Xi'an Shiyou University has embarked on a new journey of government-enterprise co-construction.

On October 12, the People's Government of Shaanxi Province signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in Xi'an with China National Petroleum Corporation, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation to jointly build Xi'an Shiyou University, pushing the institution to accelerate its development into a high-level university with distinctive petroleum characteristics, first-class standing in China, and international influence, so as to better empower innovation-driven development in the petroleum and petrochemical industry and the transformation of Shaanxi's energy sector.

In November 2009, the Shaanxi Provincial Government signed an agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation for the first time to jointly build Xi'an Shiyou University. Chang Jiang, Party Secretary of Xi'an Shiyou University, said that over the past 17 years, with the strong support of the three major state-owned oil enterprises, the university's overall strength in running the school has achieved substantial progress, providing solid talent supply and scientific and technological support for the country's energy transition and the increase of oil and gas reserves and production. At the same time, focusing on engineering practice innovation in the industry and the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, the university has built a university science and technology park, attracted a number of specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises to settle in, and established a scientific research collaborative model of project win-win cooperation, platform co-construction, and achievement sharing with industry enterprises, helping to overcome a batch of key technical challenges in the industry, achieving deep integration and two-way empowerment of talent cultivation and industrial development, and injecting strong momentum into serving the national energy security strategy and regional high-quality development.

According to the strategic cooperation agreement, the four parties will carry out cooperation in the construction of characteristic and advantageous disciplines, the cultivation of high-quality talent, the enhancement of scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and international exchange and cooperation. Chang Jiang stated that in the next step, the university will proactively align with the strategic needs of the three major enterprises and the development layout of Shaanxi's trillion-yuan energy industry, striving to make new contributions to building an energy powerhouse and to the high-quality economic and social development of Shaanxi.

To deepen collaborative innovation between universities and enterprises in the energy sector within the province, Xi'an Shiyou University has reached a consensus on in-depth cooperation with Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd., and the two sides simultaneously signed a strategic cooperation agreement.

It is understood that Xi'an Shiyou University is the only multidisciplinary regular institution of higher education in northwest China featuring petroleum and petrochemical characteristics. Founded in October 1951, it was established by the Northwest Petroleum Administration as the Northwest Petroleum Industry School, affiliated with the Central Ministry of Fuel Industry. In 1958, the school was upgraded to undergraduate level and renamed Xi'an Petroleum Institute. In 1980, Xi'an Petroleum Institute resumed operation and was affiliated with the Ministry of Petroleum Industry. In 2000, it was transferred from being affiliated with China National Petroleum Corporation to being jointly built by the central and local governments, with management primarily by the People's Government of Shaanxi Province. In 2003, it was renamed Xi'an Shiyou University and approved as a unit for joint doctoral student training. In 2018, the university was approved as a doctoral degree-granting institution. The university adheres to running the school with the petroleum spirit, educating students with the Iron Man spirit, and forging souls with the Yan'an spirit, fully implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, and has cumulatively trained more than 200,000 outstanding talents of various types, with more than half engaged in the petroleum and petrochemical industry, among whom nearly 60% of graduates have taken root in the northwest and served Shaanxi, and a large number of alumni have become technical backbones and management pillars of key energy enterprises and research institutes.