The Strategic Seminar of Planetary Science Alliance of Chinese Universities, convened by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was held in Beijing on July 2, 2019.  

At the seminar, 27 universities from throughout China formed the Planetary Science Alliance of Chinese Universities, which aims at exploring solutions for issues such as training professionals, expanding scientific frontiers, and potential development strategy for planetary science in China.  

The alliance will become a platform for sharing the achievements of deep space exploration and planetary science research, promoting collaborative innovation among its members, and striving for greater achievements. 

In 2018, IGG together with the College of Earth and Planetary Sciences of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, launched the discipline construction of planetary science at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.   

After the signing ceremony of the alliance was held, the participants also discussed several upcoming activities and the future development of professional training and scientific research of planetary science in China.          

Academician WU Fuyuan, Director of IGG, served as Chairman of the First Council of the Alliance, Deputy Director WEI Yong as Secretary-General, and Academician ZHU Rixiang as Director of the First Academic Committee. The 27 universities contracted to become members of the alliance are as follows: 

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, University of Science and Technology of China, Sun Yat-sen University, Macau University of Science and Technology, Beihang University, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Nanjing University, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Shandong University, Guilin University of Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Tongji University, Luoyang Normal University, South-Central University for Nationalities, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, North China Electric Power University, Nanchang University, University of Hong Kong, Chongqing University, Jilin University, and Zhejiang University.