The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) is scheduled to be held in Beijing from March 25 to 29 with the annual theme of "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," a senior government official announced at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
Established in 2007 with the permanent theme of "Innovation and Development" and the principle of openness, innovation, and win-win cooperation, the forum has drawn an increasing number of domestic and foreign guests and visitors to pay attention to and participate, playing a positive role in promoting scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, said Lin Xin, vice minister of science and technology.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of the ZGC Forum on multiple occasions, sending congratulatory messages to the annual event three times, said Lin.
"With the annual theme of 'Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation,' this year's forum will feature five main components: forum conferences, achievement releases, technology trade fairs, frontier competitions and supporting events. More than 100 events are scheduled to be held, and over 1,000 guests from more than 100 countries and regions are expected to participate," she said.
Overall, this year's forum has four characteristics, the vice minister said.
"Firstly, to highlight the expansion of the construction of international center for sci-tech innovation. We will focus on the construction of the International Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, with the three regions jointly holding a forum featuring collaborative innovation and high-quality development and matchmaking events for technology trading outcomes, releasing relevant policies for deepening cooperation among the three regions, with an aim to jointly promote innovation coordination and industrial collaboration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and advance in-depth cooperation in the 'six key industrial chains and five industrial clusters'," she said.
"Secondly, to promote the in-depth integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation. A number of thematic forums will be held on the cutting-edge fields of 6G, brain-computer interface, and cell and gene therapy, so as to deeply discuss sci-tech innovation and industrial applications in these areas. We will hold cutting-edge technology competitions and technology trading conferences, aiming to provide a matchmaking platform for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements," she said.
"Thirdly, to pursue integrated development of education, scientific and technological innovation, and talent training. We will invite renowned universities, scientific research institutions and leading enterprises both at home and abroad to participate, aiming to gather outstanding engineers, young scientific and technological talents and other innovative groups to discuss the talent cultivation model oriented by sci-tech development and strategic demands, thus stimulating the vitality of innovative talents," Lin said.
"Fourthly, to expand high-level opening up and cooperation in the science and technology sector. To implement bilateral and multilateral international cooperation framework agreements, we will hold multiple thematic forums and events. To implement the Initiative on International Cooperation in Open Science, we will release an action plan for international cooperation on open science," the vice minister said.
This year's forum will be jointly organized by several Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
2026 Zhongguancun Forum to be held in late March in Beijing
