On the morning of October 22, the 25th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), jointly organized by China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and Government of Anhui Province, kicked off in Hefei. Wan Gang, president of CAST, and Han Jun, secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, attended the main forum and delivered speeches. The keynote speeches session was jointly presided over by He Junke, Secretary of the leading Party members group of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), vice president in charge of daily work and first secretary of the Secretariat of CAST, along with Gao Hongjun, vice president of CAST and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
In his speech, Wan Gang stated that a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing by leaps and bounds. Facing the new pattern, We must promote the integration of the development of education, sci-tech innovation and personnel training. We must adhere to the unified design of original innovation, integrated innovation and open innovation. We must also realize the unified deployment of innovation, industrial and talent chains and continue to boost the source of innovation. Wan Gang stressed that we must pool wisdom and take a proactive move in original innovation. He also highlighted that we must closely focus on strategic, frontier and market-oriented basic research areas, effectively coordinate the national associations, the provincial associations for science and technology, to promote collaboration of various state strategic scientific and technological strengths. It is necessary to collaborate and create an integrated innovation main platform, We must proactively seize the momentum of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. We need to ground our work in the new system for mobilizing the nation, a supersize market, complete industrial system, and rich application scenarios, efficiently gather innovative elements. He highlighted that we must promote innovation and entrepreneurship, transform scientific and technological achievements, and speed up the building of robust and resilient industrial and supply chains. It is important to keep pace with the times and actively practice innovation ideas. create It is important to build and share an open innovation ecosystem. He stated that we must advocate open science and open-source innovation to initiate multi-level, wide-ranging and constructive dialogue among industries, universities and research institutes globally. We will implement the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan support innovators of all kinds, sci-tech organizations and sci-tech talents to connect with the international community and build an open and globally-competitive innovation ecosystem.
Han Jun stated in his speech that the 25th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) held in Hefei is a grand event in the sci-tech community in China and in Anhui. In recent years, we have kept Xi’s requirements in mind, adhered to the principle that science and technology are the primary productive forces, talents are the primary resources, and innovation is the primary driving force. Taking the construction of a high-level innovative province as a flagship lever, we have concentrated efforts on building high-level innovation platforms, accelerated the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, fully stimulated the vitality of technological innovation, produced a batch of original scientific findings that keep pace and even lead the pack, generated new productivity boosters with strong momentum, and created a favorable innovation ecosystem that attracts talents from near and far. Currently, in a crucial period of substantial accumulation, strong momentum, and great potential, Anhui is in great need of innovation-driven development, sci-tech empowerment, and talent support more than ever before. We sincerely hope that CAST, academicians and experts will fully leverage their academic and social influence, integrate their expertise with Anhui's development needs, deepen collaboration with universities, research institutes, and key enterprises, guide and support Anhui in strengthening specialty disciplines construction and innovation in talent training models, and apply more excellent achievements and technologies in Anhui, ensuring specialty disciplines construction and innovation in talent training models, and, and helping Anhui become a pioneer in technological and industrial innovation. This will contribute to the accelerated development of the “Three Areas and One Zone” and the construction of the “Seven Strong Provinces.”
At the main forum, Gao Hongjun, on behalf of the CAST, released major scientific issues, engineering technological challenges, and industrial technological issues for 2023. Li Ruxin, Secretary of the Party Committee of ShanghaiTech University and academician of the CAS, Wu Weiren, chief designer of the China’s lunar exploration project and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Hu Jinbo, president of the Shanghai Branch of the CAS, and researcher of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the CAS, Chen Wei, vice president of CAST, researcher of the Academy of Military Sciences and academician of the CAE, Lu Chaoyang, professor of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), and Liu Qingfeng, president of iFLYTEK, delivered reports on various topics such as the development of intense lasers and accelerators, the status and future of deep space exploration in China, the recent research progress and prospects of functional molecules and materials, research and development of vaccine and public safety, the latest quantum technologies, and general artificial intelligence cognitive grand model development.
More than 800 representatives from relevant ministries and commissions, central enterprises, Anhui Province, scientific research institutions, universities, and national scientific associations, as well as media reporters, participated in the main forum.
It is said that the current annual conference of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) was themed by "Keeping the leading role of innovation and achieving self-reliance and self-strengthening: building a high-quality source of scientific and technological innovation". It focused on three major areas: "Technological self-reliance and self-strengthening", "Academic interdisciplinary integration", and "Serving local areas: Building a science and innovation hub", and carried out more than 20 special activities. It fully demonstrated the ‘leading role’ of scientists and technologists, gave full play to national societies' role as ‘main body’, and enhanced the sense of gain for the host site.
Source from: China Association for Science and Technology