Academic Conferences

On November 11, the 113th Tsinghua Forum was successfully held at Tsinghua University's Institute for Carbon Neutrality. The event featured Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science at the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, delivering a keynote speech titled “UK-China Science Collaboration in an Era of Global Challenges” and engaging in in-depth exchanges with faculty and students. Academician Jiang Peixue, vice chairman of Tsinghua University's University Council, attended and delivered remarks, and Professor Guan Dabo, deputy dean of Tsinghua University's Institute for Carbon Neutrality, moderated the lecture.

In his remarks, Academician Jiang Peixue noted that facing global challenges such as climate change, energy transition, and sustainable development, scientific collaboration and technological innovation are key to breaking through. Tsinghua University has long been committed to promoting interdisciplinary research and international collaboration. It has taken the lead in launching the international cooperation initiative “Carbon Neutrality and Energy System Transition” and has signed cooperation agreements with British universities including the University of Cambridge, University College London, the University of Surrey, and the University of Leeds to jointly explore new paths for low-carbon transition. He stressed: “Science has no borders, and innovation knows no limits.” Only by bringing together global wisdom can we build a sustainable future.

In his speech, Lord Patrick Vallance noted that in the face of global issues such as climate change and population aging, international cooperation is increasingly important. As two leading scientific nations, China and the UK should work together to advance human progress through science, technology, and innovation. He reviewed the fruitful achievements of China-UK scientific cooperation: papers jointly published by scholars from the two countries have citation impact at three times the global average; in public health, the two sides have made important breakthroughs in rapid COVID-19 detection and antimicrobial resistance research; and in innovation rankings, both countries are among the world's top 10. The UK is increasing research investment through its Science and Innovation Framework, strengthening the research base, supporting applied science, attracting global talent, deepening international cooperation, and helping drive shared growth and sustainable development.

Lord Vallance candidly said that international research collaboration still faces challenges such as cultural differences, time zone gaps, and varying regulatory mechanisms, but precisely because the issues are complex, collaboration and dialogue are all the more necessary. He revealed that that morning he and Vice Minister Chen Jiachang of China's Ministry of Science and Technology co-chaired the 11th meeting of the China-UK Science and Technology Cooperation Joint Committee, and both sides agreed to continue deepening the science and technology cooperation relationship. Climate change and the environment, planetary science and astronomy, health, and agricultural and food research were identified as priority areas for future joint research.

At the end of the speech, Lord Vallance emphasized that if China-UK science and technology cooperation is advanced properly, its results will extend beyond the economic sphere and powerfully promote social progress and human well-being. He expressed the hope that future China-UK research cooperation would be as vibrant, open, and productive as the approaching "Year of the Horse".

During the forum discussion, Tsinghua faculty and students actively asked questions and discussed the mechanisms and prospects of China-UK scientific cooperation. Lord Vallance said that the core of cooperation lies in talent, and that researchers should be given an open and convenient environment for exchange to promote long-term interaction among young scholars. He said China and the UK have great cooperation potential in cutting-edge fields such as clean energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), energy storage and smart grids, and AI for energy management, and that they should adopt an action-oriented approach to pragmatically advance implementation. He encouraged young researchers to step out of their comfort zones and take an active part in international cooperation, contributing wisdom and strength to global science and climate governance.

After the exchange session, Academician Jiang Peixue presented Lord Patrick Vallance with a commemorative certificate for the 113th Tsinghua Forum on behalf of Tsinghua University.

This forum was not only a high-level academic exchange, but also a deepening of consensus and a shared vision for China-UK scientific cooperation. In a world of increasingly complex global challenges, scientific collaboration has become an important bridge across borders and toward a shared future. As important forces in scientific innovation, China and the UK working together not only benefits the development of both sides, but also injects strong momentum into global sustainable development. This dialogue further strengthened the two sides' willingness to cooperate in key areas such as energy transition and climate change, laying a solid foundation for future joint research and talent development. Looking ahead, China-UK scientific and technological cooperation is expected to continue yielding fruitful results that benefit humanity and drive progress on the basis of openness, mutual trust, and collaboration.