The 14th China Association for Science and Technology annual meeting began in Shijiazhuang on Sept 8, 2012. Co-hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology and Hebei provincial government, the annual meeting was entitled “Science and Technology Innovation and Economic Restructuring.” Over 2,000 people, including Nobel laureates, experts from home and abroad, and academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, were invited to attend the meeting inauguration.

Han Qide, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology inaugurated the meeting. Zhang Qingli, Party committee secretary of Hebei province, made a speech to welcome the experts. Leaders and experts gave lectures on economic and social development issues closely related to the 12th Five-Year Plan and economic restructuring.

The annual meeting consisted of six parts: specially invited lectures; seminars; special forums; activities to popularize scientific knowledge; special activities; and symposiums of academicians, experts and Hebei provincial leaders. More than 4,000 scientific workers from over 30 academies took part in the annul meeting, which included over 1,000 activities.

Hebei’s goal was to spread scientific knowledge, overlap projects, and serve local regions in order to concentrate scientific resources and employ scientific workers.

Hebei aims to bring in experts and projects, pursue scientific achievements, sign cooperation contracts and solve technological difficulties. Such scientific measures will improve the science and technology of Hebei province.

Twenty-one academic exchange branches and four international branches were included in this annual meeting. The annual meeting branches discussed topics such as water resource protection and water treatment technology, digital culture industry and innovation, LED development, product manuals for consumer goods, ecological ship and marine equipment production, forest new industry, modern agriculture and special industrial parks, extended working of rolled products, IT information, biology, composite materials, politics and production, engineering techniques of soft soil subgrade, public meteorological service and other projects.

Eight special forums were held covering innovation and wisdom, Hebei equipment engineering development, biology, effective use of resources and agriculture development, mid-sized enterprise development, capital economic circle of green building, new materials, environment and finance. The special forums emphasized Hebei’s scientific and technological development.

Eleven special activities were also held at the annual meeting, including meet-and-greets between experts and university students, symposiums between scholars, scientific and moral construction forums, and scientific development forums.

The 14th China Association for Science and Technology annual meeting has improved scientific progress in Hebei and propelled economic development.