In February 2022, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office of Engineering Mechanics as a pilot project. This initiative is under the auspices of the College of Aerospace and Civil Engineering at Harbin Engineering University.

The initial members of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office consist of 11 institutions, including 10 universities like Northeastern University, Northeast Petroleum University, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology, Jilin University, Liaoning University of Engineering and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, and the Institute of Engineering Mechanics of China Earthquake Administration. Additionally, there is one specialized research institute in the field. The Virtual Teaching and Research Office operates with an open and dynamic policy, allowing other universities and research institutes to apply for membership. As of now, there are 200 participating members.

This initiative is overseen by a steering committee and a special working group. The special working group comprises teams responsible for course curriculum construction, teaching reform research, teacher capacity enhancement, student ability cultivation, and a secretariat. The Virtual Teaching and Research Office utilizes these teams to organize various activities under the "Six Forces in Unity" brand, including inspirational curriculum cases, teaching reform research, academic exchange forums, collaborative activities within courses, lectures on the latest developments in mechanics, and professional scientific and technological innovation competitions.

The goal of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office is to cultivate a high-level team of mechanics educators, generate a collection of teaching research and practical accomplishments, establish a community for teaching development and quality culture among engineering mechanics teachers, enhance teacher teaching abilities comprehensively, and form a Virtual Teaching and Research Office for engineering mechanics that serves as a regional hub in the Northeast, unites universities in North China and West China, and leads the advancement of the engineering mechanics profession nationwide.