Gang Zhang, the Counselor of the State Council (the former Chief Engineer of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the Co-director of Institute of Quality and Reliability of Tsinghua University), Yunsong Wang, Vice Director of AQSIQ’s Quality Department, Jiazheng Wang, Section Chief of AQSIQ’s Science and Technology Department, and Junwei Wang, Vice Director of the First Industry Department of Standardization Administration visited the Institute of Quality and Reliability of Tsinghua University (an institute co-built with AQSIQ, hereinafter referred to as “the Institute”) on the afternoon of January 16, 2018.Prof. Qikun Xue (Dean of the Institute, Vice President of Tsinghua University, member of National Academy of Science of China), Prof. Li Zheng (Executive Dean of the Institute and Director of the Human Resources Department of Tsinghua University), Prof. Zhizhong Li (Department Council Chair), Prof. Kaibo Wang (Vice Head of IE department) and Assoc. Prof. Lefei Li (Vice Director of the Institute and Vice Head of IE department), Prof. Su Wu (Vice Director of the Institute), Prof. Yanfu Li and Assoc. Prof. Chi Zhang, and some students accompanied the visit or attended the summary meeting. Mr. Zhang listened to the report on the Institute’s development and achievement for the last year, and participated in the discussion on the cultivation of quality talents, research on national quality strategy, and promotion of quality management methods, tools and standards.

Counselor Gang Zhang giving his speech at the meeting

Vice President Qikun Xue giving his speech

Prof. Li Zheng giving his speech

The summary and discussion meeting

The institute and its associated labs and research centers were Gang Zhang’s first stop. Then he listened to Prof. Li Zheng and Lefei Li’s work summary of the Institute for the last year, including future work plan and outlook of the Institute for the next years. Other professors provided additional information. Counselor Zhang highly appraised the Institute’s breakthroughs in key R&D programs such as national quality infrastructure (NQI) projects and the good collaboration with backbone industries like high-speed railways and nuclear power plants in quality and reliability issues. He congratulated on the diversified distribution and rapid progress of the sub-organizations under the Institute, including the Research Center for Human Factors in Complex Systems , Product Quality and Equipment Maintenance Lab, Reliability and Risk Management Lab, Future Complex Systems Engineering Lab and Service Quality and Innovation Lab.

With accompany by Vice President Qikun Xue, Counselor Zhang visited the Digital Capability Center and continued the discussion. During the discussion, the officers from AQSIQ’s Science and Technology Department and Standardization Administration offered suggestions on the Institute’s support to the implementation of NQI and the acceleration of standardization for key industries, as well as the subsequent communication and cooperation between the Institute and the related government agencies.

Counselor Zhang commented that the report of the 19th CPC National Congress calls for “better quality, higher efficiency” and “building China’s strength in product quality”. To implement the development philosophy in the new era more effectively and build a modernized economic system, the Institute should follow the national key development strategies. Its current and future research work and directions are of great significance and have vigorously fostered the research and application of quality and reliability theories. The Institute has made some remarkable progress in research projects, faculties, discipline construction, international exchanges, and improvement of working conditions. The cooperation between AQSIQ and Tsinghua University in the past years has been going on in the right direction and have obtained good results. AQSIQ will continue to provide support for the Institute.

Vice President Qikun Xue said at the meeting that the Institute attributed its rapid development to the vigorous support from AQSIQ, and will play a more important role in the strategy of prospering the nation with quality through the subsequent research work and talent cultivation, so that the competent and qualified talents are provided for the country.

The work summary meeting

Counselor Gang Zhang and other officers visiting the Institute

Counselor Gang Zhang and other officers visiting Digital Capability Center