National Research Center of Pumps (hereinafter referred to as "the Center"), supported by the State Key Discipline of Fluid Machinery and Engineering at Jiangsu University, was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in 2011 and passed acceptance in 2014. It is a national hub for scientific research, technology development, talent cultivation, technology transfer, and industry services in the fields of high-efficiency pump equipment and energy conservation in industrial pumping systems. Jiangsu University, the host institution, was designated by the State Council in 1978 as one of China's 88 key universities and is among the first cohort of universities under the Jiangsu High-Level University Development Initiative. Four disciplines, including Engineering, rank within the top 1‰ globally in ESI. The total value of scientific research instruments and equipment reaches RMB 1.53 billion. The University has established a number of high-level research platforms, including the International Joint Research Center for Energy-Saving Technologies of Fluid Engineering Equipment (MOST International S&T Cooperation Base), the Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Base for High-End Fluid Machinery Equipment and Technology (National "111 Program" Base), and the National Energy Advanced Nuclear Pump Technology R&D Center.

As a second-level entity of Jiangsu University, the Center operates with a division-level administrative structure and entity-based management, with 2 director-level posts and 3 deputy director-level posts. With a 63-year history, it has long operated as an independent, full-time research organization. Its predecessor was the Irrigation and Drainage Machinery Research Unit founded in May 1962 at Jilin University of Technology, which was approved in 1981 by the former Ministry of Agricultural Machinery to establish the Irrigation and Drainage Machinery Research Institute. In 1999, it was approved to establish the Jiangsu Provincial Fluid Machinery Engineering Technology Research Center and began operating independently. In 2014, supported by the Center, the Institute of Fluid Engineering Equipment Technologies under the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (first batch) was approved. In 2015, the Zhenjiang Institute of Fluid Engineering Equipment Technologies, Jiangsu University, was established, and in 2019, the Wenling Institute of Fluid Machinery, Jiangsu University, was founded. Both are independent public-service legal entities and operate under the model of new-type R&D institutions.

Since its founding, the Center has been committed to serving national economic development. Over four generations, the fluid machinery team has embodied the spirit of "Integrity, Dedication, Innovation, and Commitment", striving to take the lead and pioneer new breakthroughs. Adhering to the goal of serving national economic construction, the Center actively aligns with national strategies and responds to the needs of the times. By conducting systematic engineering research and development on key, foundational issues such as pumps for national key projects and major equipment, it has achieved a series of original results, making significant contributions to the innovation-driven development of China’s fluid equipment industry and the high-quality development of Jiangsu Province.

The Center continuously provides the industry with new technologies, products, and processes tailored for large-scale production. Over 80% of its research achievements have been successfully commercialized. It has carried out various forms of technical cooperation and services with more than 1,000 enterprises nationwide, developing over 600 new products. Many of these products have been designated as national energy-saving or upgraded products, effectively replacing imported alternatives. Widely applied in defense, nuclear power, inter-basin water transfer, seawater desalination, and agricultural irrigation and drainage, these products have delivered substantial economic and social benefits.

The Center takes a proactive role in leading the development of fluid machinery equipment (especially pump products), building distinctive strengths in R&D, commercialization, industry outreach, and industrialization. It serves as the national technical focal point for sectors such as small submersible electric pumps and sprinkler irrigation machinery, housing two testing facilities: the Mechanical Industry Quality Inspection Center for Irrigation and Drainage Machinery Products (Zhenjiang) and the Jiangsu Provincial Quality Supervision and Inspection Station for Pump Products. Equipped with key infrastructure including a high-temperature, high-pressure nuclear pump test rig, a four-quadrant hydraulic machinery test platform, a blade-type high-performance computing cluster, and vibration and noise testing systems, the Center ranks among the forefront of similar institutions at home and abroad.

With over 60 years of development, the Center has established the following key research areas:

(1) High-efficiency and energy-saving design technologies and product development for pumps and pumping systems

(2) New materials and advanced manufacturing technologies for core components of pump units

(3) Intelligent control of high-efficiency pump - permanent magnet motor systems and energy-saving technologies

(4) Lifecycle-oriented intelligent, green, and low-carbon operation and maintenance technologies for pumps and pumping systems

The Center strengthens organizational governance and promotes the integration of leadership development with research, education, and talent cultivation, supporting high-quality development across all operations. In 2021, it was awarded the title of "Advanced Primary Party Organization of Jiangsu Universities" and selected as a cultivation unit for the second batch of provincial benchmark departments for Party building.

Looking ahead, National Research Center of Pumps will remain mission-driven, uphold integrity and innovation, strengthen independent capability building, and continue to deliver original and leading scientific and technological outcomes to support the advancement of China's fluid engineering equipment sector.