The five-day 2026 Zhongguancun Forum was held from March 26 to 30 in Beijing, bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions. With the theme “Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation”, more than 100 activities, including parallel forums, technology trade fairs and competitions were organized. Lin Xin, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said the event highlights Beijing’s transition from an international science and technology innovation center to an expanded Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei innovation hub. The national list of 10 major scientific advancements of 2025 was released during the event, along with an international cooperation action plan and the Engineering Fronts 2025 report. More than 100 technology managers from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei acted as matchmakers at the ZGC International Technology Trade Center, connecting researchers and developers with potential investors.
The 2026 ZGC Forum also held the finals of the ninth Zhongguancun International Advanced Technology Competition. Since 2017, the event has seen more than 30 participants evolve into unicorn enterprises, startups valued at over USD1 billion. The competition provided a high-level international platform for the exchange and competition of advanced technology. This year’s competition has attracted 2,168 projects, about 40% of which are from overseas. Winners are given prizes of up to CNY1 million as well as service packages including free offices, financial and investment support, and intellectual property services. Jin Wei, Vice Mayor of Beijing, said that the Forum offers visitors an impressive experience of how artificial intelligence is empowering different industries. AI-driven robots served as performers, chefs, receptionists and interpreters proficient in eight languages.
As an integral part of the ZGC Forum, this year’s 60 parallel forums focussed on topics such as global science and technology governance, basic research, technological advancements and innovation eco-systems, Zhao Zhe, Director of the Beijing New Technology Application Promotion Center, said. Of the 60 forums, 21 are jointly held by Chinese organizers and international organizations and overseas institutions, showcasing the event’s progress in linking global resources and expanding opening-up. To foster the integration of scientific research and industrial development, parallel forums were held on cutting-edge fields such as embodied intelligence, quantum technology, 6G, brain-computer interfaces and fusion energy. For the first time, the event also included a forum on the sci-tech services industry.
Among the highlights in public health was the Beinao-1 semi-invasive brain-computer interface system. Implanting micro-electrodes and a coin-sized device on the brain surface can help paralyzed patients control exoskeletons, or help those with speech impairments regain the ability to speak. In another breakthrough, a research team from Changping Laboratory in Beijing has, for the first time globally, identified the core pathological circuit of Parkinson’s disease, the China Daily reports.
