To meet the crucial strategic demands at the national decision-making level: Prediction of aridification trend in northern China, its impact assessment and adaptation measures, the project attached much importance to the original scientific innovations focusing on the challenges of economical construction and advances of basic scientific research in the way of carrying out multidisciplinary integrated studies, so as to further resolve the key issues for social and economic sustainable development. A series of scientific creativities have been achieved since the application of the project over past 5 years. Meanwhile, it has made essential contributions to the social-economical demands. In addition, remarkable results have been obtained in aspects of talented scientist bring up and research base construction, which lays solid foundation for the further studies in this fields. Innovations and contributions of the project are briefly introduced in this paper.