Source: National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University News

The opening ceremony of the 3rd Huairou Forum was held at the Sunrise Oriental Hotel in Huairou, Beijing, on the afternoon of November 3, focusing on the theme of " Biomedical Imaging: Future Technologies and Future Talents ", discussing the future research direction and technological innovation, as well as promoting the growth of young scientists. The forum was co-sponsored by Peking University and Beijing Municipal Association of Science and Technology, co-organized by Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Science and Technology International Exchange Center, and hosted by National Biomedical Imaging Center and Academy of Future Technology of Peking University. This forum is part of the series of Peking University's "University Hall" Lecture Program for Top Scholars.

Opening of the Third Huairou Forum

Hou Yan, Director of the Planning and Information Department of the National Health and Planning Commission; Guo Lugang, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Municipal Association of Science and Technology; Sun Ruijuan, Executive Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Liu Hang, Second Class Inspector of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission; Zhu Bing, Deputy Director of the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other leaders; and 2014 Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry, Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Director of the Max Planck Institute of Multidisciplinary Scientific Institute, Director of the Institute of Medical Research, Academician of the German Academy of Sciences, Prof. Stefan W. Hell, Professor of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, General Coordinator of Euro-Bioimaging, Academician of the German Academy of Sciences, Prof. Jan Ellenberg, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academician of the German Academy of Sciences, Prof. Yale E. Goldman. About 230 people attended the conference. Academician Cheng Heping, Chief Scientist of Imaging Facility and Director of National Biomedical Imaging Center, presided over the opening ceremony of the forum.

Cheng Heping presided over the opening ceremony of the forum

On behalf of Peking University, Mr. Zhang Jin congratulated the convening of the forum. He pointed out that with the deep development of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial change, the precision, breadth, depth and organization of scientific and technological innovation are getting higher and higher, and the major scientific and technological infrastructure is more and more becoming an important material and technological foundation for breaking through the scientific frontiers and solving the major scientific and technological problems of economic and social development. The Multimodal Cross-Scale Biomedical Imaging National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure built by Peking University in cooperation with a number of units provides imaging histology research tools for the study of complex life science problems and major diseases. With the imaging facility as the core, the Huairou Forum is organized in the hope that experts and scholars will have in-depth exchanges at the forum to further promote the cross-fertilization of imaging technology with basic life sciences, clinical medicine, especially precision medicine, etc., and to strengthen the coherence and docking of the education, innovation, talent and industrial chains, so as to jointly stimulate major scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations in the field of biomedical imaging. We will also strengthen the connection between the education chain, innovation chain, talent chain and industry chain, and work together to realize major scientific breakthroughs and technological innovation in biomedical imaging.

Zhang Jin's speech

Guo Lugang pointed out in his speech that the Beijing Municipal Association for Science and Technology (BMAS), as an important force in promoting the development of science and technology in the capital and the construction of Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center, has been actively serving the construction of the Centennial Science City. Relying on the leading and radiating role of big science facilities, "Huairou Forum" has attracted and gathered a number of international cutting-edge scientific and technological talents, and made fruitful contributions to promoting the paradigm change of biomedical research, and has become one of the brand activities of "Innovation Link" of Municipal Association for Science and Technology of Beijing. It has become one of the brand activities of "Innovation Link" of Haiji Capital of Municipal Science and Technology Association. He said that the Municipal Association for Science and Technology will work with universities and institutes including Peking University and the National Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance to link up global innovation resources, strengthen the cultivation, introduction and stimulation of scientific and technological talents, provide intellectual support and scientific and technological empowerment for the economic and social development and social governance of Huairou District, and contribute to the realization of a high level of scientific and technological self-supporting and self-reliance and the high-quality development of the capital city.

Guo Lugang's speech

Lan Xiongjing pointed out that the establishment of Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance and the organization of Huairou Forum are the practical actions to implement the innovation-driven development strategy, as well as the innovative practices to deepen the cooperation between the university and the local community and to promote the solution of "tricky" technological problems. Huairou District has a centralized layout of more than 40 scientific facilities, which is the area with the highest density of major scientific and technological infrastructures in the world and the most complete system of national strategic scientific and technological forces. Huairou District fosters a modernized industrial system supported by the real economy and compatible with basic research, one of the important elements of which is life science. He invited scientists, entrepreneurs and research teams to come into Huairou to jointly carry out key technology research and promote the development of life science industry, so as to make greater contribution to the building of national strategic scientific and technological power and the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement.

Lan Xiongjing's speech

Hou Yan pointed out that, standing on the historical starting point of comprehensively building a socialist modernization country, China's medical equipment faces new opportunities and undertakes new missions, and it is necessary to speed up making up for the short board of China's high-end medical equipment, accelerating the key core technology research and development, and realizing the independent and controllable high-end medical equipment. She expects to play the role of national major scientific and technological facilities radiation drive, through the original research of major scientific issues and technological innovation, for the development of medical equipment technology and clinical applications, to open up a new track, shaping the new kinetic energy, achievement of new advantages, the first to lead the breakthrough.  She said that China Medical Equipment Association will collaborate with all parties and cooperate widely to stimulate innovation vitality and help make original and leading breakthroughs, so that China's medical equipment will be more proactive and more active on the high point of innovation and development.

Hou Yan's speech

Sun Ruijuan pointed out that the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) closely focuses on the "four directions", adheres to the "two-legged approach" of goal orientation and free exploration, firmly promotes the systematic reform of the Science Foundation, pushes forward the change of scientific research paradigm, incentivizes original innovation, and promotes the development of basic science and technology through the layout of projects such as talents, exploration, and platforms. Through the layout of programs such as talents, exploration and platforms, it has promoted the continuous emergence of major original achievements in the direction of basic frontiers and the continuous improvement of the funding pattern of applied basic research.

She introduced that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Medical Department of the CIIF will further improve the evaluation system of talents in scientific research, adhere to the value orientation of excellence, and further increase the funding of the Medical Science Fund to help the growth of medical research talents and contribute to the accelerated development of medical science.She hoped that the research support capacity of the imaging facility would be utilized as early as possible, and that the exchange of "Huairou Forum" would further promote cross-fertilization and original innovation.

Sun Ruijuan's speech

Zhu Bing introduced in his speech that the Institute of Biophysics has achieved a series of important research results in the field of life and health, and has been working hard in the field of biomedical imaging, and hopes to make full use of the imaging facility to make more breakthroughs in the field of biomedicine. He pointed out that the forum is an academic platform to showcase the cutting-edge achievements in biomedical imaging and explore the unknown fields, bringing together renowned scholars from home and abroad in this field, and is energized by a large number of outstanding young scholars. He said that the themes of the three sessions of the forum range from "Life and Health and Biomedical Imaging" to "Biomedical Imaging Technology Innovation and Industrial Development" to " Biomedical Imaging: Future Technologies and Future Talents ". "From basic frontier to industrial development, from frontier science and technology to future technology, the breadth and depth of the theme has been extended, and the influence has been strengthened year by year, and we hope that we will work together to make the forum a brand forum.

Zhu Bing's speech

In the following agenda of the forum, five experts, including Stefan W. Hell, Xiaoliang Xie, Jan Ellenberg, Lihong V. Wang, Yale E. Goldman, and Prof. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, gave invited presentations. Prof. Xiaoyuan Chen, Tenured Chair Professor, National University of Singapore (NUS); Prof. Jonathan Lederer, Director, Center for Biomedical Engineering Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMMS); Prof. Jin Wang, State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY); Prof. Sheng Xu, University of California at San Diego (UCSD); Prof. Rong Li, Director, Mechanobiology Research Institute, NUS Prof. Rong Li, Director of the Institute of Mechanobiology, National University of Singapore, Prof. Ning Fang, Xiamen University, Prof. Yingxiao Wang, University of Southern California, Prof. Hanchuan Peng, Southeast University-Allen Institute for Brain Research, and Prof. Qi Zhi, Peking University, will be the keynote speakers of the conference, while 16 outstanding scientists and young scholars from home and abroad will make academic reports. Participating experts will carry out in-depth academic exchanges and discussions on the development of biomedical imaging science and technology, and report the scientific frontiers and latest research results. Prof. Chen Liangyi and Prof. Chen Zhixing of Peking University will host two roundtables respectively, so that scientists in different professional fields can have high-end dialogues, share experiences, collide with wisdom sparks, carry out brainstorming, and promote in-depth exchanges and cooperation.

During the meeting, participants visited the Imaging Facility Park to learn about the construction of imaging on the ground.  The participants listened to the introduction of the settled instruments and equipment as well as some typical highlights of the equipment, visited the Imaging Facility exhibition hall, and experienced the construction and future development of the imaging facility.

Satellite Meeting I - RNA Multidimensional Imaging and Life and Health Forum

On November 1-3, RNA Multidimensional Imaging and Life and Health Forum was held in Beijing Kuangou Conference Center. The development of multidimensional RNA imaging technology provides unprecedented opportunities for in-depth study of various dynamic processes of RNA molecules in life and health. In recent years, Chinese scientists have made remarkable progress in static and live cell RNA imaging research.

In order to build a platform for the integration and development of disciplines as well as exchange and cooperation, and to accelerate the innovative development of RNA field and the rapid progress of life and health in China, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBP, CAS) and School of Future Technology, Peking University (SFT, Peking University) have jointly organized this conference, to share the latest development and application of RNA imaging technology, and to promote the exchange and cooperation among scientists of the related fields. Cheng Heping attended the forum and delivered a speech, 18 experts, including Academician Shi Yunyu of School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), made a report on the meeting, and Prof. Sun Yujie of School of Future Technology of Peking University introduced the construction and progress of the Multimodal Cross-Scale Biomedical Imaging Facility for the attending experts. More than 100 researchers from all over the country attended the conference to exchange and discuss, and to make outlook on the future development and demand of RNA multidimensional imaging technology.

RNA Multidimensional Imaging and Life and Health Forum

Satellite Meeting II - International Scientific Advisory Board of Multimodal Cross-Scale Biomedical Imaging Facility

On the morning of November 3, the International Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (ISTAC) of the Multimodal Cross-Scale Biomedical Imaging Facility was held. The ISTAC meeting consisted of 11 top experts from world-class universities and research institutions, and the committee was chaired by Lihong V. Wang. During the meeting, the experts listened to the report on the construction and development of the imaging facility by Cheng Heping and the report on the talent team construction by Chen Liangyi, and exchanged discussions with the researchers of the imaging facility, and put forward their opinions and suggestions on the future development of the imaging facility and theNational Biomedical Imaging Center. The imaging facility is expected to be put into trial operation at the end of this year, and the convening of this meeting will be a new milestone for the development of the imaging facility and the Science Center, which will take the pulse of the future development, broaden the ideas, promote the international academic exchanges and cooperation, and play an important role in the planning of the future development of the imaging facility and the Science Center.

The International Scientific Advisory Board held

Satellite Meeting III - Inaugural Meeting of National Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (Preparatory) and the First Members' Meeting

On the morning of November 3, the Inaugural Meeting and the First Members' Meeting of the National Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (Preparation) was held. Taking imaging facilities as a link, with the purpose of promoting scientific and technological innovation and leading industrial development, we will grasp the general trend, seize the first opportunity, focus on the field of biomedical imaging science and technology, and endeavor to overcome the core key technologies, solve the bottlenecks in the industry's industrial development, and serve the people's life and health needs. With the consensus of the relevant units, we initiated the establishment of the National Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, aiming to build a smooth innovation chain in the upstream, midstream and downstream, and to work on new fields, new tracks, and new advantages in new kinetic energy. The alliance has received wide attention and response from all walks of life, with a total of about 70 units from universities, research institutes, clinical hospitals, biomedical imaging companies and other organizations attending the inaugural meeting.

The National Biomedical Imaging Science and Technology Innovation Alliance Charter (Draft) was adopted at the meeting, and the first council was elected.

After the meeting, the first meeting of the first council was also held to elect the chairman and vice-chairman, and the tasks and organization of the alliance were warmly discussed, and suggestions were made for the future development of the alliance.

Alliance Founding Conference