Zhongguancun Forum Ready to Open on the 25th

(Source: Beijing Sub-Center Daily)

Reporter Zhao Peng

Spring has arrived in Beijing, and innovation is thriving. Yesterday, the State Council Information Office held a press conference where Vice Minister of Science and Technology Lin Xin and Jin Wei, Member of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Vice Mayor, introduced details about the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference. The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum will be held in Beijing from March 25 to 29, unveiling major achievements such as the “Top 10 Scientific Advances in China in 2025.” It is reported that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Beijing’s output value of technology contracts exported to Tianjin and Hebei exceeded 320 billion yuan, a 1.7-fold increase over the 13th Five-Year Plan.

Over 100 Events Highlight Four Key Features

Lin Xin introduced that the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum will focus on “Deep Integration of Scientific and Industrial Innovation” as its theme, comprising five main sections: forum meetings, achievement releases, technology transactions, frontier competitions, and supporting activities, with over 100 events expected. It is anticipated that more than 1,000 guests from over 100 countries and regions will participate.

This year’s forum has four main features. First, expanding the construction of the international science and innovation center. Focusing on the development of Beijing (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) as an international science and innovation hub, the three regions will jointly hold the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Collaborative Innovation and High-Quality Development Forum, and the Technology Transaction Results Matchmaking Conference, releasing policies to deepen cooperation. They will promote collaborative innovation and industrial cooperation across the region, advancing the “six key industrial chains and five industrial clusters.”

Second, emphasizing the deep integration of scientific and industrial innovation. Special forums will be held on frontier fields such as 6G, brain-computer interfaces, and cell and gene therapy, exploring technological innovation and industrial applications in these areas. The forum will also host frontier technology competitions and technology trading conferences to facilitate the transformation of scientific achievements.

Third, promoting integrated development of education, science, technology, and talent. Renowned universities, research institutes, and leading enterprises from home and abroad will participate deeply, gathering outstanding engineers and young scientific talents to discuss talent cultivation models aligned with technological development and strategic needs, stimulating innovation vitality.

Fourth, highlighting high-level international scientific cooperation. Under bilateral and multilateral frameworks, multiple themed forums will be held, implementing the International Open Science Initiative and releasing the “International Cooperation Action Plan for Open Science.”

The forum will unveil China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances in 2025

Jin Wei stated that the opening ceremony and plenary session will be held on the morning of March 25, where renowned scientists and entrepreneurs from China and abroad will deliver speeches on the annual theme. The forum will host 60 parallel sessions, including 21 inaugural events on topics such as the development of world-class scientific journals and high-quality science and technology services, covering foundational research areas like quantum technology and lunar and space exploration.

Major releases include the first publication of the “2025 Global Frontier of Engineering” and the “International Cooperation Action Plan for Open Science,” along with the unveiling of the “Top 10 Scientific Advances in China in 2025.”

In terms of technology transactions, over 20 matchmaking activities will be held, with more than 500 domestic and international science and technology projects participating in roadshows. The number of investment institutions registered is the highest ever. The newly operational Technology Exchange Center will feature over 100 technical managers from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, wearing “blue vests” and acting as matchmakers.

The forum will also host the 9th Zhongguancun International Frontier Technology Competition Finals. This competition is a showcase for innovative enterprises, having produced over 30 “unicorn” companies since its inception. This year, over 40% of participating teams are from abroad, with AI projects 2.4 times larger than last year.

Jin Wei further explained that the forum will deepen collaborative innovation in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. The policies released at the opening ceremony regarding the Beijing (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) International Science and Technology Innovation Center will serve as a “blueprint” for future integration of regional science and industry innovation, with all parties committed to implementation. Multiple activities will be organized to release achievements, foster cooperation, and jointly build innovation alliances, promoting the deep and practical development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Beijing and Tianjin-Hebei Lead in R&D Investment Intensity Nationwide

The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference proposed expanding Beijing’s International Science and Technology Innovation Center to include Tianjin and Hebei. Lin Xin said this marks a new stage of regional coordinated development for the international science and innovation center. Through spatial expansion, coordinated efforts, resource integration, and policy synergy, the goal is to enhance the center’s role in technological innovation, high-end industry leadership, and top talent gathering, making it a strategic hub for building a strong technological nation.

After years of effort, Beijing’s international science and innovation center has achieved significant results. Its original innovation capacity continues to strengthen, with social R&D investment intensity maintained above 6%, and over 15% of research funding allocated to basic research. The number of highly cited scientists ranks first among global cities. It has cultivated three trillion-yuan-level industry clusters in information technology, healthcare, and science and technology services. The region’s average R&D investment intensity increased from 3.5% in 2014 to 4.22% in 2024, ranking among the top in national urban clusters. According to the 2025 Global Top 100 Innovation Clusters report by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Beijing ranks fourth.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will work with relevant departments and local governments to promote the construction of Beijing (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) International Science and Technology Innovation Center. Strengthening regional cooperation, Beijing will play a leading role, with Zhongguancun as the main hub, supported by the Beijing-Tianjin and Beijing-Xiong corridors, and key points in Tianjin Binhai New Area, Xiong’an New Area, and Shijiazhuang. An “one platform, two corridors, three hubs” collaborative innovation network will be built. Efforts will be made to coordinate innovation and industrial chains, enhance policy recognition, resource sharing, platform co-construction, and joint projects, facilitating free flow of innovation elements and mutual advantages, aiming to create a world-class innovation hub.

In terms of central-local cooperation, policies will be intensified. Support will be provided for strategic science and technology forces, major infrastructure and platform deployment, key scientific tasks, and emerging and future industries, with a package of policies. Focus areas include original breakthroughs in AI, biomedicine, commercial space, and hydrogen energy, cultivating world-class industrial clusters.

Local governments are encouraged to take the lead, explore reforms in talent evaluation and scientific research management, and build mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation.

Over 700 Research Teams Collaborate in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei

Regarding Beijing’s efforts to promote collaborative innovation in the region, Jin Wei said that research cooperation has become closer. Jointly, they have established a special fund for natural science cooperation, with 270 projects planned, facilitating over 700 research team collaborations. The efforts to strengthen the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei National Technology Innovation Center and implement disruptive technological innovation projects have incubated 179 high-tech companies. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Beijing’s technology contract exports to Tianjin and Hebei exceeded 3.2 trillion yuan, a 1.7-fold increase over the 13th Five-Year Plan, accelerating the transformation of innovative results into regional applications.

Park development has also yielded results. The three regions have jointly enhanced the Zhongguancun “brand,” establishing four Zhongguancun parks along the new productivity corridors in Tianjin Binhai and Xiong’an. They have formed operational teams, implemented supporting policies, and improved talent cultivation systems. Currently, over 9,800 enterprises are settled in these parks. Notably, Zhongguancun Science Park in Xiong’an, operational for just over two years, has expanded its area sixfold to 140,000 square meters, with more than 260 tech companies now settled.

Industrial cooperation is more focused. The regions have mapped out six key industrial chains, including hydrogen energy and biomedicine, and jointly built seven national-level advanced manufacturing clusters such as integrated circuits and AI. The “one-hour auto parts supply circle” is accelerating, with 1.084 million new energy vehicles produced in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in 2025, with an annual growth rate exceeding 60% during the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Next, efforts will be made to promote the transformation of scientific achievements. A regular mechanism will be established for connecting R&D results with application scenarios, organizing strategic science and technology forces from national laboratories, universities, and key enterprises in Tianjin and Hebei to facilitate the conversion of scientific results into regional industries, especially in core links of the industrial chain, leveraging areas like Tongzhou, Wuqing, and Langfang as industrialization hubs.

Enhancing industrial development levels, the “AI+” initiative will be deepened, leveraging Beijing’s resources in artificial intelligence to empower the transformation of industries such as steel, chemicals, and agriculture in Tianjin and Hebei. The collaborative innovation plan will be implemented to break through technological bottlenecks in sectors like integrated circuits and healthcare, expanding and strengthening strategic emerging industry clusters.

The International “Friend Circle” of the Forum Continues to Grow

In recent years, the international “circle of friends” of the forum has continued to expand. Jin Wei said Beijing is actively building a more globally competitive open innovation ecosystem and enriching international exchanges. The International Basic Science Conference held annually in Beijing is becoming a top global gathering for scholars to discuss the future of science. Last year, the World Conference of Science Parks and Innovation Regions attracted representatives from 97 countries and regions, and the “Zhongguancun Initiative” issued there has gathered global wisdom and consensus on science parks. The World Robot Conference and World Robot Olympiad, especially the humanoid robot half marathon, left a deep impression. This year, many overseas teams have registered for the robot half marathon. Beijing also continues to host the International Academic Exchange Season, with nearly 200 top global experts delivering academic reports in 2025, and over 4,000 scholars engaging in in-depth offline exchanges.

Deepening global industrial cooperation, Beijing saw a 20% increase in newly established foreign-invested enterprises in 2025, with the total number of R&D centers reaching 332. Collaborations include the University of Cambridge with Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, and development of the Stäubli Technology Transfer Center from Germany and the UK’s P4 Precision Medicine Incubator. AstraZeneca has established its sixth global R&D center in Beijing. Multinational pharmaceutical companies like Lilly, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, and Danaher are also expanding their presence in the city.

Actively participating in global innovation governance, international science organizations are gathering in Beijing. Last year, four new international science organizations were established there, bringing the total to 53. Chaoyang District has also built the country’s first international science organization headquarters cluster.