Nanjing Agricultural University

What Nanjing Agricultural University does

Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) is a public research university founded in 1902 and located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education and designated under China's 211 Project and Double First-class University Project. The institution operates three campuses covering 9 square kilometers with 740,000 square meters of built area, enrolling 25,500+ full-time students (17,000+ undergraduates, 8,500+ postgraduates) across 62 undergraduate specialties, 31 master's programs, 17 doctoral programs, and 15 postdoctoral programs. NAU's research and educational mandate centers on agricultural and life sciences, with four A+ rated disciplines (Crop Science, Agricultural Resources and Environmental Science, Plant Protection, Agricultural and Forestry Economics & Management) and seven ESI top-1% disciplines including Agricultural Science and Botany/Zoology in the global top 0.1%.

The university has built a significant technology and AI portfolio, including Sinong (China's first open-source agricultural large language model, trained on ~9,000 specialized books, 240,000 academic papers, and 20,000 policy documents) and Green Shield (China's first open-source AI model dedicated to crop protection and smart agriculture). Additional proprietary technologies span speed breeding facilities that compress plant generation cycles by 60-85%, a μ-XRF seed imaging framework processing over 11,000 seeds in 18-19 hours, CRISPR-edited pig satellite cell systems for cultured meat, and the Plant Duplicate Gene Database covering 141 sequenced plant genomes. NAU operates 66 provincial/ministerial/national research platforms including the State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and the National Center of Meat Quality and Safety Control.

NAU's business model operates as a Chinese state-funded public university with multiple revenue streams: domestic and international tuition (including Chinese Government Scholarship, Silk Road Program, and NAU International Student Award), government research grants (RMB 2.6 billion in research spending during the 2011-15 Five-Year Plan period), technology transfer and licensing through open-source AI models and industry partnerships, and conference/training programs (e.g., IHRC 2021 registration fees of RMB 1,000-2,500). International engagement is a core go-to-market motion, with partnerships across 150+ universities in 30+ countries, a Confucius Institute at Egerton University (Kenya), and designation as Educational Aid Center for Africa and Asia. The institution also hosts the GCHERA World Agriculture Prize secretariat, awarding USD 100,000 annually to global agricultural scholars.

Name

Nanjing Agricultural University

Legal name

Nanjing Agricultural University

Website

https://english.njau.edu.cn

Company type

Public

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nanjing Agricultural University is a Chinese Ministry of Education-affiliated public research university founded in 1902, offering agricultural and life sciences education to 25,500+ students and conducting research in crop genetics, agricultural AI (Sinong, Green Shield), and food safety.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK), Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• Agricultural research
• Crop science programs
• Agricultural AI models
• Plant breeding research

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanjing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Programs: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate education programs, international student tuition, and professional development courses. NAU offers 62 undergraduate specialties, 31 first-level master's programs, 17 doctoral programs, and 15 postdoctoral programs.
2. Government Research Funding: Research funding from government sources including Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Ministry of Science and Technology. During Five-Year Plan period (2011-15), spending on research exceeded RMB 2.6 billion.
3. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Revenue from open-source AI models like Sinong and Green Shield, technology transfer agreements, and collaborative research partnerships with industry.
4. Chinese Government Scholarship Program: International student recruitment under Chinese Government Scholarship Program, including Silk Road Program, contributing to educational services revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nanjing Agricultural University is a public Chinese university directly under the Ministry of Education that delivers higher education and conducts agricultural research. It offers 62 undergraduate specialties, 31 master's programs, 17 doctoral programs, and 15 postdoctoral programs in agricultural and life sciences. The university also develops open-source agricultural AI models and smart farming technologies that are transferred to industry through demonstration bases and licensing arrangements.

Product overview

Nanjing Agricultural University develops and offers agricultural AI models and technologies including Sinong (China's first open-source agricultural LLM), Green Shield (open-source crop protection AI), and autonomous farming technologies. The university's research portfolio includes the μ-XRF seed imaging framework for phenotyping, CRISPR-edited cell culture systems for cultured meat, and the Plant Duplicate Gene Database. These products serve farmers, researchers, policymakers, and agricultural specialists through both open-source platforms and research collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sinong Agricultural AI Model
• Green Shield AI Model
• NAU Autonomous Wheat Farming Technology
• Plant Duplicate Gene Database
• Undergraduate Degree Programs
• Graduate Degree Programs
• International Student Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 23.7% rice yield increase under low nitrogen fertilizer application through OsWRI1a gene selective breeding
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Egerton University (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2022Long-term partnership for capacity building and scientific research cooperation. Joint Confucius Institute established in 2012 as world's first agricultural-focused Confucius Institute. Collaborates on student exchange, dual degree programs, and agricultural mechanization seminars.
• Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2022Participated in Seminar on Agricultural Mechanization for African Countries organized by NAU. One of four universities from three countries in the training program.
• Ambo University (Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2022Partner in Seminar on Agricultural Mechanization for African Countries. Part of South-South Cooperation initiatives.
• Hawassa University (Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2022Partner in Seminar on Agricultural Mechanization for African Countries alongside Egerton University and Ambo University.
• Michigan State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2021Co-host of 8th International Horticulture Research Conference (July 2021) alongside NAU. Convened by Prof. Fadi Chen of NAU and Prof. Steven van Nocker of MSU. Joint education programs and research collaboration.
• Stanford UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Co-organizer of 1st International BioDesign Research Conference (December 2020) with University of Warwick and journal BioDesign Research. Convened by Stanford's Stanley Qi.
• University of WarwickflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Co-organizer of 1st International BioDesign Research Conference with Stanford University. Journal BioDesign Research affiliated with NAU, edited by Alfonso Jaramillo of Warwick.
• Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization of MARAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in smart wheat farming technology project, one of ten 2019 leading agricultural technologies funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
• Jiangsu Nongken GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Industry partner in smart wheat farming demonstration, hosting high-standard demonstration bases in Jiangsu Province.
• World Agriculture Prize SecretariatflagshipOthers · 1 January 2012NAU serves as host of World Agriculture Prize secretariat and coordinating office for GCHERA WAP, awarding 100,000 USD to scholars from Cornell, University of Bonn, UC Davis, University of Alberta, and Ghent University.
• UC Davis (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint education programs including exchange visits, dual undergraduate degree programs, and dual undergraduate/graduate degree programs. Established NAU-UCDavis One Health Center in 2014.
• Reading University (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint education programs with exchange visits and dual degree programs.
• University of Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint education programs including exchange visits and dual degree programs.
• Massey University (New Zealand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint education programs including exchange visits and dual degree programs.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished NAU-Cornell International Technology Transfer Center and International Reference Laboratory for Swine Streptococcus Disease Diagnosis.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nanjing-agricultural-university1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nanjing Agricultural University