China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) is situated in the western part of Beijing, consisting of south campus and north campus. IWHR has its Daxing Experimental Base located in the south suburb of Beijing Municipality and another two departments located outside Beijing, namely the Department of water Resources for Pastoral Areas in Huhhot and the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Research in Tianjin.

The history of IWHR can be traced back to the establishment of the first Hydraulic Laboratory in Tianjin in 1933. Over 50 years of evolution since its establishment in 1958, IWHR has now become the largest comprehensive research institute at the top level in the field of water resources and hydroelectric power in China. At present, IWHR has over 1,300 staff members, 12 research departments and 32 laboratories. The total land area of the institute covers 480,000 m².

IWHR has built a professionally excellent team with 2 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and 5 academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Several secretariats of the Chinese committees of international organizations are stationed in IWHR. A considerable number of senior experts of IWHR have assumed important positions in international organizations. The institute has established extensive exchanges and cooperation with nearly one hundred foreign research institutions, prestigious universities, academic communities and international organizations. IWHR is also engaged in consulting services for many overseas projects, undertaking research, planning, design, construction and management tasks.

IWHR has carried out a wide range of professional services including technical consultancy, construction supervision, project monitoring and safety evaluation.

Over the years, IWHR has completed many research and consultancy tasks for hundreds of key projects. The scope of these tasks covers a wide extent, water resources management for nationwide and large river basins, water environment protection, flood control and drought relief, river regulation and inter-basin water transfer, sedimentation in rivers and reservoirs, structural optimization, earthquake resistant analysis, complex foundations treatment, hydro-electric equipment testing and checking, power plant automation, safety monitoring, construction materials design and control, new technology for concrete faced rock-fill dam and roller compacted concrete dams, hydro-turbine sets and rehabilitations, cooling water study, fly ash deposit, etc. These works are related to almost all the huge multipurpose projects in China.

IWHR has continuously provided technological support to the government for important macroscopic decision making on flood management, rational water resources allocation, water-saving society building, aquatic-eco-environment protection, drinking water safety, environment-friendly hydro-power projects, etc.

Based on the research achievements accumulated over the years, IWHR has developed a variety of practical technologies and products. Most of them have accessed markets home and abroad. IWHR has participated in the preparation of 237 professional standards. A large number of scientific and technological products of IWHR have been accredited with national patents.

IWHR has won many national and ministerial awards for progress in science and technology. IWHR has also won a number of National Awards for Natural Sciences and National Awards for Invention.

IWHR currently possesses 120 senior engineers at professor level and 329 senior engineers. Young engineers below the age of 45 take up 70% of all the professional staff.

IWHR has recently set up a new testing base of 140,000m² in area in the Daxing District for experimental study on hydraulics, sedimentation, irrigation and drainage and hydraulic machinery, which have already been used for many huge projects, such as optimal layout of Three Gorges and Xiangjiaba, sedimentation problems in Yellow River and Weihe River, water-saving irrigation technology and hydraulic turbine performance testing, etc.

IWHR will observe the scientific concept of development, the philosophy of “harmonious co-existence between human and nature” and focus on the overall development principle of IWHR, namely, “Aiming at 1 goal, Focusing on 2 priorities, Enhancing 3 capabilities, Building 4 major bases, Improving 5 construction aspects and Achieving 6 first-classes”. With all these, IWHR will provide scientific and technological support and assurance to the sustainable development of water resources in China.