National Research Centre for Resettlement (NRCR) of Hohai University, also known as Reservoir-Induced Resettlement Economics Research Centre of Water Resources Ministry, was founded on September 15, 1992 according to the approval of the Ministry of Water Resources in the NO. (1992) 11 Document, and stared to run since February 21, 1993, after authorized by the Ministry of Water Resources in the NO. 〔1993〕2 Document. NRCR, which is set up in Hohai University, is a specialized scientific research institution under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Resources and administrated by Hohai University, is the first and the only one research institution in this field in China, as well as the first research institution of involuntary resettlement in the world.
Since 1988, Hohai University has conducted a lot of pioneering, fundamental and applied research in involuntary resettlement, ecological migration, environmental migration, disaster resettlement, and gained a series of great achievements in policies, theories and applications. Especially, since the establishment of NRCR in 1992, with the construction and development in the past 16 years, NRCR has had a profound academic influence both at home and abroad. Its research ranks top in china as well as the whole world in the areas such as involuntary resettlement, ecological migration, and environmental migration. As a result, it enjoys highly social reputation and is widely acknowledged among international organizations, academic fields, China’s government departments at all levels as well as the planning and design units and the whole society. NRCR of Hohai University has become the most important research base in this regard.
Internationally, NRCR of Hohai University has been regarded as one of the best research institutions of involuntary resettlement established in universities. It has become a major partner in China cooperating with international institutions like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and bilateral international institutions like British Overseas Development Agency (DFID), Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), German Agency for Technical Company (GTz), the Export-Import Bank of Switzerland (OeKB), functioning as a key organization recommended by these agencies for consulting about resettlement and social development in assistant projects, and the major partner in China cooperating with these agencies in the work of resettlement and social development professional training.
At home, NRCR of Hohai University has already become an important institution of consultation about policies and regulations and management of resettlement and social assessment for National Development and Reform Commission of PRC, Ministry of Land Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, Three Gorges Project Construction Committee Office of the State Council, South-to-North Water Division Project Construction Committee Office of the State Council, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Agriculture, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and other related commissions and ministries. It also performs as an important agency in providing consultation about implementation and management of resettlement induced by the major construction projects for Three Gorges Project Development Corporation of China and the Xiaolangdi Construction Administrative Bureau. Besides, it is also known as the most important research base of theories, methods and application of resettlement, the only domestic training base for doctoral program as well as master’s program in Resettlement Science and Management, the training base for people from different sectors in the field of migration, and the main organizer of cooperation and exchange with other counties in the field of resettlement.
