More than 200 participants from 35 countries and regions and 18 international organizations gathered in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China, from May 31 to June 1, to explore how digital and intelligent technologies can advance the conservation, management, and sustainable development of UNESCO-designated sites.

Marking the 26th International Biodiversity Day on May 22, 2026, the Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (BC-CAS) officially released the "Catalogue of Life China 2026 Annual Checklist." This comprehensive and updated inventory is now freely available for global users to download at http://www.sp2000.org.cn.

The International Astronautical Federation named Prof. GUO Huadong of the Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences as the 2026 recipient of the IAF Hall of Fame Award, recognizing his lifelong contributions to space-borne Earth observation, Digital Earth science, and the use of space technology to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

About 60 promising young scientists from China and Germany gathered in Suzhou, China from April 23-26 for a four-day symposium, engaging in interdisciplinary discussions on critical topics including energy storage technology, synthetic biology, natural disaster prevention and control, and scientific ethics.

The MAC-AIR Center (Max Planck-Asia Center) was officially inaugurated on April 14 at the Miyun Campus of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Center's mission is to unravel the nexus of air pollution, extreme weather, and monsoons in a warming climate, with the goal of identifying pathways to global solutions.

The Max Planck–Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Joint Center for Synthetic Biochemistry was officially inaugurated on April 18 at the CAS Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT). This landmark center represents the first dedicated collaborative research initiative between the Max Planck Society (MPG) and CAS focusing specifically on synthetic biology.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on April 13, and toured an exhibition of its scientific achievements and accepted an honorary professorship from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS).

The "ScienceOne–Yuheng Carbon Accounting Large Model" (ScienceOne–Yuheng Model), described as the world's first panoramic carbon emission accounting system covering production, consumption, and natural sources, was officially launched on April 8 in Shanghai. This marks a significant technological breakthrough, addressing a critical global need for precise and comprehensive carbon accounting.

The joint mission management team for the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) today confirmed the completion of all pre-launch activities at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This landmark spacecraft, a collaborative effort between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency, is now fully integrated with its Vega-C "vampire" payload launch adapter.

Researchers from China and France convened in Shenzhen for a High-Level Seminar on China-France Interdisciplinary Aging Research Network from March 8 to 10 to bolster bilateral collaboration in addressing global population aging challenges.

A collaborative project between China and Tanzania is making significant strides in improving the water and air quality in the near-lake areas of Lake Victoria, a vital freshwater resource facing environmental challenges. Recently, a project team led Dr. XIONG Chuanhe from Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a 10-day on-site investigation in the Mwanza Lake Bay area of Lake Victoria.

The Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (TIB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Belgium's Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie-Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) renewed their commitment to advancing synthetic biology research through the extension of their Joint Center for Synthetic Biology. The agreement was signed on December 15 in Tianjin, China, by Prof. XIANG Hua, director of TIB, and Dr. Christine Durinx, Managing Director of VIB.

The Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Macao University of Science and Technology (MUST), and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) signed an agreement to jointly establish the Joint Laboratory for Spectroscopic Detection of Matter Composition in Deep Space (Lab-DeepSpec) on December 14 in Hefei of Central China's Anhui Province.

The 11th Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)–Max Planck Society (MPG) Exploratory Round Table Conference (ERTC) concluded in Shanghai today, charting a course for intensified international collaboration in the rapidly advancing field of organoid research. Under the theme "Organoids, Self-organization and Engineering," the three-day meeting brought together over 60 scientists from China, Germany, and international partner institutions to define future research priorities and concrete collaborative actions.

The Institutes of Science and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD), the National Science Library of CAS, and Clarivate today jointly released two reports, “2025 Research Fronts” and “Research Fronts 2025: Active Fields, Leading Countries/Regions,” at a forum held on December 3 in Beijing.

The "Karst Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Resilience Enhancement Programme" (Karst Biodiversity Programme), led by Professor CHEN Hongsong from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was selected as an implementing initiative for UNESCO's International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) for 2024-2033. The announcement was made on November 28.

The "Green Carbon Programme," led by the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was officially endorsed as an implementation initiative under UNESCO’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024-2033 (referred to as the "Decade of Sciences") on November 28.

What if those biggest challenges in the world could be solved by the smallest living organisms? We are not just studying life, we are programming it. This shared vision gathered microbiologists from Asia, Europe, America and Africa in Shenzhen on November 18 for a symposium co-hosted by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.