A ceremony awarding prizes to students for their outstanding posters about materials was held in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on Thursday evening.

Cash prizes ranging from 2,000 yuan ($299) to 5,000 yuan went to students from institutions of higher learning from across the country who took part in the 4th Forum of Materials Genome Engineering, a three-day event which started on Thursday.

Hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the Chinese Materials Research Society, the forum — which drew 32 Chinese and overseas academicians to Mianyang, a science and technology city approved by the central government in 2000.

The forum aims to promote the continuous development and improvement of materials genome engineering concepts and promote the development and application of key technologies by gathering the wisdom of top experts. It focuses on major frontier topics in research technology and key equipment, as well as promotes the sharing and exchanges of the latest research results, organizers said.

The forum has five symposiums, with 139 experts and scholars sharing their latest research results.

Compared with the previous three forums, this forum underlines international communication and cooperation, organizers said. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 20 foreign experts are participating the event via videos.

The forum, a high-level academic conference with an influence on the international materials field, has attracted about 800 participants, according to Peng Jianhui, an information officer at the China Academy of Engineering Physics.

For professor Xie Jianxin of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, new materials are not only a precondition of high-quality economic and social development but also hasten the birth of high-tech and emerging strategic industries.

Materials genome engineering is a cutting-edge field, he said, adding that by innovating new materials through research and development, replacing the traditional trial-and-error method, the development of new materials can be accelerated, the development cycle can be greatly shortened and the R&D cost can be reduced.

China has great natural resources and is striding forward to become a powerful country in new materials, Xie said.

China's basic research in the materials field is gaining prominence. It ranks first globally in patent applications and number of papers published.

However, there are still deficiencies in the applications of new materials, which is the last kilometer of innovation, Xie said.

The forum, one of the top academic conferences in the field of new materials, is held annually.

Resources: China Daily

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