On December 1, the 2023 Tengchong Scientists Forum, with the theme "Science Leading the Future" and "Science · Green Development," opened at the Tengchong City Science Hall. Top scientists, university presidents, renowned entrepreneurs, and financial sector representatives from both home and abroad gathered in Tengchong to discuss topics such as technological innovation, higher education, sustainable business development, and cutting-edge international science.
The 2023 Tengchong Scientists Forum is jointly organized by the Yunnan Provincial People's Government and the China Association for Science and Technology, with support from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Nankai University. It is co-hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Yunnan Association for Science and Technology, the Baoshan Municipal People's Government, and the China Association for Science and Technology New Technology Development Center.
The three-day forum follows a "1+10+X" model, organizing one opening ceremony and main forum, and setting up ten parallel sub-forums including the Presidents' Forum, Young Scientists' Forum, Industry Innovation and Development Forum, Entrepreneurs' Innovation Forum, Lancang-Mekong Regional Technology and Culture Exchange Forum series, International Frontier Science Forum series, Biodiversity and Modern Agriculture Development Forum, Energy Materials Forum, Immunoscience and Clinical Translation Forum, and the First Ethnic Medicine Technology and Industry Development Forum. Additionally, it features a series of thematic activities such as the Technology and Finance Innovation Development Seminar, Technology Empowerment and Media Integration Development Series, Health Industry Innovation Development Series, 2023 China-US "Health Bridge" Series, China-Korea Technology Exchange Activities, Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition and Application Docking, Academician Science Popularization in Schools, and the Digital Silk Road Security Seminar.
At the opening ceremony, the highly anticipated inaugural "Tengchong Science Awards" were announced. The awards went to Lu Yuming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, known as the "Father of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing," and Zhang Feng, a Chinese-American scientist recognized as a pioneer of CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology and a professor at MIT. This award is the first scientific and technological award established by social forces in mainland China, with a single award amount of up to 10 million RMB. It is also the first such award directly named after a border city.
The 2023 Tengchong Scientists Forum emphasizes an international perspective, integrates national needs, and serves local development. This year's forum continues the highlights of the inaugural forum by hosting the "International Frontier Science" and "Lancang-Mekong Regional Technology and Culture Exchange" forums. It aims to create a model for regional technology and culture exchange cooperation and to explore sustainable development paths with neighboring countries. The forum aligns closely with Yunnan Province's "3815" strategic development goals, focusing on fields such as life sciences and health, biodiversity, and modern agriculture. It sets up multiple thematic forums and series of activities to address major technological needs in key industries and fields.
The opening ceremony also featured the signing of talent introduction projects and investment attraction projects. So far, the Tengchong Scientists Forum has facilitated over 90 talent introduction projects in Yunnan Province, attracting more than 200 talents. It has also promoted over 100 investment projects, with a total investment exceeding 62 billion RMB, covering key industries such as digital economy, biomedicine, advanced equipment manufacturing, modern logistics, and food and consumer goods processing and manufacturing.
