On 18 September 2020, the High-Level Workshop of International Research Institutions in the Zhongguancun Forum 2020 (hereinafter as ‘the Workshop’) took place in the form of video conference. Leaders from nine world-renowned institutions gave insightful speeches, more than one thousand audiences participated in the Workshop through online channels. 

As the host of the Workshop, Prof. Chunli Bai, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), gave a warm welcome to all the speakers and audiences. In his speech, Bai emphasized the importance of Science & Technology in combating the global crisis of COVID-19. Bai also gave a brief overview of China’s history and achievements in S&T development through international cooperation in the past 40 years. He stressed that only by promoting wider and stronger global collaboration in the post-pandemic could we jointly cope with common challenges such as public health, climate change, food/water security, environment degradation and so forth, thus achieving the UN SDGs. 

During the Workshop, all the keynote speakers called for solidarity of the world science community to fight against the current global pandemic. Prof. Alexander Sergeev, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Marco Krieger, Vice President of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ, Brazil), reported the latest progress on COVID-19 research in Russia and Brazil respectively. Prof. Prasit Palittapingarnpim, the Acting Executive Vice President of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA, Thailand), introduced the development of frontier genomic science and how it facilitated the research of COVID-19 in Thailand.

Secondly, all agreed to enhance the global S&T cooperation in post-pandemic world and tackle common challenges by open mind and joint efforts. Prof. Ennio Vivaldi, Rector of the University of Chile (Chile) talked about his understanding on how universities could and would contribute more to international S&T collaborations. Prof. Hasan Mandal, President of Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), expressed his suggestions on how ANSO can generate more opportunities and fruitful outcomes for the benefit of its members and partners around the world. Prof. Yoshiko Shirokizawa, Vice President of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), shared her thoughts on how international cooperation had boosted and could continue to promote the advances of science in the future.

Thirdly, the importance of continuous investment in fundamental science and cultivation of young scientists were emphasized by Prof. Marcia Mcnutt, President of National Academy of Sciences (the United States) and Prof. Anton Zeilinger, President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. They shared insights on stimulating young talents’ exchanges and filling the gap between science and policy-making. 

In her summary, Prof. Yoshiko Shirokizawa quoted the saying by Prof. Ryoji Noyori, a Nobel Prize Laureate in 2001: “Solidarity of the world’s scientific community can save humankind”. No matter how the international situation changes, we should work together to map out the new ways to cope with the major global challenges and thus benefits people all over the world.

The Workshop was co-organized by the Beijing Municipal Government, CAS and ANSO. Prof. Jinghua Cao, Executive Director of the ANSO Secretariat, and Prof. Yin Li, Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation of CAS facilitated the two sessions of the Workshop respectively. 

 Check the video clips of 9 key speeches below:

1.Chunli Bai｜President of CAS and ANSO, China.

Promoting Global Science & Technology Cooperation in the Post-COVID-19 Era with Joint Efforts.

2.Marcia McNutt｜President of National Academy of Sciences, the United States. 

The Changing Landscape of Research that Drives Innovation in the United States.

3.Marco Krieger｜Vice-President of Fiocruz (The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), Brazil. 

Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and the COVID-19 Pandemic.

4.Ennio A. Vivaldi V.｜Rector of Universidad de Chile, Chile. 

The Need for Transdisciplinary Research in the Post-Covid19 World: A New Momentum for Global Collaboration and Social Commitment.

5.Alexander Sergeev.｜President of Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia. 

Academic Science in the Fight Against SARS-CoV-2.

6.Anton Zeilinger.｜President of Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria. 

Frontier Science and Innovation in Science and Technology – A Perspective from the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

7.Hasan Mandal.｜President of Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Turkey. 

Co-Creation Based Collaboration for Addressing Common Challenges: Perspectives from COVID-19 and Outlook for a Sustainable Future.

8.Yoshiko Shirokizawa.｜Vice President of Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan. 

Japan’s STI Approach to Tomorrow’s Challenges: Making Our World Better.

9.Prasit Palittapongarnpim.｜Acting Executive Vice President of National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand. 

Thailand Investment in Genomics.