IIRS overview

Ⅰ. Sun Yat-sen University

Sun Yat-sen University, located in Guangdong Province in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, was founded in 1924 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a great national hero and the pioneer of China’s democratic revolution. The university, directly supervised by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and supported by the “Double First-Class University Program” and “985 Project,” is a top-tier university nationally. According to the 2024 Times Higher Education rankings, Sun Yat-sen University is ranked 251st internationally and 12th nationally.
Sun Yat-sen University has five campuses in three cities: three in Guangzhou, one each in Zhuhai and Shenzhen. The Guangzhou Campus focuses on the humanities, sciences, and medical disciplines. The Zhuhai Campus emphasizes international and regional studies as well as disciplines related to deep sea, deep space, and deep earth. The Shenzhen Campus is dedicated to the development of medical, engineering, and agricultural sciences. Notably, with a long history and exceptional strength, Sun Yat-sen University’s School of Medicine is the birthplace of Western medical education in China. Currently, Sun Yat-sen University boasts 10 affiliated hospitals, which rank among the top nationally in terms of medical service capacity and scale.
Sun Yat-sen University hosts 36 national-level research and innovation platforms and 241 provincial and ministerial-level platforms. Major facilities include the TianQin Center, the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhong Shan Da Xue, a comprehensive marine research vessel, Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, an icebreaker, and the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou.
The university comprises 70 schools and departments, offering 136 undergraduate majors. It employs 4,970 full-time faculty members, including 1,683 professors and 2,216 associate professors. The student body totals 65,965, with 33,093 undergraduates, 17,867 master’s students, and 9,647 doctoral candidates.

Ⅱ. The Institute of International and Regional  Studies of Sun Yat-sen University

Sun Yat-sen University has a long-standing tradition in International and Regional Studies, initially focusing on regions surrounding China, particularly Southeast Asia. Since the 21st century, these studies have expanded to include the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and other regions, yielding significant academic results. Currently, the Oceania Research Center is a Pilot Base for International and Regional Studies under the Ministry of Education. The Middle East Research Center, European Research Center, and Latin American Research Center are registered centers for International and Regional Studies under the Ministry of Education.
To better integrate resources across schools and disciplines, Sun Yat-sen University established the Institute of International and Regional Studies in January 2024. The Institute has brought together resources from relevant departments and disciplines within the university. The initial research team includes 23 professors, 52 associate and assistant professors, and over 10 postdoctoral researchers. The team comprises members from the School of International Studies, School of International Relations, Department of History, Department of History (Zhuhai), Department of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy (Zhuhai), International School of Business & Finance, School of Tourism Management, School of Sociology and Anthropology, School of Law, School of Geography and Planning, School of Public Health, School of Geospatial Engineering and Science, and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.
In September 2023, Sun Yat-sen University was approved to offer China’s first doctoral program in Regional Studies, managed by the Institute of International and Regional Studies. The Director Chen Jie of the Institute serves as the Secretary-General of the Alliance for Talent Cultivation and Discipline Construction in Regional Studies, the largest academic community in this field in China, established in 2019.
The Institute of International and Regional Studies comprises several research departments, including the Middle East Research Department, Southeast Asia Research Department, Oceania Research Department, European Research Department, China-U.S. Relations Research Center, French and Francophone Studies Center, Latin American Research Center, as well as projects focused on polar, oceanic, and space research, global climate governance, and global health governance.
The Institute is located in Zhuhai, a key city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In addition to academic research and talent cultivation, the Institute is dedicated to providing consultancy services to governments and enterprises on international development in the Greater Bay Area. It aims to facilitate positive interactions between the Greater Bay Area and the world, attract more international resources to the area, and contribute elements of the Greater Bay Area to the global stage.