technology (ICWMT) which has been successfully held 16 sessions, providing a platform for development and implementation of convention and national solid waste management. Supported the pilot work of Zero-waste City construction in China, and undertake various tasks including assistance and guidance, standard research, international publicity, technical scheme preparation, etc. BCRC China launch the International Network of Zero-waste Cities Initiative, to publicize and popularize the construction mode and experience of Zero-waste city construction in China. BCRC China support the global plastic governance from the aspects of international conventions, national plastic pollution prevention and control policies, recycling technology, and local plastic pollution control. BCRC China support the global e-waste management from the aspects of international conventions, national policy formulation, technology research and development, engineering demonstration, international exchange and cooperation, etc.

The Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity Building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific (hereafter referred to as SCRC China) is established under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (BCRC China) was nominated to serve as a Stockholm Convention regional centre by the Chinese government in November 2006. The nomination was approved by the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (COP 3) convened during April 30 to May 4, 2007, after which the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention conducted an evaluation on School of Environment of Tsinghua University (Tsinghua University POPs Research Center), the host institution of BCRC China, for its competency on work pertaining to policy, technology, capacity building, compliance, etc. under the Stockholm Convention. The establishment of SCRC China was hence endorsed at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 4) in May 2009. The core functions of SCRC China include training, technology transfer, share of information, consultation, and awareness raising to assist developing country and countries with economies in transition to achieve the objectives of the Stockholm Convention.

Through regional and international projects, SCRC China provides critical support to countries in Asia and the Pacific on management policy, institutional capacity, specialized knowledge, etc. required for implementation of the Stockholm Convention. The centre organizes the Regional Forum on Chemicals every two years to discuss critical and challenging issues in implementation of the Stockholm Convention as well as emerging issues about chemicals in the international community amongst Asia-pacific countries, striving to resolve compliance problems encountered by the Parties. At the national level, SCRC China has been supporting the Chinese delegation on negotiations at all meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention since 2009, and has started to support the Chinese government on negotiation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) since 2015, being one of the important agencies supporting China government on negotiations in POPs and chemicals related international conventions and frameworks. The POPs Forum organized annually by SCRC China has become a high-level exchange platform for domestic discussion of POPs research hotspots and trends, and for communication of high-tech and advanced products for POPs analysis and control. SCRC China has carried out research on POPs inventory methodology, trace POPs detection method, POPs release mechanisms, etc.

The work and achievements of SCRC China in the field of POPs and chemicals offer essential support for Asia-pacific countries in implementation of the Stockholm Convention and chemicals management. In two rounds of performance evaluation (<2013-2014> and <2015-2018>) of the 16 Stockholm Convention regional centers around the world, organized by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, SCRC China won the first place for two consecutive times (full marks), with significant international influence.

As the earliest state key laboratory in the field of environment in China, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (ESPC) was approved by the State Planning Commission of PRC in 1989 with the support of Tsinghua University, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Peking University, and Beijing Normal University. ESPC started in 1991 and has become accessible to researchers in China and internationally since 1995, and then, received a score of A in the evaluation organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of PRC in 2015.

Over the past three decades, ESPC has focused on the frontiers of environmental field, responded to the major national needs, undertaken a number of important scientific research missions in the field of environment in China , giving full play to the advantages of interdisciplinary integration. Using multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches, a number of original major theoretical and technological breakthroughs have been made. Since 2015, ESPC has won one National First Prize for Progress in Science and Technology and twelve National Second Prizes for Natural Science/ Technological Invention/Progress in Science and Technology , which not only provided important scientific and technological supports in national scientific and technological development, ecological and environmental protection strategies, and national security, but also boosted the development of the environmental discipline. ESPC received two A+ and two A in the fourth national discipline evaluation. A cooperation platform that connects industry, academia, and universities have been established with remarkable results and economic benefits, improving the innovation of the leading companies in environmental protection. Due to its great efforts to nurture talents, innovative and competent teams have been formed with global impacts, being the think tank of national environmental protection consulting and science and technology planning. ESPC has become a vital base for fundamental and applied research, science and technology innovation, high-level talent nurturing, and academic communication in the field of environmental science and engineering in China.

The National Engineering Research Center for Synergetic Control of Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases (formerly National Engineering Laboratory of Multi-Pollutant Control Technology and Equipment for Flue Gases, hereinafter referred to as “the Engineering Laboratory”) was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, carried out by the Ministry of Education, and jointly constructed by Tsinghua University and leading research institutions and companies across industries. Its R&D Center is on the campus of Tsinghua University, and the engineering research center is in Yancheng Environmental Protection and Scientific and Technological City (YCESTC), Jiangsu Province. After passing the construction examination in March 2021, the Laboratory was listed among the first national research centers under the new sequence of management in July, with academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Hao Jiming, Yue Guangxi, and He Kebin, Professor Li Junhua, a Changjiang Scholar of the Ministry of Education and recipient of the National Outstanding Youth Fund as the directors.

With a priority of improving air quality and achieving carbon neutrality, the Engineering Laboratory has built an applied research platform for collaborative control of air pollutants and greenhouse gases in response to the urgent needs of steel, metallurgy, building materials, petrochemicals, and electricity industries to deal with air pollution and managing greenhouse gases. It facilitates the development of efficient capture of fine particulate matter, sulfur oxide/nitrogen oxide emission reduction and recycling, heavy metal emission reduction and recycling, VOCs control, and recycling, efficient carbon capture technology and recycling, integration and optimization of flue gas pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions, big data analysis of air pollutants, and carbon trading accounting and engineering. The Laboratory strives to propose solutions to issues in the atmospheric environment and carbon emission reduction, enhance the scientific and technological innovation of pollution reduction and carbon synergy and promote the quality, low-carbon, sustainable development of key industries.

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As one of the 13 national bases for international cooperation in science and technology, the International Research and Development Center for New Energy and Environment was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology in December 2007. The center caters to the national needs of environmental protection and sustainable development, leverages the international frontiers of the environment discipline, follows the pattern of “innovation, pragmatism, openness, and internationalization”, and conducts fundamental, forward-looking, and innovative research related to global environmental science and technology. It plays an important role in training international talent, promoting global cooperation in science and technology, and introducing advanced environmental pollution control, new energy technologies, and management experience from abroad. The Dean of the School of Environment acts as the director of the base, supervising and coordinating the daily operation assisted by a secretary.

Thanks to its in-depth knowledge and strong faculty led by Qian Yi, Hao Jiming, Qu Jiuhui, and He Kebi, the center has developed an academic culture that is truth-seeking, pragmatic, inclusive, and committed to excellence. 72% of the faculty members have Ph.D. degrees or more than 10 months of research experience in well-known western universities such as Harvard and Cambridge University.

Committed to being a responsible member of society that serves national strategies, the center has conducted scientific research to meet China’s major strategic needs, made breakthroughs in core scientific issues, and provided scientific assistance to the national strategy of “Yangtze River Protection”, the environmental campaign to tackle air and water pollution and soil contamination, the fulfillment of international conventions, and pandemic response. Some of the main research areas include theories and technologies of air pollution control, pollutant migration and transformation and environmental effects, water quality and security theories and technologies, ecological processes and management, and environmental monitoring and simulation, among others.

An English curriculum system for undergraduates and graduates is established as the center regards fostering their global competency as its vision. Students are sent to top universities such as Yale University and ParisTech and research institutions for competitions, international conferences, exchange programs, academic and cultural exchanges, and internships annually thanks to the center’s partnership with these institutions to broaden their horizons and expand their cross-cultural communication skills.

Located in the Huairou Science City of Beijing, an innovation hub, the Research Platform of Air Ground Integrated Environment Perception and Intelligent Response is among its second batch of cross-cutting research platforms jointly promoted by Tsinghua University and Huairou Science City Construction and Development Company. With a total investment of 487 million yuan and a construction area of 33,300 square meters, the project is home to new integrated experiment buildings, environmental simulation workshops, and a cross-media environmental simulation park. It is an important research platform and teaching experiment base to build the School of Environment of Tsinghua University into a first-class discipline of a first-class university and one of the best disciplines in Beijing. The platform is composed of air-ground integrated environmental perception, environmental samples and information center, environmental simulation, and an intelligent response system. Large-scale environmental pollution migration, simulation, and improvement are carried out precisely using multi-media coupling and through the multi-disciplinary intersection, multiple perception, multi-dimensional simulation, and diversified response. It aims to make the ecological environment a leading field in the world and strives to be an advanced research and innovation platform with an innovation chain of “infrastructure, research, application, and transformation”.

After the construction started in October 2020, the main structure was completed in June 2021. The prefabricated building will be examined in October 2022 and trial operation will start at the end of 2022. The project will be examined in 2023, after which a technological chain aimed at solving environmental issues will be established with special a focus on innovating key technologies to break bottlenecks, shoring up the weakest links, integrating collaborative applications, and improving the comprehensive control scheme. This will provide integrated management and decision support for the protection and conservation of water, air, and soil and the ecological restoration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

After applying for construction in June 2007, the State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Technology Management and Evaluation was formally approved by an expert group from the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2010. Supported and led by the School of Environment of Tsinghua University, the center is composed of four organizations, namely, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Kompass Co Ltd (E20 Environmental Platform), Beijing Guohuan Tsinghua Environmental Engineering Design and Research Institute Co Ltd, CSD Environmental Protection Co Ltd, and Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University (Ecological and Environmental Research Institute). The project is a joint effort of four participating organizations.

To draw from the principles and technologies of environmental management in developed countries, the Ministry of Environmental Protection set the main tasks for Tsinghua University (School of Environment) as follows. Guided by the major technical needs of national environmental protection, the center should provide technical assistance to environmental technology management and decision-making and consulting services to environmental management departments and companies. It should carry out assessment and screening of environmental technologies such as cleaner production, pollution control, and recycling, enhance environmental technology exchanges and cooperation through progress demonstration, and build a platform for research on environmental protection technologies and policies, technology assessment and demonstration, and exchange and cooperation.

The Center has been in charge of reviewing and managing pollution prevention and control technical policies and BAT since 2010, managing as many as 46 relevant policies and several BAT documents for the National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project. It has played an active role in promoting industrial transformation, enhancing national macro environmental management, and contributing to pollution prevention and control. The center has presided over the formulation of many pollution prevention and control technical policies in the utilization, treatment, and disposal of straws, waste from the catering industry, and ammonia nitrogen. It participated in the design of policies in urban sewage treatment and plantation and the preparation of BATs for livestock and poultry.

In line with the requirements of national environmental management, the center proposed to adjust the documenting system of environmental and technical guidance, participated in the research of technical assessment and index systems of heavy polluters, and completed the validation of new environmental technologies.

Research on the National Environmental Technology Assessment (BAT) and Promotion System and Basin Demonstration Project (No. 2013ZX07504-004) is undertaken by the School of Environment of Tsinghua University. It submitted to the National Water Project Management Office proposals to incorporate BAT guidelines into the environmental impact assessment system and total volume control system, incorporate engineering technical specifications into the suggestion schemes. The document Incorporating BAT Guidelines into Environmental Management Systems and Emission Permits has been submitted to the National Advisory Council on the Environment and members of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Based on the research results, a top-level 13th Five-Year Plan for the Best Available Techniques (BAT) of Emission Permits has been compiled and incorporated into the 13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Environmental Protection Standards (Draft).

The State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control was approved to build by the Ministry of Environmental Protection from March 2011, with the support of the School of Environment, Shenzhen International Graduate School, School of Life Sciences, and School of Medicine of Tsinghua University. It passed the acceptance inspection in November 2013. The laboratory aims at utilizing favorable environmental microorganisms for waste treatment and recycling, and controlling hazardous microorganisms for health consideration and engineering processes. Its director is Professor Hong-Ying Hu from the School of Environment.

To pursue an atmosphere of “openness, collaboration, mobility, and healthy competition”, the laboratory has built a research team led by forty-one leading scholars and researchers, consisting of 18 full professors, 2 distinguished "Changjiang Scholars" of the Ministry of Education, 6 recipients of the National Outstanding Young Scientists Fund, 2 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 1 “young Changjiang scholar”, 2 national science and technology leading scholars in environmental protection.

Focusing on the environmental microorganism application and risk control, the laboratory conducts research on the biotoxicity and biodegradation mechanism of pollutants, environmental microbial resource and biological treatment technology development, and harmful microorganism controlling technologies, supported by tens of major national funds. In recent years, the laboratory has made steady progresses in bio-detection technologies for pollutants and their toxicities, mechanisms of biological risk from the reclaimed water and countermeasures, pollution control coupling with resource and energy production, and risks of pathogenic microorganisms and safety control. In addition to more than a thousand published papers and over a hundred patents, the laboratory has also drafted many national environmental protection standards, criteria, and policy recommendations, hosted several well-known national academic conferences, including the conference of Environmental Microorganism Application and Risk Control, and Water Treatment and Recycle of China. It has become an important scientific and technological research center in the field of environmental microbiology, as well as a decision supporting center, a talent training center, and an academic exchange center.

Beijing Engineering Research Center of Biogas Centralized Utilization (BERCBCU) was built with four units, including Tsinghua University, Beijing Sustainable Development Center and Beijing Guohuan Tsinghua Environmental Engineering Design & Research Institute Co.,Ltd, etc.. After being formally accredited by the Beijing Science and Technology Commission in April 2011, the center received good ratings in the two performance appraisals in 2014 and 2017.

With biomass waste as research subject and clean gasification as its main target, the BERCBCU is dedicated to biomass gas research and development, design, testing, and transformation of scientific and technological achievements. To satisfy the national technical needs of the biomass gas industry, it sticks to the scientific research concept of “coordinating basic research, strengthening frontier technology, promoting collaborative innovation, and facilitating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements”. With the support of the basic R&D and talent advantages, the BERCBCU provided technology R&D, engineering transformation and other services for the industry or enterprise groups, and promoted the industrial development of biomass gas.

The BERCBCU has carried out technological innovation activities such as enhanced hydrothermal pretreatment, advanced anaerobic digestion, inter-wall heated anaerobic pyrolysis gasification, chemical looping hydrogen production, and absorption-adsorption combined biogas purification. With an emphasis on equipment and system integration R&D, the BERCBCU has produced complete sets of standardized equipment products, developed clean gasification technologies for biomass waste, and provided technical solutions for the treatment and utilization of biomass waste in China.

It has published over 110 scientific research papers and 20 dissertations, applied for nearly 40 national patents and 2 overseas patents, assisted in forming 2 national standards, revised 4 local standards, and developed 15 group standards. It has trained more than 30 excellent undergraduates, master, and doctoral students and over 10 post-doctoral researchers. It set up an open fund to the tune of 800,000 RMB to 21 young researchers from universities, colleges, research institutes, and high-tech companies. The BERCBCU has developed an industrial technology roadmap, a draft economic policy, a research report on low-carbon emission reduction in biomass gas, and two draft certification/certification methodologies.

State Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection in Sources of Complex Air Pollution and Their Control (hereinafter referred to as “the laboratory”) was approved for establishment by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in February 2013 under supervision of School of Environment, Tsinghua University. It passed the evaluations by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in March 2017 and was rated as excellent in the assessment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in September 2020.

The laboratory is dedicated to carry out a series of prospective and applied research on emission characterization, multi-dimensional source tracing, control technology development for complex air pollution, as well as establishing collaborative strategy for pollution and carbon reduction. Moreover, the laboratory also contributes in training professional talent in air pollution control for national and local government, institutions and companies, carrying out technical consultations and engineering management trainings for management departments, as well as in providing reference of technical specifications for joint prevention and control of complex air pollution. The laboratory will target on multi-atmospheric pollutants and collaborative control as the core research concept, and carry out the research on key scientific problems including characterization of complex air pollution, multi-dimensional source tracing, control technology development for complex air pollution, as well as establishing collaborative strategy for pollution and carbon reduction. These will form a complete scientific research and environmental management support system, and eventually make the laboratory a world-class regional air pollution prevention and control research center.

The laboratory currently has 211 members, including 21 faculties, 40 post-doctoral students, 116 post-graduate students, 4 visiting researchers, and 30 contract staff. Specifically, it has 2 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, one member of the US National Academy of Engineering, 6 Changjiang scholars, 4 recipients of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, 4 Outstanding Talent of the New Century, 4 Excellent Talent of the National Environmental Protection, and 3 Outstanding Young Scholars. It has an innovation group of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and one national innovation team in key areas.

As a key laboratory under the aegis of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Organic Contaminants Control was approved by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission in July 2013 with the support of the School of Environment of the Tsinghua University. Guided by the idea that “Science and technology support decision-making, lead the practice, and serve the society”, the Laboratory focuses on risk assessment and control technologies for emerging organic pollutants, aspires to reach the academic frontier of international environmental disciplines and meet the future needs of environmental pollution control, facing both identification of the problems (risk assessment) and their solution (control technologies). The three principal research fields are environmental risk assessment technology for emerging organic pollutants, risk reduction technologies for emission sources, and safe disposal technologies. The Laboratory strives to produce original research results, establish sound mechanisms to apply them, and make significant scientific and technological contributions to solve environmental problems deriving from emerging organic pollutants in Beijing, China, and even the World. It endeavors to become a major research center to perform high quality basic and applied research on emerging organic pollutants, gather and cultivate outstanding talents in science and technology, and conduct academic exchanges.

Since its establishment, the Laboratory has undertaken several projects on emerging organic pollutants, funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and the United Nations Environment Program, for a total of funds received of 430 million yuan. More than 30 projects have been set up, achieving a series of original scientific results. The Laboratory won 3 second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 1 second prize of the National Natural Science Award,22 provincial and ministerial awards and 15 industry association awards, published over 300 SCI papers, and gained more than 100 patents at home and abroad. It was rated as excellent in the three-year performance appraisal by the Beijing Municipal Science Committee.

The Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies was established in October 2020 with the approval of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission on the basis of the Opinions on Strengthening Beijing Laboratories, the Beijing Laboratory Building and Development Plan (2017-2035), the Beijing Laboratory Building and Operation Management (Trial Implementation), and other documents. The Laboratory conducts forward-looking research on prominent environmental issues in Beijing and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, such as air pollution, water pollution, environmental safety, and low-carbon development. It aims to become a high-level environmental technology research platform with global impact and improve China's environmental cutting-edge technology level, as well as Beijing's environmental science and technology innovation capacity, contributing scientifically and technologically to the solution of environmental problems in Beijing, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Country, and even the World.

Aiming at major strategic needs, the Laboratory focuses on: (1) risk assessment and control technologies for emerging organic pollutants; (2) safe and efficient utilization of reclaimed water; (3) big data-based smart monitoring technologies for vehicle pollutant emissions; and (4) green and low-carbon development modes for smart cities. By means of all-round academic exchange platform building, talent training, and scientific and technological consulting, the Laboratory provides strong support to Beijing development as an "international first-class harmonious and livable city", as well as realization in China of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2035 Green Smart Solution for "ecological environment fundamental improvement and the Beautiful China goal basic implementation".

The Laboratory is led by the Academic Management Committee, which is composed of top experts and scholars in the environmental field; the director is the Academician Jiming Hao. The team has a total of 40 members, including 1 academician, 4 Changjiang Scholars, and 4 recipients of the National Outstanding Youth Fund. The Laboratory promotes “openness, mobility, unity and healthy competition”. After five years of development, the Laboratory has gained theoretical and technological achievements in emerging organic pollutant control, safe and efficient use of recycled water, online monitoring of motor vehicle emission, and low-carbon development of smart cities. Moreover, the Laboratory has reached international standards, while its research level is among the highest in the country. It has a professional, cross-disciplinary team with internationally renowned members of different ages and complementary expertise, who made it an environmental frontier technology laboratory with relevant impact at home and abroad.

Approved at the 13th meeting of the university council in the 1998-1999 academic year and founded in April 1999 on the basis of the Environmental Engineering Design Institute, an institute jointly built by the university and State Environmental Protection Administration, Research Institute of Environmental Science & Engineering was established to adapt to the development of environmental science and engineering in the 21st century, strengthen the environmental discipline of Tsinghua University, and make use of it an inter-disciplinary advantage to facilitate the establishment of an interdisciplinary base for environmental science research and engineering.

As one of the first inter-departmental research institutes of the university, the Research Institute of Environmental Science & Engineering is an initiative and an attempt to reform scientific research in universities. It takes the form of a virtual institute with a management committee, a president, a vice-president, and an academic committee. A system of institute meetings is in place. With the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering as its main part, the Research Institute consists of the Nuclear Energy Technology Design Institute, the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Thermal Engineering, and the Department of Automotive Engineering at the beginning of establishment.

In line with its founding mission, the Research Institute has vigorously promoted the development of disciplines, built a comprehensive cluster of environmental disciplines during the first stage of Project 985, combined high tech with environmental technology to improve innovation, and developed strategic research on environmental management to provide the scientific basis for the governmental decision-making at all levels. The technology that Institute used has developed from simple end-of-process pollution control to full process control. It carried out a lot of research and international cooperation on clean production and circular economy. The scale and scope of pollution control and management research have expanded from traditional source pollution control to whole process control.

The Research Institute has actively carried out research on global environmental issues and organized such conferences as the China-UK Seminar on Environmental Science and Engineering, the Sino-US Seminar on Economy, Energy and Environment, the Sino-Finnish Seminar on Environment and Forestry, and the Second Symposium on Energy and Environment between Tsinghua University and Kyoto University. Supported by the Ministry of Education, the Institute has applied for the Core University Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science with Kyoto University. The two universities are leading a 10-year project on Urban Environment that includes seven universities in China, such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, and nearly 30 universities in Japan. The collaboration covers a whole host of areas, including water resources utilization and control, acid rain control, innovation in pollution prevention technologies, solid waste management, the establishment of recycling systems, integrated urban environmental management systems, and the design of urban infrastructure.

The Research Center on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) of Tsinghua University was established in 2001 ‒the year the Stockholm Convention was signed‒ as a research institution autonomously approved by the Tsinghua University, and directed by Gang Yu, professor of the School of Environment. Relying on the School of Environment, the Center, jointly established with the Department of Chemistry and the School of Law, is the first research institution dealing with environmental conventions on chemicals in China; it is also an affiliated unit of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, which continues to provide technical support for POPs regulation in China.

The Research Center focuses on environmental risk assessment of emerging pollutants, emission reduction of pollution sources, safe disposal of waste and compliance decision support, and conducts cutting-edge basic research, forward-looking high-tech development and strategic decision-making consultation in a multidisciplinary manner. Since its establishment, the Center has undertaken a large number of projects related to emerging pollutants, financed by key institutions such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Education, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, etc. In addition, it has undertaken several international cooperation projects with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Global Environment Facility, the European Union, and Japanese institutions. In total, the Center received nearly 200 million yuan of funds.

Up to now, the Center has earned a series of innovative scientific achievements, including 1 second prize of the National Natural Science Award, 2 second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 2 first prizes of the Ministry of Education's Natural Science Award, more than 10 provincial and ministerial level awards, more than 300 SCI papers published in domestic and foreign academic journals, more than 50 national invention patents authorized and applied; additionally, more than 100 outstanding talents have been trained. In 2012, the core research team was selected for the Innovation Team Support Program of the Ministry of Education. Since 2006, the Center has organized 16 editions of the POPs Forums and National Symposiums on Environmental Safety of Chemicals. After nearly 20 years of development, the Persistent Organic Pollutants Research Center of Tsinghua University has become an internationally influential and domestically leading talent training and scientific research institution for emerging pollutants.

The Research Center for Strategic Environmental Assessment (“Center for SEA”), as a university-level research institution approved and built by Tsinghua University in 2010, was listed as a university-level think tank in 2021. In response to the demands of building ecological civilization,promoting regional development , and improving the modernization of environmental governance system and governance capacity, Center aims to providing policy consultation and conducting research in environmental system analysis, regional strategic and environmental assessment, regional and basin’s ecological and environmental management, and ecological and environmental zoning control of “TLOP” (“Three Lines One Permit”: the red line for ecological conservation, the bottom line for environmental quality, the upper-limit line for resource use, and the list of environmental permits for human activities).

By providing decision-making advisory services and technical support to national ministries, local governments, and large corporations, the Center significantly contribute to the high-quality economic development and high-quality ecological environment protection. Since its inception, Center has undertaken over 50 major policy consultation and research projects commissioned by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and local governments at all levels. The SEAs of major strategic regions, such as, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Economic Belt, Bohai Sea, Western Regions, and Central Townships, have been finished and the environmental evaluation and consultation for newly developed regions, including Xiongan New District, Zhoushan Islands, Guian New District, and Binhai New District, have been completed, which meaningfully supported the national and regional development strategies, and promoted the ecological environmental protection in key regions.

During the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reform of the “12^th Five-Year Plan” organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Center has participated in the SEA amending, and completed the environmental control mechanism research of spatial planning, and assumed the responsibility of revising the EIA Law of the People’s Republic of China. The first SEA project of prefecture-level city (Lianyungang City) has been conducted, and the pilot project of the city’s TLOP has been compiled. Moreover, Center has participated in the entire process of technical guidance formulation, key linkscompilation, andfinal ground application. Subsequently, as a member of the technical expert group of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and a guiding unit of “three lines and one list”, Center directly facilitated the establishment of TLOP in Hebei Province, Baiyangdian Basin, and Xiongan New District. The Center has obtained 2 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards, published over 10 monographs and 50 papers, registered 10 software copyrights in SEA and planning EIA, and has developed as one of the most influential technological teams in SEA and TLOP zoning control in China.

Center for Ecological Civilization, Tsinghua University (abbreviated as the Center) was founded on 16 April 2016 by the School of Environment along with the School of Humanities, Low Carbon Energy Laboratory, and Office of Green University, and it is open to all other faculties on campus. The Center has a management team guided by the Management Committee, the Academic Committee, and the Advisory Committee. The director and the honorary director of the Center are Prof. He Kebin and Prof. Qian Yi, respectively. The directors of the Management Committee and the Academic Committee are Prof. Yang Bin and Prof. He Jiankun, respectively. The chair of the Advisory Board is Xu Kuangdi, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference Committee. The vice chair of the Advisory Board is Xie Zhenhua, former vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Positioning to be a new-type and high-caliber green think tank in Ecological Civilization in China and the world, the Center belongs to the Innovation and Development Group and the Environment and Low-carbon Development Group among the five think tank groups of Tsinghua University. Following the Promotion Plan for Building New-type University Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics and the Opinions on Strengthening the Building of New-type Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics, the Center brings into play the cross-disciplinary advantage of Tsinghua University, allows scholars from engineering, science, humanities, and art to collaborate, helps to build a theoretical system of Ecological Civilization, and explores practical ways. The Center can lay a theoretical foundation and provide decision-making support for the Central Government and the State Council in top-level design, task deployment, and overall reform planning on Ecological Civilization. It can also facilitate the integration of Ecological Civilization construction with economic, social, cultural, and political tasks.

The Center’s core objectives include serving the strategic needs of national Ecological Civilization construction by giving full play to the disciplinary edge of Tsinghua University, studying the theoretical systems and strategic issues of Ecological Civilization construction, boosting technological innovation and application to facilitate decision-making on essential topics of Ecological Civilization, and promoting education and public service regarding Ecological Civilization. The Center’s other duties include establishing a theoretical system for Ecological Civilization in the new era, setting up a dedicated team that carries out research and puts it into practice, building Tsinghua University into a premium think tank of Ecological Civilization research, and contributing wisdom to national Ecological Civilization decisions.

The Center for Water and Ecology (CWE) was officially established in January 2017 as a strategic academic research institution of the School of Environment. With a mission of meeting national needs and keeping abreast with the international discipline frontiers, CWE strives to form synergy in basic science, technologies development and scale-up application. CWE focuses on the relationship between water quality and ecology, water purification and drinking water safety, and the green and sustainable processes involved in water pollution control. CWE intends to connect water quality, water environment, and water ecological processes and mechanisms, and to make systematic achievements in fundamental theory, innovative technologies, and engineering applications.

CWE comprises over 90 staff members, including 11 permanent staffs of one academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, one Changjiang Distinguished Professor, one Changjiang Young Scholar, four recipients of National Scientific Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars and five recipients for Outstanding Young Scientists. CWE research team has a balanced age structure, complementary disciplinary expertise, and strong innovation ability.

CWE staff members have presided over 30 important national projects such as key R&D projects and Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and have published over 400 academic papers and received more than 100 invention patents at home and abroad. CWE has won five national awards, several provincial and ministerial awards, invention patent awards and international awards, and has patented technologies and scale-up engineering applications in the removal and pollution control of arsenic, fluorine, algae, organic matter, heavy metals, electrochemical-based purification technologies, the resources and energy recovery from hazardous liquid wastes and sludge, and water ecological restoration. Additionally, CWE has presided over and completed major water environment treatment and ecological restoration plans with profound experience in solving engineering problems and undertaking large-scale ecological environment planning and getting.

The Tsinghua University-Toyota Research Center (hereinafter referred to as “the center”) was established on 23 March 2006 as the first university-level joint research center between Tsinghua University and a foreign company. Despite being established by the School of Environment, the center brings together top scholars from 20 project teams in 10 departments, including the School of Materials, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, School of Vehicles, Department of Civil Engineering, and Department of Earth System Science, to conduct cutting-edge academic and technological research in environmental science, energy, materials science and vehicle safety technology. It aims to contribute to the “sustainable development of the global economy and society” and the “building of a harmonious and affluent society”.

Since its establishment, the center has carried out work in scientific research, personnel training, industry-academia-research cooperation, and international exchange with remarkable results and a total research funding of 115.14 million yuan. More than 140 research projects have been initiated, over 160 papers published, over 130 research reports completed, and many research results put into application. Its research has been used to improve air quality during important national events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the 2014 Beijing APEC Conference, and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The wastewater treatment technology the center developed has offered solutions for Toyota’s plants in China to treat wastewater. Its research outcome in energy, automotive safety, and material science is at the forefront of their respective fields. The center has applied for a number of patents. Several undergraduate and postgraduate students have learned valuable experience in international research collaboration in the center’s research projects, obtained degrees, or got opportunities to pursue further education.

In recent years, revolving around the three research objectives of environmental protection, energy conservation, and safety, the center has expanded its research horizons to include a number of trending areas such as Intelligent Connected Vehicles, traffic flow simulation, energy storage materials, new energy material chains, power systems, and CCUS, carbon sinks and carbon markets. It aims to promote and facilitate the integration of research projects and seeks to analyze sustainability and future mobility society from multiple perspectives to realize its vision.

On 16 July 2016, a signing ceremony for environmental science and technology cooperation between Tsinghua University and Kunming Municipal Government was held in Kunming. Cheng Lianyuan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee, Wang Xiliang, Mayor of Kunming, and Xue Qikun, Vice President of Tsinghua University, attended the ceremony. Vice President Xue Qikun and Mayor Wang signed the agreement on behalf of the university and the city respectively. In accordance with the agreement, the Tsinghua University-Kunming Joint Research Center on Dianchi Lake was formally established on May 16, 2018 and would last for five years.

The joint research center has conducted continuous, thorough, and innovative research on the mechanism of cyanobacteria in Dianchi Lake, developed key technologies for eutrophication control, set medium and long-term ecological and environmental improvement targets, and identified strategic measures. It gives full play to its role in scientific and technological research and development, academic exchange, and talent training in the prevention and control of pollution and cyanobacterial water bloom. The joint research center intends to cultivate a team of innovative talent with a global vision and innovative spirit, build a top, influential base for academic exchanges and talent training, and provide scientific and technological support for pollution management in Dianchi Lake. Since the establishment of the Joint Research Center, it has initiated the “three-year campaign” to bring pollution of Dianchi Lake under control. The city of Kunming has classified its pollution prevention, control, and management as a priority and started research projects. By the end of 2020, nine projects had been launched as part of the three-year campaigns, Dianchi Lake management priorities, and "Yangtze River stationing" projects. Three projects had been examined and five progress reports have been compiled. Five special reports have been submitted to the Kunming Municipal Government for suggestions, approved by Cheng Lianyuan, the Secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee, and adopted by the government. The joint research center has contributed to the ecological protection and restoration of the Yangtze River, cracking the tricky issue of managing pollution in Dianchi Lake, improving protection and management, carrying out scientific and technological research, and training outstanding talent.

Tsinghua University (School of Environment) - CSD Water Service Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Environmental Green Infrastructure in Small and Medium-sized Cities was established in November 2020, dedicated to research in the field of water treatment and solid waste treatment.

In the field of water treatment, the center studies how to apply the new nano-flocculant in overflow pollution control. The production and applications scaled up, which accelerated the follow-up development. In the field of solid waste treatment, the center has pioneered in the technical research on the construction of three-level network of organic solid waste collection, treatment and utilization in small and medium-sized cities. Considered features of organic solid waste in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the center conducted research on the collaborative dry anaerobic treatment of various organic wastes such as livestock and poultry manure, kitchen waste, sludge, straw, and human sewage. The treatment processes contained built green ecological infrastructure, and provided comprehensive solutions for organic waste. In terms of solid waste treatment, the center has studied the poly-electricity generation technology that includes gas, heat, and coal on the basis of biomass pyrolysis technology. It not only solved the environmental problems caused by biomass and other organic solid waste pollution but also recycled resources for energy generation and eased the energy burden in small and medium-sized cities.

To improve the environment, the center fully leverages the School of Environment's technical and human resource advantages, as well as its innovation, to solve increasingly serious environmental problems such as stormwater overflow and pollution, organic solid waste, and biomass. Recycled organic and biomass waste, turned waste into treasure, and used biomass for energy generation to improve environmental quality and meet the needs of ecological civilization.

Tsinghua University（School of Environment）- Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Green Manufacture and Low Carbon Recycle was established in April 2022 by the School of Environment and Continental Tires.

With a mission of resolving key issues of the tire industry, including pollution control and emission reduction, energy saving and consumption reduction, resource recycling, and low carbon development, the Research Center meets the urgent needs of Hefei High-tech Zone, a national scientific center in driving regional green manufacturing. The research areas are as follows. Firstly, the center carries out research on the pollution features and control technologies of the tire industry, including the pollutants emitted in various forms during the tire production process, and pollution source and end control technologies. Secondly, it does research on key technologies and strategies for resource and energy recycling in the tire industry and regional manufacturing industries, including material flow analysis, energy flow analysis, and life cycle evaluation of production to identify key links and solutions for material recycling and energy saving in production. Thirdly, technical solutions for the synergistic development of the tire industry and regional pollution and carbon reduction are developed. This includes carbon emission management and carbon footprint tracking in product life cycle, industrial and regional carbon reduction potential assessment and carbon reduction technology strategies, and industrial and regional carbon emission management and assessment methods and systems.

The center forms synergy by leveraging the resources of all parties, builds an interdisciplinary platform between industry, academia, and university, and devotes itself to providing solutions to the green bottlenecks faced by the tire manufacturing industry and other traditional manufacturing industries. It strives to facilitate the low-carbon development of Hefei High-tech Zone, the application of research results, industrial upgrading, and regional quality development. The center encourages companies and the region to follow an environmentally friendly development path and make contributions to the green, low-carbon development of China.

Tsinghua University (School of Environment)-CITIC Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Advanced Membrane Water Treatment and Resource Utilization Technology was established in January 2023 by Tsinghua University (School of Environment) and CITIC Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.

The center is committed to breaking through the preparation methods of membrane materials, continuously improving the performance of membrane materials and membrane elements, optimizing and innovating membrane water treatment processes, aiming to break the existing technical bottleneck of membrane water treatment, develop advanced membrane materials and membrane modules with core competitiveness, and build a green and low-carbon high-quality water treatment membrane process, in the field of green, low-carbon and sustainable utilization of water resources, to support the strategic needs of national ecological civilization construction to the greatest extent, and to play a leading role in the direction of "double carbon" and "two mountains".

Tsinghua University (School of Environment)-Shenzhen Qianjiang Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Advanced Treatment and Resource Utilization of Industrial Wastewater was established in January 2024, jointly established by Tsinghua University (School of Environment) and Shenzhen Qianjiang Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.

The center carries out joint research on the issue of advanced treatment and resource utilization of industrial wastewater, jointly promotes the research and development and transformation of advanced treatment and resource treatment technology of industrial wastewater, improves the technical level of advanced treatment and resource treatment of industrial wastewater, promotes the efficient recycling efficiency of industrial wastewater, and supports the construction of water pollution prevention and control technology system in advanced manufacturing industry.

Tsinghua University (School of Environment)-Chengdu Environment Investment Group Co., Ltd. Joint Research Center for Advanced Water Technology was established in July 2024 and was jointly established by Tsinghua University (School of Environment) and Chengdu Environment Investment Group Co., Ltd.

Guided by the advanced water technology market and relying on the national technological innovation system combining production, education and research, the joint research center carries out the research and development of processes, operation and control technologies such as large-scale urban water supply and drainage systems, sewage treatment plants, water supply technologies, environmental pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and corresponding operation and management systems. R&D of a new generation of core water supply technology, water supply network water quality maintenance technology, pipe network leakage control technology, rural water supply technology and corresponding management system; Build a research and development platform for advanced technologies and equipment for environmental protection, pollution reduction and carbon reduction; Establish a multidisciplinary R&D team to form a market transformation and independent R&D capability to enhance scientific research achievements.

Combined with the advantages and actual situation of both parties, the joint research center carries out research and development of reserve technology for industry problems, carries out industrial research on production problems for the subordinate enterprises of Chengdu Environment Investment Group Co., Ltd., and carries out academic seminars and technical exchanges for technical talents of Chengdu Environment Group. To build a joint research center based in the western region, radiating China and facing the world, to provide talent support for the development and application of advanced water technology, to help Tsinghua University's environmental discipline serve the national strategy, and to enhance the international competitiveness of Chengdu Environment Investment Group Co., Ltd. in the field of water environmental protection.

Research Institute for Environmental Innovation Suzhou is an independent research institution hosted by Tsinghua University and registered in Suzhou New District. The Research Institute is committed to unifying national environmental protection strategies, environmental discipline development, and local environmental quality improvement through environmental innovation activities to build top environmental discipline for the university.

The Institute conducts research on key environmental science and technology issues, builds R&D centers for environmental science and technology, establishes a base for the application of research results, and sets up an advisory platform for industrial and technological service and environmental decision-making. There are nine cross-cutting technology innovation research centers, including Environmental Risk and Emergency Research Center, Environmental Big Data Research Center, Green Development Research Center, Soil and Groundwater Remediation Research Center, Solid Waste Utilization and Disposal Technology Research Center, Green Insurance Center, Environmental Planning and Assessment Center, and the Industrial Water Treatment Center. These centers provide institutional support for the R&D of environmental technologies related to pollution prevention, drinking water safety, solid waste treatment, disposal, and recycling, remediation of the polluted site, and a smart environment. The full-time researchers of the Institute are recruited independently, and some of the R&D team leaders are professors at the School of Environment.

The Institute has developed a research, industrial, and management team of over 500 people. Its personnel structure is becoming more complete. 24 R&D teams and one academician team have been introduced, building a complete technological system in the environmental field, covering pollution control technology, environmental monitoring system, environmental management policy, and intelligent environmental technology.

Office place, laboratories, and pilot test space are provided by the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government and the Suzhou New District Administrative Committee, with a total area of over 42,000 square meters.

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