Journalists take photos of humanoid robots at Zhongguancun International Innovation Center, venue for the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum), in Beijing, capital of China, March 26, 2025.

[Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin]

The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) will spotlight the theme of "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation".

This year's ZGC Forum will be held in Beijing from March 25 to 29. More than 1,000 guests from over 100 countries and regions are expected to participate in the forum, which features more than 100 events. Main events will include the opening ceremony and plenary session, parallel forums, achievement releases, the ZGC International Technology Trade Fair, and the Grand Final of the Zhongguancun International Advanced Technology Innovation Competition.

The 2026 forum will be defined by four unique features. First and foremost, it will emphasize the expansion of the capital city's efforts to become an international science and technology innovation center. This will involve hosting forums and launching relevant policies aimed at deepening coordination among Beijing, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province, all of which are located in northern China.

It will stress the deep integration of technological innovation with industrial innovation by focusing on frontier fields such as 6G, brain-computer interfaces, and cell and gene therapy. The integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent cultivation will also be a key feature of the 2026 forum. Additionally, this year's forum will emphasize high-level scientific and technological openness and cooperation.

The 2026 forum is 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.

Founded in 2007, this forum in Beijing has evolved into a global, comprehensive, open and high-level international event for enhancing global innovation in science and technology.

As an international science and technology innovation center, Beijing has been emphasizing the necessity of a systematic approach to innovation platform development. In Beijing's Huairou Science City, a comprehensive national science center, a total of 37 sci-tech facility platforms have been established. To date, 29 of these platforms are operational for research, and 17 platforms are accessible to the global community, collectively offering 1.77 million hours of shared machine time. These platforms have produced 439 major sci-tech achievements.

Beijing has embraced the University of Cambridge from Britain and multiple other institutions to extend their sci-tech footprints in China, alongside Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer and other multinational pharmaceutical enterprises.