On September 11, the press conference for 2020 ZGC Forum was held in the press conference hall of the Press Office of the Beijing Municipal People’s Government. Zhai Lixin, Director of the Organizing Committee Office of ZGC Forum and Director of the Zhongguancun Management Committee, Zhao Changshan, Chairman of Zhongguancun Development Group, Zhang Youlin, Deputy Director and First-Class Inspector of CCPIT Beijing, Kong Lei, Executive Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area and Special Responsible Person of Construction Work for the Municipal Demonstration Zone of High-level Autonomous Driving, and Lin Jianhua, Deputy Head of Haidian District, attended the press conference.

At the press conference, Zhai Lixin introduced the overall situation and highlights of the 2020 ZGC Forum.

He said that the ZGC Forum, founded in 2007, has become an important platform for global exchanges and cooperation in scientific and technological innovation after years of development. The 2020 ZGC Forum, sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Association for Science and Technology, Beijing Municipal Government and supported by the Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Engineering, National Intellectual Property Administration, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, World Intellectual Property Organization and IASP, will be hosted by the ZGC Forum Organizing Committee Office.

The annual theme of this Forum is "Cooperate and Innovate, Jointly Meet Challenges", and over 50 events will be held around four sections: "Conference+ Exhibition+ Trade+ Release".

Four impressive major sections

Section Conference. There will be an opening assembly and 26 parallel forums. At the opening assembly, top scientists such as Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medal winners and representatives of well-known multinational companies, industry leading companies, and start-up companies will share their insights on “People’s Livelihood and Well-being under the Global Pandemic Context”. At parallel forums, discussions and exchanges will be held around Sino-Russian innovation cooperation, life and health, artificial intelligence, creative cities, science and technology parks, innovation ecology, youth ventures, scientific and technological finance, and intellectual property rights. These forums will be chaired by relevant ministries and commissions of the State, international organizations, municipal institutions, and relevant enterprises.

Section Trade. A technology trading section is set up for this ZGC Forum. As preparations, a comprehensive service platform for transformation of scientific and technological achievements and technology trading has been set up to provide support for the event. Five types of activities will be carried out during the Forum: First, an international alliance for technology trading will be initiated and established. More than 100 well-known technology transfer institutions and service organizations at home and abroad will join to found the international alliance for technology trading, and the Consensus on International Technology Trading Rules and Construction of Ecological Environment for Technology Trading will be released. Second, a batch of first products will be launched. What will make public debut on the forum include 59 international projects, including “Detection Kit for Multi-target Genes and Intelligent Cell Identification System of Bladder Carcinoma” undertaken by Dr. Yang Yili and his team from USA National Institutes of Health, the “Gen-V Storage” core products and the latest commercial laptops from Dell Technologies, and intelligent sorting robots from Tomra Group, as well as over 200 domestic projects including domestic desktop and server operating system V20 from UnionTech, the innovative drug Orelabrutinib (Innochem) from InnoCare, “AI Productivity Platform Brain++ Commercial Edition” from Megvii, and the 216 manned autonomous driving aircraft and the Fourth Paradigm “Enterprise-level AI Operating System” from Ehang. Third, a series of activities under the theme of key country-specific technology trading will be carried out. The themes include Sino-Russian biomedicine, Sino-British artificial intelligence, Sino-German intelligent manufacturing, etc., with the focus on the promotion of more than 300 international leading technology projects. Fourth, a list of top 100 leading industrial innovation technologies will be published. These technologies focus on the four fields of AI and intelligent manufacturing, biotechnology and big health, energy conservation and environmental protection and green innovation, and new-generation information technology and smart transportation. The top 100 leaders will be selected from more than 2,500 industrial innovation projects around the world. Fifth, dialogues on innovation cooperation among top ten Chinese and foreign universities of science and technology will be held. Domestic and foreign universities of science and technology such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Fudan University, and Xi’an Jiaotong University will organize road shows and cooperation on key projects.

Section Release. During the Forum, a special event for the release of major achievements will be held, and relevant achievements will also be released on parallel forums. At the press conference of major achievements, semiconductors, innovative drugs, blockchain, quantum technology and other major achievements will be released, along with research reports like the 2020 Global Science and Technology Innovation Center Index, the 2020 Natural Index · Scientific Research City, the Zhongguancun Innovation Development Index for Global Science Park, and the construction plan for big data standard system of Beijing. Also, a number of innovative policies such as conversion of high-value patents, the market access of pioneering products, and “Chuangxinrong” scientific and technological finance products. At the relevant parallel forums, a number of achievements such as the Report of Urban Talent Stickiness Index, the economic calculation platform of industrial Internet industry, the big data trading platform of medicine and health in Zhongguancun, and the TR35 Global Innovation Achievement Award.

Section Exhibition. This year marks the first integration of the ZGC Forum and the China Beijing International High-tech Expo (hereinafter referred to as “CHITEC”). Concurrent to the Forum are more than 10 activities such as exhibitions, promotion and trading of the 23rd CHITEC.

Industry leaders gather for a grand event

200+ renowned experts and scholars from around the world. Including 11 Nobel Prize winning scientists like Gregory Winter, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Fields Medal winner Efim Zelmanov, Randy W. Schekman, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine. The guests also include 70 Chinese and foreign academicians like Academician Zhong Nanshan, winner of “the Medal of the Republic”, Academician Chen Wei, winner of the national honorary title of “Hero of the People”, and Academician Wang Zhonglin, Director of Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems.

400+ famous entrepreneurs and investors. Including Michael Mayberry, Intel’s Chief Technology Officer and Pascal Soriot, global CEO of AstraZeneca, as well as Zhongguancun entrepreneurs like Lei Jun, Li Yanhong, and Zhou Hongyi. Third, nearly 40 heads of international organizations and top academic institutions. Including Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture, the Director-General of the Directorate for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, and President of the National Academy of Sciences.

150+ domestic and foreign government officials and diplomatic envoys in China. Including the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Research and Technology and Chairman of the National Agency for Research and Innovation of Indonesia, the Minister of Science and Technology and Innovation of Malaysia, the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Thailand, the Mayor of Rome, and the Ambassador of Finland to China.

Four highlights

First, clear theme. At present, the pandemic has not yet been fully controlled around the world, and all countries are confronted with the arduous task of fighting the pandemic, stabilizing the economy, and protecting the people’s livelihood. With a focus on the common concern under the global pandemic context, the 2020 ZGC Forum will highlight win-win cooperation and common development. All conferences, exhibitions, trades and releases at this Forum will center closely round the annual theme of “Meet Challenge with Cooperation and Innovation”. For the conference section, the opening assembly focuses on the theme of “People’s Livelihood and Well-being under the Global Pandemic Context”. Parallel forums such as the “Forum on Global Science and Life Health” includes discussions and exchanges on topics like “scientific and technological research and development and the prevention and control of major epidemics”; for the exhibition section, a special anti-epidemic technology exhibition zone is open to display the latest scientific and technological achievements in fighting the epidemic; for the trade section, a number of new anti-epidemic technology and new products will be launched for the first time; for the release section, the research on the cross-species transmission mechanism of coronavirus and influenza viruses and the R&D of new coronavirus vaccines and antibodies will be released.

Second, the extensive participation. Participants of this Forum include not only government agencies such as national ministries and commissions and different commissions, offices and bureaus in Beijing, but also foreign-funded enterprises and international institutions, as well as different innovation entities from Zhongguancun. Guests invited to the Forum include both top scientists, such as Nobel Prize winners, Fields Medal winners, academicians and experts, and famous entrepreneurs and well-known investors. Among more than 2,600 guests who have confirmed to participate in the Forum, there are more than 1,300 foreign guests from 40 countries and regions around the world. For this Forum, more than 5,000 projects have been collected and collated for trading, including more than 2,100 international projects, which account for nearly half of the total projects, from the United States, Britain, Germany, Israel and other countries. In addition, there are 20 brother provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities including Tianjin, Hebei, Jilin, and Shandong participating in the exhibition section of this forum.

Third, the functional expansion. At this Forum, a trading function is added, while the original functions are also upgraded: First, the technology trading section is first introduced. A series of technology trading and signing activities will be carried out, including the founding of the international alliance for technology trading, key country-specific technology negotiations, and dialogues among top ten Chinese and foreign universities of science and technology on innovation and cooperation. Second, the first integration with the CHITEC. CHITEC has been held for 22 consecutive years since 1998 and has become a symbolic brand event to showcase the latest scientific and technological achievements at home and abroad. The integration of CHITEC with the ZGC Forum will further enrich the display function of the ZGC Forum.

Fourth, the higher level. Relevant national ministries and commissions will be deeply engaged in this Forum. They will host 7 parallel forums, including the “Forum on Global Science and Life Health”, the Forum on Sino-Russian Science and Technology Innovation, the Forum on the Integration Development of Technology and Economy, the Forum on the “Belt and Road” Science Park, and the Summit Forum of Global Scientific Research Institutions, the Beijing Summit III of UNESCO Creative City, the Intellectual Property Forum, etc. The Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Intellectual Property Administration, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade join as supporting units of the ZGC Forum for the first time, which raises the Forum to a much higher level.

Innovative cloud live streaming

Due to the impact of the epidemic, this Forum has made innovations in its hosting mode and communication mode, and actively explored new modes such as cloud forum, cloud promotion, cloud negotiation and 360 live broadcast rooms, making this Forum a "cloud forum".

In terms of participation methods, this Forum will be held online and offline, with overseas guests mainly participating online and domestic guests and foreign guests in China mainly participating offline. Meantime, according to the requirements of epidemic prevention and control, the Forum Organizing Committee will moderately control the audience size of the Forum, strictly implement the epidemic prevention and control and medical security work plan, and earnestly do well in on-site epidemic prevention.

In terms of communication mode, the four major activities of this Forum will be broadcast live through the third-party platforms such as ZGC Forum official website (http://www.thesourcetimes.com/) and Weibo, Toutiao, TikTok, Kuaishou, CCTV, iQIYI, www.qianlong.com, Beijing Daily and Beijing News. People can watch live broadcast, playback and wonderful moments on mobile phones and computers without leaving home. At present, the official website of ZGC Forum, WeChat and Weibo have been updated and launched simultaneously. People can learn more about the Forum via the above channels and WeChat and Weibo of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Zhongguancun.

Subsequently, Zhang Youlin introduced the progress of the preparations for CHITEC at the press conference. He said that the 23rd CHITEC would be held in conjunction with the ZGC Forum for the first time from September 17 to 20. As the exhibition section of the ZGC Forum, it will place the same focus on the theme of “Meet Challenge with Cooperation and Innovation”. Exhibition and forum will be perfectly combined to support and enhance each other. The exhibition section includes 12 thematic exhibition areas for anti-epidemic science and technology exhibition, international exhibition, cutting-edge and hotspot technology exhibition, Winter Olympics scientific and technological exhibition, exhibition of innovation achievements from high-grade, precision and advanced industries in Beijing, financial technology exhibition, smart education exhibition, exhibition of achievements in the integration of culture and technology in the capital, exhibition of innovation achievements in science and technology industry function zone, exhibition of achievements in youth science and technology innovation and entrepreneurship in the capital, exhibition of automobile technology in the capital, and exhibition of science and technology innovation achievements in provinces, regions and cities. In the same period, there will be 9 promotion and trade fairs, 2 forum meetings, and a series of activities collectively themed “Visit CHITEC to Learn about Beijing”. In addition,official website (http://www.chitec.cn/) will provide comprehensive services such as online promotion of excellent enterprises and products, and online docking of investment cooperation projects, so as to create an everlasting Expo.

At the press conference, Lin Jianhua briefed on the work about participation and guarantee for the ZGC Forum. He said that the ZGC Forum is an international and professional scientific and technological forum, which will become an important support for international scientific and technological exchanges in Haidian District and will serve for scientific and technological innovation. The ZGC Forum, which is held in Haidian District, is a glorious task assigned by the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government. It is an important starting point for Haidian District to build itself into the core area of a national science and technology innovation center, and it is also a new business card for Haidian as a global highland of technological innovation. Haidian District will guarantee the forum from three aspects: the venue and surrounding services, parallel forums and exhibitions, and exchange luncheons. In addition, Haidian District will also organize the following three parallel forums jointly with interested units: “Parallel Forum on Global Medicine and Health Big Data”, “Big Data Leads the New Future of Human Health”, and “Financial Technology - Deep Integration of Finance with Cutting-edge Technology”.

At the press conference, Zhao Changshan introduced the specific schedule of the Forum and the highlight of science and technology in the Forum. He said that as a grand event in the field of technological innovation, the ZGC Forum is attracting more and more attention from all walks of life at home and abroad. The ZGC Forum this year will highlight the concept of science and technology. The latest scientific and technological achievements of enterprises in Zhongguancun will be reflected in all aspects of the Forum. Compared with previous years, this year will witness the creation of “ZGC Forum on the Cloud” which will apply technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, 5G, AI, and holography in online live streaming and package live video images according to professional TV station standards to enhance the experience of end audiences. At the same time, new technologies and new products will be applied throughout conferences. Intelligent temperature detection at security check, electronic sign-in, service robots, mobile temperature measurement and disinfection, and electronic table name cards, holographic 3D display, OLED transparent screen smart display and other technologies will be applied in all aspects including registration, security, guidance, consultation, conference presentation, on-site experience, etc.

At the press conference, Kong Lei introduced the highlights of the “Municipal Demonstration Zone of High-level Autonomous Driving in Beijing”, one of the major achievements to be released in this ZGC Forum. He said that autonomous driving is now a commanding height of technological competition in different countries in the world and also a key development direction for high-grade, precision and advanced industries in Beijing. Beijing is at the forefront of the country in terms of management policy innovation, road opening mileage, and industrial ecological construction. With the advancement of new infrastructure in China and the State Council’s official approval for the construction of a comprehensive demonstration zone for the expansion and opening of the national service industry in Beijing, Beijing plans to build a networked, cloud-controlled high-level demonstration zone for autonomous driving on the basis of the advanced work done in the early stage to aim at the large-scale operation of high-level autonomous vehicles above L4 and by coordinating different quality element resources of “vehicle, road, cloud, network, and map”.