On October 17, 2019, the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Nankai University, the Nankai-Oxford Joint Research Institute (Shenzhen) was officially inaugurated. It was jointly established by Nankai University, Oxford University, and Shenzhen Futian District Government. This is the first overseas research institute that Oxford University jointly established in China with the university from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

The Nankai-Oxford Joint Research Institute will be led by world-renowned scientists, focusing on major scientific issues in medical biology and cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields, building a high-level scientific research and innovation platform, improving the level of teaching and scientific research, jointly training international talents, and continuously expanding international academic exchanges and cooperation. Several research centers in the Nankai-Oxford Joint Research Institute will be set up to carry out research in the fields of medicine and life sciences.