On February 7, Anhui Normal University announced the establishment of three new engineering colleges: the College of Intelligent Information and Advanced Manufacturing, the College of Smart Materials and Future Energy, and the College of Artificial Intelligence. Concurrently, a College of Technology and Business was also founded, aimed at cultivating interdisciplinary talent in technology industry organization with expertise in science and technology, industry, capital, markets, and management. This move signifies a crucial step for the university in responding to the national innovation system development, supporting regional industrial upgrades, and optimizing its academic program structure.

Xiong Yujie, the university's Party Committee Deputy Secretary and President, stated that the newly formed engineering colleges are designed to precisely align with Anhui Province's development strategy for "Three Bases and One Area" and its layout for ten emerging industries and ten future industries. The goal is to promote the integration of four key chains: innovation, industry, capital, and talent.

During the inauguration ceremony, the university signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Chery Holding Group Co., Ltd. The agreement outlines plans to establish an integrated industry-education model combining production, education, research, and application. It includes joint initiatives to cultivate outstanding engineers and industrial organization talent for the automotive sector, as well as co-building joint laboratories and engineering technology centers.

In the future, the new engineering colleges will implement mechanisms for two-way personnel assignments and a "university-appointed, enterprise-employed" system. They will further adopt a dual-mentor training model and joint training formats such as excellence engineer programs and enterprise-named classes. Students will gain deep involvement in corporate research, development, and real-world application scenarios, achieving seamless integration between academics, industry, and employment in fields like intelligent connected vehicles, advanced manufacturing, and new energy materials.

The newly established colleges integrate resources from disciplines such as chemistry, materials science, and engineering. They will introduce several emerging engineering programs, including Intelligent Science and Technology, Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering, Hydrogen Energy Science and Engineering, and Embodied Intelligence. This forms an interdisciplinary ecosystem and differentiated development framework centered on "intelligence + manufacturing," "materials + energy," and "technology + management."