Intl sci-tech collaboration urged

Global scientists and officials have praised China's advances in science and technology, calling for stronger international collaboration to promote innovation and address common challenges at the 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum, which concluded on Monday in Shanghai.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shanghai municipal government, the fourday forum focused on basic research and future industries, with discussions covering interdisciplinary research, artificial intelligence for science, biomanufacturing, quantum computing, brain-inspired intelligence, commercial aerospace, nuclear fusion energy and advanced materials.

The forum also showcased a wide range of the latest sci-tech achievements made in China, unveiling new innovations in fields such as brain-computer interfaces, next-generation computing, fusion energy, chip manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare.

Shanghai Oriental TianSuan Technology Co presented a project aimed at extending intelligent computing capabilities from the ground and into space.

The project seeks to gradually build a space-based intelligent service network that could provide computing support for the future development of the digital economy and AI.

Startorus Fusion introduced its Compact-Tokamak-based repetitive Reconnection-heated Fusion Reactor-1 (CTRFR-1), a device designed to explore a smaller and potentially more cost-effective approach to producing fusion energy.

The company said the reactor uses a domestically developed technology approach that is globally unique and is undergoing technical validation.

CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings officially unveiled Satricabtagene Autoleucel Injection (Satri-cel), which it described as the world's first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved to treat a solid tumor.

CAR T-cell therapy modifies a patient's immune cells so they can better recognize and attack cancer cells.

The forum welcomed South Africa and Hunan province as its guests of honor.

Hunan Vice-Governor Liu Yang highlighted the province's achievements in the intelligent audiovisual sector.

"We have gathered over 5,000 upstream and downstream enterprises and more than 68,000 industry professionals, focusing on breakthroughs in key core technologies in the intelligent audiovisual field. In 2025, the province's audiovisual industry revenue reached 290 billion yuan ($43.2 billion)," Liu said.

Thomas Mtontsi of the National Research Foundation's South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON) shared the organization's experience in environmental observation and research at the forum.

Making his first visit to China, Mtontsi said he was "incredibly impressed and blown away" by the country's science and technology advances and expressed hope for greater collaboration with Chinese partners.

"China is already far ahead of many nations and the sci-tech innovation here is amazing. That's why it's important for us to work with China. Collaborations will help us jointly understand the changes in the environment and how to respond to them. Combining our expertise, we can co-create things to do much more and go further," Mtontsi said.

His comments echoed the views of many experts and scholars from around the world, who stressed the growing importance of international sci-tech cooperation in tackling global challenges.

At the forum's opening ceremony, UNESCO and Shanghai jointly proposed the establishment of the Global Innovative Cities Alliance, which aims to promote innovation cooperation among cities worldwide and help create an open, inclusive and sustainable future for sci-tech innovation.

Janos Kendernay, senior adviser on city diplomacy at Budapest City Hall, said Shanghai and Budapest have developed solid cooperation and partnerships over the past decades in areas including urban planning and mobility.

He said he was impressed by Shanghai's progress in science and technology and urban management, and expected the two cities to further strengthen cooperation in innovation and technology.

"We appreciate very much the initiative because it also shares our priority, which is how to use technology to make human life better and to build more livable cities for the future," he said.

Benoit Dubuis, president of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, has been visiting China for about 30 years.

He said he was always impressed by the rapid pace of sci-tech development in China, as well as the country's large pool of engineers and their ambition, energy, enthusiasm and willingness to pursue innovation.

"Almost all the major issues are global, so there is no country, university or city which can address them alone. I'm always insisting on 'trust' between the people with the willingness to work together," Dubuis said.

For Hanns-Christoph Naegerl, a professor of experimental physics at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, the most impressive aspect of the forum was the "vibrant research activities" in Shanghai and China, where scientists and researchers are actively advancing science and technology, producing impressive results.

Naegerl, whose research focuses on quantum science, said he had witnessed major changes and "very strong" advances in China's quantum science sector over the past decade.

He said Chinese scientists and young researchers were open-minded and innovative, with "excellent stamina and endurance on top of being highly qualified". He also valued the "friendly and good" competition with Chinese peers in basic research in quantum science.

The forum also strengthened regional cooperation which will support the development of basic research and future industries in Shanghai and across the country.

The Major Project of the Yangtze River Delta Joint Fund for Basic Research of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as the joint construction of the Yangtze River Delta Science Data Sharing and Service Platform, were launched at the forum's opening ceremony on Saturday.