East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), the first higher-learning institution specialized in Chemical Engineering in new China, was founded in 1952. It was among the first to be granted the permission to admit postgraduates in 1956 and was one of the 13 national key universities designated by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 1960. In June 1996, ECUST was ed into the national key subjects of the "211 Project". Its graduate school was accredited by the Ministry of Education of China in June 2000, and was permitted to construct the Project 985 Innovation Platform in 2008. After over half a century’s efforts, the University has developed itself into a national key research university with distinct characteristics of each discipline and a coordinated development of multiple disciplines.