On October 13, the 2026 plenary meeting of the Leading Group for Nanjing University Suzhou Campus Construction and Development was held at Xianlin Campus. The meeting comprehensively summarized the achievements in construction since the full operation of the Suzhou Campus, built consensus for development, and discussed and planned key tasks for the next stage. The meeting was chaired by Tan Tieniu, Chair of NJU CPC Council and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tan Zhemin, President of NJU and Academician of the CAS, attended and delivered a speech.

Tan Tieniu fully recognized the achievements of the Suzhou Campus, which has grown from nothing into its current scale. He noted the establishment of a basic framework for campus operations, steady progress in collaboration between the campus and local authorities, and the continuous expansion of faculty and student numbers. He emphasized the need to soberly address prominent contradictions in the construction and development of the Suzhou Campus, such as the inadequate innovation in reforms, insufficient integration of resources, slow development speed, and inadequate management input. He outlined key requirements for advancing the development of the Suzhou Campus and stressed that the construction of the Suzhou Campus is crucial to the overall future development of NJU. As the campus is currently at a critical stage of overcoming challenges and making progress, the entire university must adopt practical approaches and effective measures to ensure continuous breakthroughs in the construction and development of the Suzhou Campus, making new contributions to the accelerated establishment of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics at NJU.

In his speech, Tan Zhemin emphasized the need to further unify thoughts, build consensus, and mobilize collective strength to promote the high-quality development of the Suzhou Campus. He pointed out that the Suzhou Campus has established a new engineering discipline structure that spans areas such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, and biomedical engineering, making it the new engine for leapfrog development at the university. He remarked that the entire university must reach a consensus to fully support the campus's rapid and high-quality development. Tan Zhemin further emphasized the need to confront two major issues: the sources of resources and their allocation and usage. He highlighted the major tasks and hoped that departments would further strengthen their sense of the bigger picture, responsibility, and innovation to grow and enhance the Suzhou Campus, injecting strong impetus into the development of the "Unique Nanjing University."

The meeting heard reports from Jiang Tian, Assistant President and Executive Deputy Director of the Suzhou Campus Management Committee, on the development of the Suzhou Campus and ideas for collaboration between the university and the local government, the "Fifteen-Year Plan for NJU Suzhou Campus", and the drafting of the new round of cooperation agreements with Suzhou. Discussions were held to review and deliberate key matters related to the campus, including operational development plans, discipline construction, team building, resource expansion, and university-local cooperation.

University leaders Zheng Hairong, Liu Miao, Chen Yunsong, Lu Xiancai, Suo Wenbin, Li Bin, and Sun Leqiang attended the meeting. Representatives from member units of the Suzhou Campus Construction and Development Work Leadership Group and relevant leaders of the Suzhou Campus Management Committee also participated.