Xiaomi founder Lei Jun donates US$183 million to alma mater Wuhan University in tech innovation push

The billionaire donated 1.3 billion yuan to one of China’s leading research universities on its 130th anniversary on Wednesday

Lei credits the university and a book he stumbled upon in the library in 1987 with igniting his entrepreneurial passion

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Xiaomi co-founder and chief executive Lei Jun, middle, has donated a record 1.3 billion yuan (US$183 million) to his alma mater Wuhan University. A signing ceremony was held at the university on its 130th anniversary on November 29, 2023. Photo: Wuhan University

Ann Caoin Shanghai

Published: 7:00pm, 29 Nov 2023

Lei Jun, the billionaire co-founder and CEO of smartphone giant Xiaomi, has donated a record 1.3 billion yuan (US$183 million) to his alma mater Wuhan University to support one of China’s leading research universities in tech innovation and talent cultivation.

The school announced the fund, the largest individual donation ever given to a Chinese university, on its 130th anniversary on Wednesday.

At a signing ceremony for the donation attended by Xiaomi executives and university managers, Lei – who graduated in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science – said it is a “birthday gift to the alma mater”, through which he hopes to see the appearance of “more outstanding engineers, scientists and technology entrepreneurs” in China, according to a post on the university’s official WeChat account on Wednesday.

Lei said the fund will support the university in three major areas: basic research in the six major disciplines of mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history and philosophy; scientific and technological innovation in the computer field; and the cultivation of students.

The 53-year-old entrepreneur said his desire to make the donation dates back to his school days.