In 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Ganzhou and raised the development of the rare earth industry to a new strategic height. Nanchang University led ten advantageous organizations and was responsible for the national key research and development plan project "Ion adsorption rare earth resources efficient green development and ecological restoration integrated technology." Meanwhile, the Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University was approved to be established to solve major concerns about the development of national rare earth strategic resources. The first dean of the institute is Professor Li Yongxiu, executive director of the Chinese Rare Earth Society and vice chairman of the Jiangxi Rare Earth Society.

Nanchang University has a long-term research history focusing on rare earth elements and has obtained many achievements. The organized research on rare earth elements began in the late 1970s when the research group led by Professor He Lunyan focused on improving the Longnan heavy rare earth resource extraction process. Professor He’s group accomplished the leapfrog upgrading of ionic rare earth extraction technology from the sodium chloride leaching process to ammonium sulfate leaching technology and realized the large-scale promotion of mixed oxide rare earth production technology, which is one of the widely used technologies in the southern ionic rare earth mining area. These outstanding achievements made Professor He's group win the third prize in the National Invention Award, the second prize in the Jiangxi Province Science and Technology Progress Award along with other cooperating organizations. And Nanchang University has become the second university in China ( Lanzhou University being the first ) and the first in Jiangxi Province in setting up rare earth technology training courses for rare earth factories and mining enterprises.

The Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University focuses on the research of the manufacture and application technologies of new rare earth materials with a high abundance. The Institute also concentrates on solving technical problems related to the efficient and green development of ionic rare earth resources, aiming to break through the key technologies of micro-nano functional materials manufacturing, promote the balanced utilization of high-value rare earths, and enhance the strategic value of rare earths. From 1990 to 2010, the research subjects "The crystal precipitation method of rare earth carbonate," "The chlorine content control technology in high-purity rare earth products," and "Controlled synthesis and properties of functionally oriented micro-nano materials" won the Jiangxi Provincial Technology Invention Award, the Jiangxi Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Natural Science Award of Jiangxi Province respectively. The new rare earth high-speed polishing powder production technology has been promoted and applied in many enterprises in Jiangsu, Baotou, Jiangxi, Gansu, Shandong, and other places, and has become widely used in the rare earth industry.

The Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University closely follows the orientation of industrial development and relies on the cooperation integration of industry, education research, and application to promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Since 2010, the Rare Earth Research Institute has launched many scientific and technological collaborations and provided technical services for dozens of backbone rare earth enterprises/organizations such as Peking University, Qiandong Rare Earth Group, Baotou Rare Earth Hi-tech Co., Youyan Rare Earth Co. Ltd., Minmetals Rare Earth Co. Ltd., Gansu Rare Earth Group, Xiamen Tungsten Co., Ltd., Baosteel Lingzhi Rare Earth Hi-tech Co., Ltd., etc. The Rare Earth Research Institute has undertaken the research tasks of the national 863 and 973 Programs, science and technology support plan projects, and key research and development plan projects. The technologies researched by the Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University include rare earth smelting green technology, rare earth polishing and ceramic material production technology, ionic rare earth efficient green extraction technology, etc.. These technologies have successfully promoted industrial production, achieving significant economic and social benefits. Notably, the innovative technology developed by the Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University has won a series of awards such as the Jiangxi Science and Technology Progress Award, the China Rare Earth Science and Technology Award, the China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Contribution Award, the China Industry-University-Research Innovation Award and so on.

The Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University focuses on strengthening the development of rare earth research and discipline construction, aiming to make outstanding contributions to talent training. In the 1980s, Nanchang University established the first "Institute of Rare Earth Chemistry" in Jiangxi Province. Furthermore, some provincial research platforms such as Jiangxi Provincial Rare Earth Materials Precursor Engineering Laboratory, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment and Energy Catalysis, and Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Light and High Strength Structural Materials were built up, relying on the established research institutions like the Rare Earth Engineering Research Center and the Rare Earth and Micro-nano Functional Materials Center of Nanchang University. The Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University also conducts the doctoral program of "Materials Science and Engineering" and has the national key discipline of "Materials Physics and Chemistry" and the key discipline in Chemistry in Jiangxi Province. The Institute also offers doctoral programs in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Micro and Nano Materials Science and Engineering. The institute puts highlight on talent training and has made significant contributions to the discipline construction and talent development at Nanchang University.

The Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University complies with the major strategic deployment of rare earths in China and Jiangxi Province, promoting the "Double first-class" discipline construction of Nanchang University. The Rare Earth Research Institute has undertaken and accomplished key national projects like the National Key R&D Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It has launched a new generation of high-efficiency green extraction processes of ion-adsorption rare earth to achieve industrial applications. The primary focus is to provide new solutions for solving environmental problems associated with mining and optimize the subsequent high-purity rare earth production process. The Rare Earth Research Institute focuses on terminal applications, researching and developing high-purity nano-functional materials with a high abundance of rare earth elements, aiming to produce high-level achievements for the innovation and development of the rare earth industry and related fields and to create a complete industrial chain with distinctive characteristics covering rare earth resource development, high-purity rare earth separation, rare earth material and precursor manufacturing and rare earth material applications. To cultivate high-level innovative talents, the Rare Earth Research Institute, collaborating with the Institute for Advanced Study, has set up rare earth experimental classes to connect with the rare earth graduate students of the Ganjiang Innovation Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences