Asian science conference takes place in Nansha

The 20th SCA Conference is held in Guangzhou's Nansha district from May 13 to 15. [Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

The 20th Science Council of Asia Conference (SCA Conference) is being held in Guangzhou's Nansha district from May 13 to 15, with more than 700 experts and scholars from all over the world gathering to attend the event both on-site and online. 

Themed around "The Age of New Materials: Innovation for Sustainable Society", the conference has the aim of probing into sustainable development and innovations in materials, deepening communication and cooperation in Asia. 

The year 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of SCA, and this is the second time that the SCA Conference has been held in China after the 2008 session in Qingdao, Shandong province. 

Xie Ming, executive deputy head of Nansha district, said that the reason the SCA decided to hold its conference in Nansha was it recognized Nansha's current status in terms of scientific innovation clustering. 

Nine guests delivered keynote lectures during the event, including Zhong Nanshan, director of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Lyu Jian, former vice president of the City University of Hong Kong, and Gavin Towler, vice president and chief technology officer of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies.

Zhong Nanshan, director of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivers a speech during the event. [Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

Issues such as cultivating the next generation of leaders for a sustainable society, materials innovation with the goal of carbon neutrality, the recycling economy and environmental protection materials, as well as the sustainable development of an aging society, were covered in their speeches. 

Six sub-forums have been organized during the event, featuring topics such as advanced energy and materials, the edge of material design, green intelligent materials and agricultural reform. 

Officials announced during the event that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Science Forum will take place in Nansha on Dec 6, and the forum's permanent site will also be based in the district. 

The SCA was launched by the Science Council of Japan in Bangkok, Thailand in 2001 with 10 founding countries including China. Currently, it has 32 members of scientific organizations from 18 countries and regions.