The 25th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) kicked off in Hefei, East China's Anhui province, Oct 22, 2023.

Themed "Leading with Innovation, Pursuing Self-reliance and Self-improvement -Creating a High-quality Cradle for Scientific and Technological Innovation", the meeting is comprised of 20 activities centering on “Self-reliance and Self-improvement in Science and Technology”, “Multi-disciplinary Integration”, and “Serving Localities: Building Science and Innovation Highlands”.

Wan Gang, president of the CAST, and Han Jun, secretary of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee, addressed the main forum of the meeting. He Junke, secretary of the leading Party members group of the CAST, vice-president of the CAST in charge of daily work, and chief executive secretary of the CAST secretariat, and Gao Hongjun, vice-president of the CAST and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, jointly presided over the main forum.  

Against the backdrop of scientific and technological revolution and the industrial changes with leaps and bounds, it is imperative to uphold the integration of education, sci-tech innovation, and talent cultivation and the innovation should be conducted in an original, integrated, and open manner, Wan said in his remarks. With the integrated plan of innovation, industrial, and talent chains, further efforts should be made to beef up the source of sci-tech-driven innovation, he added.

To that end, the blueprint for sci-tech innovation calls for pooling wisdom from national academic societies and local science associations, and centering on strategic, cutting-edge, and market-oriented basic research, he stressed. And it requires the efficient convergence of innovation elements, stimulation for innovation and entrepreneurship, commercialization of scientific and technological advances, and building a strong and resilient industrial chain and supply chain, Wan said.

We should stay true to the idea of people-centered development across the scope of sci-tech innovation, constantly promote the spirit of scientists, create an innovation ecology with Chinese characteristics, and usher in a scientific, rational, civilized and harmonious environment, Wan noted.

Meanwhile, multifaceted, wide-ranging, and constructive industry-academia-research cooperation mechanism should be promoted across the globe, with the sound implementation of the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan and the creation of an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness, Wan said.  

According to Han Jun, the 25th Annual Meeting of the CAST was a grand event for both the national sci-tech community and Anhui province. Anhui has accelerated the commercialization of sci-tech achievements, and boosted sci-tech innovation in recent years, which have brought to Anhui a slew of frontrunner achievements, robust productivities, and a sound innovation ecosystem, he said.

Anhui is unprecedentedly in need of sci-tech innovation and talent support to realize further development and now eyes the deep integration of universities, institutions and industry-leading enterprises, an improved discipline system, and innovative talent training, to scale new heights in sci-tech and industrial innovation, Han said.

At the forum, Gao Hongjun, on behalf of the CAST, announced the primary issues in science, engineering, technology, and industrial technology for 2023. Other attendees delivered reports on multiple topics, such as the development of high-power laser and accelerator, the current status and future of the deep space exploration in China, the latest progress and future prospects of functional molecules and materials research, innovation in vaccine R&D and public safety, the latest progress and future prospects of quantum science and technology, and the development of the general artificial intelligence cognitive model.

The speakers were Li Ruxin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Tech University; Wu Weiren, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leading scientist at the space administration; Hu Jinbo, head of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of CAS; Chen Wei, vice-president of the CAST, academician at China Academy of Engineering, and researcher at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences; Lu Chaoyang, professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, and Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFlytek Co. Ltd.

Over 800 representatives attended the forum of the Annual Meeting of the CAST, including professionals from research institutes, universities, and associations nationwide, officials from relevant ministries and the Government of Anhui Province, as well as reporters.