On August 6th, 2018, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) signed an Agreement with the People's Government of Shandong Province to build jointly Shandong University of Technology. Therefore, SDUT became the only university which was built together by SASTIND and People's Government of Shandong Province among Shandong colleges and universities. This marked that SDUT had stepped into the list of schools which were built together by the Ministry or/and National Department and provincial government, which had become a new milestone in the history of SDUT.

On August 6th, 2018, the People's Government of Shandong Province and SASTIND signed The Agreement of Jointly Building Shandong University of Technology by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense And People's Government of Shandong Province.

According to the Agreement, the People's Government of Shandong Province would regard SDUT as a key provincial university and expand the autonomy in running, increase funding and policy support to build SDUT into a higher-level university with distinctive national defense features and support SDUT in strengthening the construction of special disciplines for national defense, and increasing policy support in key laboratories, the establishment of engineering technology centers and key disciplines. People's Government of Shandong Province would give key support to guarantee the relevant teaching and scientific research conditions, improve the incentive mechanism for scientific researchers to participate in national defense scientific research, and continuously enhance the capability of national defense scientific research in SDUT. It would support SDUT in serving the industry of science and technology for national defense by encouraging research and development of science and technology for national defense, military-civilian integration, tackling key problems with high and new technologies, and awarding scientific and technological achievements, and strengthening the training of talents with national defense characteristics, and guiding outstanding graduates to find jobs in military enterprises and institutions.

According to the Agreement, the SASTIND would support SDUT to further strengthen its national defense characteristics, guide the university to strengthen the construction of special defense disciplines such as new materials, advanced manufacturing technology and equipment, promote the integration of military and civilian, and support the university to participate in the innovation of national defense science and technology. In accordance with the principle of giving priority among equals, selecting the best and supporting the better, the SASTIND would give full support to SDUT to undertake military scientific research projects, build defense scientific and technological innovation bases, enhance defense scientific and technological innovation capability, and carry out cooperation in talents cultivation, scientific research, and scientific technological services between SDUT and enterprises and institutions of Defense scientific and technological industry.

On September 16, 2018, at the meeting of jointly building local universities by the SASTIND and the local government, the relevant leaders from the SASTIND introduced that so far, SASTIND and the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Transportation, and the local government had jointly supported 64 universities. Among them, 32 universities had been supported jointly with local governments. Shandong University of Technology was the second university in Shandong Province that had entered the rank of SASTIND after Shandong University. It was also the only listed Shandong provincial university up to present.

Entering the rank of joint support by provincial government and national bureaus was an important step to achieve high-quality and rapid development of the university. SDUT had listed it as one of the important tasks during the period of “Thirteenth Five-Year-Plan (2016-2020)”. At the Third Party Member Representatives Assembly held by SDUT on November 19, 2016, LYU Chuanyi, the party secretary of SDUT, clearly stated: Promoting People's Government of Shandong Province and SASTIND to jointly support SDUT, innovating the co-construction model, deepening the connotation of co-construction, and striving to a practical effect of co-construction. Since then, SDUT started its application for the co- construction project. In 2017 and 2018, SDUT would promote the work of provincial government and national bureaus and include it as one of the annual key-projects, and continue to promote the related work.

The successful completion of the provincial and ministerial (national bureau) construction of colleges and universities would enable SDUT to find new opportunities in its development. On September 16, 2018, president ZHANG Tiezhu was invited to participate in the joint meeting of SASTIND and local universities in Changchun University of Technology. ZHANG said that SDUT would take this joint meeting as an opportunity to strengthen its close communication with brother universities under the meticulous guidance of SASTIND, focus on making great efforts to deepen its integration, seek breakthroughs in exerting advantages, and accurately promote the construction of provincial and national bureau so as to make contributions to the integration of military forces and civilian.