In 1956, the CPC Central Committee announced its first long-term national plan for scientific and technological development. In response to this initiative, Tsinghua University established the program of semiconductors in the same year. In the following decades, the university founded the Institute of Microelectronics in 1980, the Department of Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics in 2004, and the School of Integrated Circuits in 2021. For more than six decades, generations of staff and students in Tsinghua University have been passing on the torch, striving to support the country's national needs and reach the forefront of academic advancement in the field of integrated circuits (IC) internationally. We have trained a great number of highly-qualified and innovative professionals for the IC industry in China, and have achieved a wide range of remarkable achievements.

Integrated circuits serve an essential and fundmental role in the information technology industry. As announced by the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and the Ministry of Education on December 30, 2020, Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering has entered the list of first-level disciplines. In order to serve the national strategic needs in key areas, the School of Integrated Circuits has been established in April 2021. It was a move to catalyze the maturing of IC education at Tsinghua, to develop the related discipline with higher standards, to underpin interdisciplinary engagement with greater determination, and to devote greater effort into supporting the development of China's IC industry. We will continue to explore our 1+N joint training system, thoroughly realize the educational philosophy emphasizing value cultivation, ability training, and knowledge acquisition, focus specifically on the entire IC industrial chain, so as to cultivate the professionals that the country requires most urgently. We aim to become a worldwide leader and pioneer in the IC discipline, better serve the national self-reliance strategy in science and technology, and support the independent innovation and development of domestic IC industry.

Standing at this new starting point, we are dedicated to be more innovative, more open-minded, and more determined to undertake a new journey in a new path. We will take on the mission entrusted by the era, fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, develop the discipline of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, further exploit the multidisciplinary advantage of Tsinghua University, and cultivate more professionals with both capability and commitment. We aspire to create greater contributions to facilitate Tsinghua's participation in the Double First-Class Initiative, to the development of IC industry in China, and ultimately, to the progress of humanity.

Dean  WU Huaqiang