A view outside the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center, new venue for Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing.(PHOTO: XINHUA)

By CHEN Chunyou

Themed "Innovation for a Better World," and gearing up to showcase new trends in sci-tech gains, the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) takes place in Beijing from April 25 to 29. It will feature five major sections, including forums and meetings, technology trading, unveiling of achievements, and competitions in cutting-edge fields.

Nearly 120 events are planned for the five-day event this year, and 100 eminent scientists, including Nobel laureates and Turing Award winners, have been invited to engage in discussions on open innovation and explore opportunities for mutual development.

Meanwhile, a total of 60 parallel forums revolving around scientific frontiers, new quality productive forces, talent development and sci-tech governance, will be hosted by national and local government departments and international organizations during the event.

The 2024 ZGC Forum emphasizes frontier exploration, Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology, told a press conference. In the run up to the forum, a series of meetings and activities are being held focusing on frontier areas of science and technology, such as AI, life science and new materials. Meanwhile, a batch of the latest major sci-tech achievements is going to be released.

Another highlight of the forum is its emphasis on sharing sci-tech achievements. Through the international technology trading conferences and sci-tech frontier competitions, the forum provides platforms for sharing and trading of more than 3,000 sci-tech achievements from more than 40 countries and regions, in such fields as carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, medical health and clean energy.

Given the world's increasing attention on the AI sector, April 27 has been set as the AI Theme Day this year. Several special forums are being held, covering topics such as large-scale AI models and embodied AI.

Launched in 2007, the ZGC Forum highlights opening-up and cooperation. This year, government representatives, international sci-tech organizations, scientists, innovative enterprises and investors are widely invited to build exchange platforms, aiming to inject new vitality into global sci-tech cooperation.