World Laureates Forum to launch this week

The Third World Laureates Forum is set to be held in East China's Shanghai from Oct 30 to Nov 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

The Third World Laureates Forum, which is set to be held in East China's Shanghai from Oct 30 to Nov 1, will feature about 140 world-class award winners, including 61 Nobel Prize laureates, according to the organizing committee.

The forum, which was initiated in 2018 by the World Laureates Association (WLA), was organized by the Shanghai People's Government, and has been held every October in Shanghai for the past two years, according to Wang Hou, secretary-general of the WLA.

Wang added that most of the international scientists are going to participate in the forum through online platforms because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists who will deliver a speech at the forum include Harvey Alter, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his contribution to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, and Andrea Ghez, the 2020 Nobel Prize winner in physics for discovering a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Additionally, Kip Stephen Thorne, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2017, will also be present in Shanghai for the forum.

Under the theme of "technology, for the common destiny of mankind", the forum will focus on major scientific and technological challenges faced by mankind and related innovations across the world.

This year's forum will also focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, and scientists attending the event will share their views on the global fight against the pandemic. Seven Nobel Prize laureates in economics will share insights into how countries can recover from the pandemic.

Organizers said that 15 sub-forums and other activities will be organized to offer a platform for young pioneers to have face-to-face communications and exchanges with world-class scientists.

The forum is meant to promote basic science research, advocate international cooperation, support the growth of young talents and contribute to a better future for mankind.

Some of the most advanced scientific and technological achievements and ideas will be discussed at the forum, and efforts will also be made to help transform the wisdom and research achievements of Chinese and foreign scientists into a powerful momentum for economic and social development, in order to develop the forum into a cooperative and exchange platform with international influence.

More than 130 speeches and 70 themed summits related to basic sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, information and mathematics, as well as applied technologies including artificial intelligence, translational medicine, precision medicine, new materials and new energy resources will also take place during the three-day forum, most of which will be livestreamed to the public.

The main forum will be held at the Shanghai International Convention Center, and all the activities of the forum are free to the public.

Visitors can register on the official website of the forum, which has been popped online, to make reservations and take part in the forum.