Focusing on the implementation of the "Excellence Plan", HIE innovates school-enterprise collaborative education mechanism and uses the "Project 2011 Collaborative Innovation Center" as a platform to promote school-enterprise collaborative innovation. It has achieved deepened Industry-University-Research cooperation and improved economic and social service ability. In December 2014, it officially became a core member of Xiangtan Industrial Innovation Research Institute. It also became a strategic alliance for technological innovation in Xiangtan in such industries as automobile and spare parts, advanced mining equipment, manufacturing and wind power. Taking full advantages of its long-established majors such as electromechanics and textile, HIE has realized deep integration with corporations and industries and has established long-term and stable cooperation with such companies in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta as XEMC, Xiangtan Iron & Steel, Jianglu Machinery Electronics Group, Hunan Geely Auto Parts, Hunan Chemical Research Institute, Hunan Soundon New Energy, Hunan Dongxin Group and Jiuhua Industrial Park. It has made important contributions to the economic and social development at provincial and national level.

HIE encourages disciplinary teams to vigorously carry out industry-university-research cooperation in accordance with subject advantages. It has built three provincial-level industry-university-research cooperation demonstration bases, signed cooperation agreements with more than 500 large and medium-sized enterprises, and built 30 research institutes (centers). Over the past five years, its horizontal scientific research project funds have achieved 150 million yuan.

(Data updated to 2019)