To further strengthen the forward-looking assessment of maritime technology, lead original research breakthroughs, and promote self-reliance and strength in maritime technology, the China Institute of Navigation organized a symposium on “Problems and Challenges” on March 11, 2024, in accordance with the requirements of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) for the collection of major scientific problems, engineering technological challenges, and industrial technology issues for the year 2024(hereinafter referred to as “problems and challenges”).
The symposium took place both online and offline and a recommendation committee consisting of 11 academicians and senior experts were invited to participate. Chairman He Jianzhong presided over the symposium. Liu Shun, the Deputy Secretary General of CIN, first introduced the problems and challenges previously collected by the institute. This year the institute received 30 problems and challenges recommended by nine organizations, including China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, Transport Planning and Research Institute, Shanghai Maritime University, Dalian Maritime University, Changjiang Waterway Bureau, and Fujian Navigation Institute. These included 24 engineering technological challenges, 5 industrial technology issues, and 1 cutting-edge scientific problem.
During the meeting, 10 recommenders introduced the key points of their proposed challenges and problems, and experts discussed and reviewed the 30 submitted challenges and problems , proposed amendments to the scope and key points of research, and suggested that some problems and challenges with similar fields and directions should be appropriately summarized and integrated. In the future, CIN can take the lead in scoping out some areas around key research directions in the industry before extensive collection, organizing key units to conduct research in advance.
Following the experts’ suggestions for modifications and integration, the meeting finalized the recommendation of 1 cutting-edge scientific problem, 3 engineering technological challenges, and 3 industrial technology issues to the China Association for Science and Technology.
In his concluding remarks, Chairman He Jianzhong highlighted three main points regarding the “problems and challenges” in the maritime field: firstly, it should emphasize strategic importance, think how to develop new quality productive forces with innovation playing a dominant role, how to promote technological innovation in the maritime field, break through traditional industrial development models and confront challenges brought by the new technological revolution; secondly, it should focus on the themes of green, low-carbon, intelligent, safe, resilient, and sustainable development in the transportation industry; and thirdly, it should maintain continuity, treat the selection and publication of the problems and challenges as an important part of academic leadership, organize experts to conduct research in a targeted manner, and facilitate favorable circulation through iteration, upgrade, cultivation, and development, establish a normalized mechanism for collecting, evaluating, and publishing problems and challenges to form a problem bank in the maritime field.