On Nov. 7, 2016, the First International Science Forum of National Scientific Organizations on the B&R Initiative was held in Beijing. Leaders from 22 national scientific and research organizations from countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, two Nobel Prize winners, over 30 academicians from all over the world and more than 350 scientists from nearly 40 countries and regions attended the meeting, aiming to seek cooperation and promote technological and scientific innovation.

At the opening ceremony, BAI Chunli, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that after the implementation of Belt and Road Initiative, more and more consensuses between countries and regions with great disparity in natural environment, social policies, economy and culture have been reached, and it Is science and technology that can better approach the challenges of development.

BAI Chunli pointed out that science and innovation was a main driver for social and economic development. The significant role it played in this aspect was ever growing in today’s ever-changing economy and rapid transformation of innovation landscapes. Science and innovation not only held the promise of solutions to a lot of the complex common scientific challenges in the development of the Belt and Road, but could be of significant value to the upgrade of the capacity and quality of the connectedness and cooperation between China and the countries along the Belt and Road regions in policy, infrastructure, transportation, trade and asset, and people to people dimensions—all the key aspects of emphasis in the development.

BAI Chunli also said that scientific and research organizations, the national communities in particular, should play a leading role in this regard. Scientific organizations and scientists and experts from diverse backgrounds should enhance their efforts and cooperation in developing the communities of common interests, responsibility and goals, and in providing strong scientific basis for the Belt & Road construction.

This forum was presided over by TAN Tieniu, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Representatives from Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) also delivered speeches during the opening ceremony.

During this two-day conference, scientists will conduct in-depth discuss on the most popular topics of scientific and technological innovation, environment and sustainable development, scientific and technological think-tank construction and international cooperation, basic sciences, capacity construction and personnel training, and advanced and applicable technologies and innovations.

Proposed by President XI Jinping in 2013, the B&R Initiative has received positive response and strong support from more than 100 countries and international organizations. At the same time, countries along still face many complex challenges, of which there are many common features. To address these major challenges, scientific, technological and innovative approaches must be applied rationally.