Guided by the concept of ecological conservation and "Beautiful China Initiative", the Institute of Blue and Green Development (hereinafter referred to asthe Institute) focuses on major national demands such as the development and utilization of the ocean (blue) as well as the green and low-carbon transformation of the economy (green). It is positioned at the international forefront of the disciplines of economy, resources, environment, and climate. The institute mainly conducts systematic and in-depth interdisciplinary and cross-field research on the sustainable management and green development of multiple systems and dimensions of the marine economy, resources, and environment under the framework of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. It aims to achieve breakthroughs in forward-looking basic research, cultivate a group of strategic scientists with innovative consciousness and international vision, creating a new highlight in the development of Shandong University.

Facing the demands of development strategy of the nation and of Shandong Province in particular, the institute has been working closely with domestic and foreign universities and research institutions to carry out joint research and solve major problems. It has promoted the cross-disciplinary and collaborative development, generating new growth points in disciplines and accelerating the development of theoretical economics (economics of population, resources, and environment) within Shandong University. The institute aims to become an internationally-renowned and domestically-leading academic highland for talent cultivation and scientific research.

The Institute mainly relies on the discipline ofEconomics of population, resources, and environment, which is an interdisciplinary field of economics, management, and environmental science. Currently, Shandong University, Weihai has been running master and doctoral programs in the above three majors, and the Institute has greatly contributed to the development of relevant subjects in the new round of discipline evaluation. The institute plans to establish four research centers: the Marine Resources Research Center, the Environmental Economics and Policy Research Center, the Low-Carbon Research Center, and the Environmental Big Data Research Center.

Members of the Institute have published over a dozen papers inScience,Naturesub-journals,Cellsub-journals, andThe Lancet. They have also led major research projects approved by the National Social Science Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Key Research and Development Program.

In addition, the Institute is committed to interdisciplinary and cross-field innovative research within the university. It has been jointly conducting cutting-edge scientific research with the Environment Research Institute at Qingdao campus, the School of Oceanography and the School of Business at Weihai campus, and the Cener for Economic Research at the main campus in Jinan.