Shanghai, October 27th / PRNewswire / — News report from Yicai:
On October 22, 2026, the World Top Scientists Forum (WLF) press conference was held in Lingang, Shanghai. Wu Xiaohua, the president of the World Top Scientists Association, introduced the overall situation and main highlights of this forum. Subsequently, six guests presented the agendas and highlights of six parallel forums and answered reporters' questions. The six guests were Hu Dawei, the vice president of Shanghai University; Xu Xu, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Lingang Laboratory; Meng Guang, the deputy director of the University Affairs Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Yang Yanqin, the secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Software Engineering at East China Normal University; Geng Zhaohua, the deputy dean of the Xueheng Research Institute at Fudan University; and Zhao Hongduo, the assistant president of Tongji University. The press conference was hosted by Fan Jianrong, the secretary-general of the World Top Scientists Association.
According to the press release information, in 2026, WLF will be held at the permanent venue in Lingang Center, Shanghai from October 30th to November 1st, with the theme "New Scientific Paradigm: Breaking Through the Next Decade." The opening ceremony and main forum will take place on the morning of October 31st. Wan Gang will serve as the Chinese chairperson of the forum, while Randy Schekman, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( Randy W . Schekman ), will act as the international chairperson. The forum is organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, co-organized by the Bairen Foundation and the Sequoia Foundation for Public Welfare. Twenty-five international and domestic scientific organizations, renowned universities, and top laboratories will organize or support this event.
This forum will bring together 33 recipients of international prestigious awards, including Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Wolf Prize, and Fields Medal laureates, as well as many academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, overseas academicians, renowned experts and scholars, outstanding young scientists, and representatives of leading technology companies. Participants will focus on the forefront of global technology and engage in discussions on major issues in future science, such as research paradigms, value chains, international cooperation, talent cultivation, and technology governance.
The forum adopts a "1+6+4+1" structure: one joint event, which includes the opening ceremony, award ceremony, and main forum; six parallel forums; four thematic events; and one closing ceremony. In addition, a series of special activities such as scientific and technological visits will also be held. The event will bring together top scientists, senior researchers, young scientists, young innovators in science and technology, and industrial incubation platforms. During the opening ceremony, the 2026 World Top Scientists Award in Computer Science or Mathematics, the 2026 World Top Scientists Award in Life Sciences or Medicine, as well as the newly established 2026 World Top Scientists Award for Young Scientists will be presented.
Seven Highlights
Compared to previous years, this year's forum will feature a richer agenda with seven major highlights.
A more prestigious lineup of participants
33 top scientists have confirmed their attendance, including 7 Nobel laureates and 3 Turing Award winners. Among these 33 scientists, 7 will be participating in the forum for the first time. They will also join 139 senior scientists and 81 young scientists, creating a well-structured talent pool. Notably, the participation of Chinese scholars and academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering will increase significantly this year, further enhancing the lineup.
The winners of the 2026 WLF award will make their official debut at the opening ceremony.
The winners of the 2026 WLF award were officially announced on September 10th at the Lingang Center. Among them is Shao Feng, the first Chinese scientist to receive this award. The winners will receive their awards during the opening ceremony. Top scientists from China and abroad, including Yao Qizhi, Luo Jintuan, Efim Zelmanov ( Efim Zelmanov ), and Randy Schekman, will attend the ceremony to announce the awards and present them to the winners. In addition, this year's WLF award winners will also participate in a series of campus visits, engaging in exchanges with young scholars from renowned universities in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
A more elaborate opening ceremony and main forum
As the flagship event of the forum, the opening ceremony and the main forum will retain three traditional segments: the opening speech, the award ceremony, and the keynote speeches. This year's opening ceremony will be held in the summit banquet hall of the Lingang Center, which has approximately twice as many seats as last year. The main forum will be a major highlight. Omar M. Yaghi, the 2025 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry ( Omar M . Yaghi ), Hu Hailan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Laurent Lafforgue, the 2002 Fields Medalist ( Laurent Lafforgue ), and Zeng Yuqun, the founder and chairman of CATL, will deliver keynote speeches in turn. This will be the first time that top scientists from the industry and recipients of top scientific awards will come together on one stage to discuss the forum's core topics.
Six parallel forums focusing on the forefront of technology
Six parallel forums will focus on six emerging or cutting-edge fields: future semiconductors, biomedicine, aerospace information, artificial intelligence, future energy, and quantum science. The forums will be organized by Shanghai University, Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China Normal University, Fudan University, and Tongji University respectively, and will be co-hosted with national academic organizations and leading enterprises.
Four themed events
The theme of the Young Scientists Forum is "The Next Decade: Young Scientists Define Issues, Science Reshapes the Future." It will bring together winners of the WLF Young Scientists Award and young scholars from around the world, providing them with the opportunity to engage in dialogue with top scientists.
The forum topic SHE is "The Next Decade: Women's Leadership in Science and a Resilient Future in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," which will highlight the contributions and influence of women around the world in the field of technology.
The Future Scientists Forum is aimed at children and teenagers, with the theme "The Next Decade: My Promise with Science." It will provide young participants with the opportunity to communicate face-to-face with top scientists from China and abroad, inspiring them to pursue their scientific dreams.
The theme of the World's Top Incubators Conference is "The Next Decade: Deep Technology Transformation, The Critical Leap from Laboratory to Market," which will bring together leaders in incubators worldwide to promote the incubation and commercialization of deep technology achievements.
A series of featured supporting activities
Four technology tour routes will take participants to important scientific research facilities and leading technology companies in Shanghai, including the Tongji University Intelligent Connected Vehicle Testing and Evaluation Base, Shanghai Protein Science Research Facilities, Shanghai Planetarium, and the automotive electronics factory of Changdian Technology. The tour will comprehensively showcase the latest achievements of Shanghai in its construction as an international center for technological innovation.
WLF HUB will be open to young researchers for free. During the forum, there will also be a poster exhibition of young scientists' research, showcasing their latest achievements at the forefront of science and promoting cooperation between industries, universities, and research institutions.
During the forum, Shanghai will also host a temporary exhibition titled "Liu Hui: The Great Mathematician of Ancient China." The exhibition will showcase the outstanding achievements of ancient Chinese mathematics through precious ancient book editions, artistic installations, digital films, and interactive experiences, and promote cultural exchange and mutual learning.
The closing ceremony will announce important achievements.
Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of WLF. The closing ceremony of this year is themed "10th Anniversary of WLF: A New Starting Point". It will showcase the main achievements of this forum, initiate the global nomination collection for the 2027 WLF awards, and officially propose the initiative to establish an international organization. These measures will outline a blueprint for the forum to evolve from an annual gathering to a permanent platform for international scientific and technological cooperation.
Six parallel forums
2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), and prospectively laying out future industries has become a key task. In 2026, WLF will collaborate with renowned universities in Shanghai, scientific research institutions, and national academic organizations to host six parallel forums covering areas such as future semiconductors, biomedicine, aerospace information, artificial intelligence, future energy, and quantum science. The forums will be aligned with national strategic deployments and the key points of Shanghai's industrial development, focusing on scientific breakthroughs and industrial transformations in these six fields for the next decade.
The Future Semiconductor Forum is co-organized by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and Shanghai University, with support from Fudan University, the Microelectronics Industry Research Institute of Shanghai University, as well as journals such as "Acta Electronica Sinica," "Journal of Mechanical Engineering," and "Moore and More." Academicians Liu Ming (female), Wu Hanming, and Beno ît Dubuis will serve as co-chairs. Zhang Jianhua (female), the vice president of Shanghai University, will act as the chairperson of the organizing committee. Experts including Academician Liu Sheng and Adrian Mihai Ionescu will participate in the discussions. The theme of the forum is "The Next Decade: The Future of Semiconductors and Chips," which will explore how artificial intelligence can drive the innovative development of the semiconductor industry, assess the technological evolution path for the next decade, and study innovative talent training models.
The Lingang Brain Disease Forum was initiated by the Lingang Laboratory and is co-organized by this laboratory, the Chinese Society for Biomaterials, and the Chinese Society for Cell Biology. Renowned scientists such as Nobel Prize laureate Randy Schekman, WLF laureate Yuan Junying (female), and Hu Hailan (female), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will share their latest research findings. The forum focuses on major brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression, and adopts a "3+1" structure, which includes three disease-specific sub-forums and one translational medicine sub-forum, with the theme of "The Next Decade: From Neuroscience Discoveries to Translational Medicine Breakthroughs."
The Aerospace Forum is co-organized by the Chinese Society of Astronautics, the International Astronautical Federation ( IAF ), and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with support from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. IAF Executive Director Christian Fichtinger ( Christian Feichtinger ) and Han Jiecai, President of Harbin Institute of Technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will serve as co-chairs. Experts such as Sir Martin Sweeting, Academician Wang Jianyu, and Academician Li Dong will participate in the discussions. The theme of the forum is "The Next Decade: Exploring the Universe for the Benefit of Mankind," aiming to create an interdisciplinary platform that connects overall strategies, cutting-edge technologies, engineering applications, and international cooperation in order to address the increasingly interconnected aerospace industry.
The Artificial Intelligence Forum is co-organized by East China Normal University, the Chinese Association of Automation, and the Chinese Institute of Communications, with support from Cambricon and the Journal of Communications. He Jifeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Joseph Sifakis, a Turing Award winner ( Joseph Sifakis ), will serve as co-chairs. Turing Award winners Martin Hermann ( Martin Hellman ) and Jack Dongarra ( Jack Dongarra ), along with industry representatives such as Chen Yunji and Gao Qingzhong, will participate in the discussions. The theme of the forum is "The Next Decade: The Evolution and Governance of Artificial Intelligence," which will focus on both technological innovation and ethical governance. It will particularly discuss cutting-edge technologies such as trustworthy artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, AI chips, and humanoid robots, as well as common challenges in global artificial intelligence governance, with the aim of helping to establish a fair and just governance framework.
The Future Energy Forum and the Watt Annual Conference will be co-hosted by Fudan University, Watt, the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, and the CATL 21C Laboratory, among other institutions. The theme of the forum is "The Next Decade: Future Energy, Energy Storage, and Computing Power Centers." It will bring together forces from the academic publishing and industrial sectors to transform scientific research breakthroughs into practical applications, with a focus on new energy technologies, large-scale energy storage, energy consumption in computing power centers, and space photovoltaics. Experts such as Konstantin Novoselov, the Nobel Prize winner in Physics, and Jürgen Caro, the winner of the Eni award, will present the latest developments.
The Quantum Science Forum is co-organized by the Chinese Physical Society, Tongji University, and the University of Science and Technology of China. Academicians Yang Jinlong and Pan Jianwei, as well as Sir Andre Geim, will serve as co-chairs. The theme of the forum is "The Next Decade: Towards Practical Quantum Computing." It will bring together Nobel laureates, academicians from China and abroad, young leading scholars, and founders of quantum technology companies to discuss the key challenges, pathways, and development trends of quantum technology moving from the laboratory to industrial applications through interdisciplinary and multi-perspective exchanges.
Thematic Events and Special Arrangements
This WLF event will feature four main themes: a Young Scientists Forum, a SHE Forum, a Future Scientists Forum, and a World Top Incubators Conference. These forums will focus on facilitating exchanges among young scholars, highlighting the contributions of women in the field of technology, stimulating scientific interest among children and teenagers, and promoting the incubation and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. Together, these four activities will promote a comprehensive dialogue ranging from scientific enlightenment and talent cultivation to industrial application, contributing to future innovation.
The forum will also further strengthen cooperation between universities and local authorities in scientific and technological innovation, injecting strong momentum into the development of Shanghai. Closely aligned with Shanghai's goal of building itself into an international center for scientific and technological innovation, the forum will arrange four scientific and technological tour routes to comprehensively showcase Shanghai's major scientific research infrastructure and its latest achievements in industry-university-research collaboration.
A series of accompanying activities will extend the charm of science beyond the conference venue. World-renowned scientists HUB will provide an informal space for free exchange among scientists, helping researchers from different fields to generate new ideas and explore interdisciplinary collaboration. The campus visit program for WLF award winners will bring top scientists to campuses and the front lines of scientific research. For the first time, these scientists will also go beyond Shanghai, traveling to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, where they will interact face-to-face with students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, sharing their scientific thoughts and spirit with the younger generation.
Chen Xin, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, attended the press conference. Senior representatives from units such as the Management Committee of the Lingang New Area, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, East China Normal University, Shanghai University, Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology Innovation Development Foundation, and the World Top Scientists Association, as well as representatives from over 20 media outlets, also attended the press conference.
