The 2024 Annual Academic Conference of the International Campus was convened on January 5th, with the theme of “Embracing the World, Shaping the Future.” The conference showcased the campus's academic achievements in fields such as biomedical sciences, artificial intelligence, and life health, and provided a platform for academic discussion and exchange. Professor LI Min, the Chief of the International Campus, and Mayor XU Mingliang from Haining attended and delivered speeches. Also present were Professor HUANG Hefeng, Member of the China Academy of Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine, ZJU; Professor GUAN Xiaohong, Member of China Academy of Sciences and Director of the Department of Electronics and Information at Xi'an Jiaotong University; and Professor XU Xinzhong, Professor of Finance at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, who each delivered a keynote report. Professor WU Jian, Vice Dean of International Campus chaired the Opening Ceremony of the Main Forum.
LI Min extended a warm welcome to all participants and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the people from all walks of life who have supported the development of the International Campus. She pointed out that in 2024, the International Campus steadily advanced its various tasks, with frequent highlights in academic and research work, achieving new breakthroughs in multiple fields. The International Campus will continue to strengthen education and constantly improve its research and innovation capabilities. It will further demonstrate its international characteristics, leveraging its advantages in interdisciplinary research, industry-university research collaboration, and other areas to effectively enhance its capabilities in scientific research innovation and providing social services. By adhering to the development path of open cooperation, being innovation-driven, gathering high-quality resources and innovative elements from all sides, and promoting university-talents-industry-city integration, the International Campus will contribute more wisdom and strength to accelerating ZJU’s advance to the forefront of world-class universities.
XU Mingliang pointed out that the International Campus has consistently adhered to promoting the integrated development of the Campus and Haining. The Campus has become a strategic stronghold for Zhejiang University in its quest to build a world-class university and has also become an indispensable "prestigious name card" for Haining. Empowered by the innovations of the International Campus, Haining has advanced the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation over the past year, becoming one of the most economically dynamic and innovation-rich regions in Zhejiang province. Haining will always continue to support the development of the Campus, providing high-quality services and strong guarantees for academic innovation, student education, and research transformation.
WU Jian delivered the International Campus Academic Report for 2024. In 2024, the International Campus deepened its characteristics of internationalization, interdisciplinarity, and high-level excellence, achieving new breakthroughs in scientific research. Fundamental research continued to make strides, with nearly 700 high-quality papers that have been indexed by SCI and SSCI published during the year, including three high-impact papers in the major journals Cell, Nature, and Science. The Campus also intensified its efforts in industry-university research collaboration, signing agreements for multiple cooperation projects with local governments and enterprises. Several scientific research achievements were also successfully transformed into practical applications in Haining, and the number of patent applications for the year reached a record high.
The 2024 Outstanding Academic Achievements of the International Campus were awarded.
Academician HUANG He-Feng delivered the keynote report "AI Empowers Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment." Beginning with vivid and authentic clinical cases, she fully demonstrated the significant role that AI now plays in the field of reproductive medicine, particularly in medical imaging diagnosis, precision medicine, and the formulation of personalized treatment plans. As an important driving force for the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, AI is profoundly reshaping the field of medical health. Innovative developments are also expected in AI-empowered clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Academician GUAN Xiaohong delivered a keynote speech titled "Bridging Art and Science—Quantification and Cognition of Music Intelligence," analyzing the subtle relationship between the two fields of art and science, which permeate and inspire each other. He explored the mutual influence and inspiration between art and science, as well as the use of computational intelligence and quantitative models in music. He encouraged the audience to continuously seek inspiration in interdisciplinary exploration and to promote the integration and innovation of art and science to a higher level.
Professor XU Xinzhong delivered a keynote speech titled "Cultivating International Talent to Serve National Strategy," emphasizing China's rising position in the global economy and the key role of education in promoting international exchange and cooperation. He proposed international talent cultivation strategies, including "bringing in" and "going out," to strengthen China's connections with the world through educational cooperation and exchange programs, contributing wisdom and power to global development.
The keynote speeches were hosted by ZJE Dean KE Yuehai, ZJUI Dean LEE Der-Horng, and ZIBS Dean BEN Shenglin.
A roundtable discussion was held with Assistant Professor Liu Heng-Jia from ZJE as the moderator. The participants were Academician GUAN Xiaohong; Professor XU Xinzhong; Professor JU Bingfeng, Director of the Zhejiang University Institute of Science and Technology; Professor FAN Xiaohui, Director of the Zhejiang University Yangtze River Delta Smart Oasis Innovation Center; Professor TANG Ruikang, Executive Vice Dean of the Zhejiang University Institute of Basic and Interdisciplinary Research (in preparation); and Professor CHENG Li, Vice Dean of the Zhejiang University Institute of Social Sciences.
The roundtable discussion centered on the crucial theme of "The Academic Growth Path of Young Scholars," providing an intellectual feast that offered comprehensive guidance for the professional growth of junior faculty members. The experts emphasized that young scholars should courageously explore original innovation domains, embrace failure as part of the process, challenge uncharted territories, and steadfastly uphold their scientific judgment. They stressed the dual imperative for young researchers of "pursuing the right endeavors" and "executing them effectively," advising strategic selection of research directions aligned with personal strengths while meticulously attending to methodological rigor to enhance research quality and efficiency. Particular emphasis was placed on seizing interdisciplinary opportunities. Experts urged young scholars to actively engage with industrial networks, ground their inquiries in real-world industry needs, and develop the acumen to extract scientific questions from practical challenges. This approach, they noted, would foster deeper integration between academia and industry, facilitating tangible translation and application of research outcomes. Notably, the panel elaborated on Zhejiang University's robust support system for junior faculty, including providing start-up research funds, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, research project backing, academic exchange opportunities, and publication grants. This multifaceted support framework is designed to accelerate professional development and safeguard the academic trajectory of emerging scholars.
A series of meticulously planned sub-forums were convened before and after the opening of the main forum.
Article: REN Yue, GU Bin, JIA Lingyan, CAI Tongjiang, JIN Yingjie
Editing: LI Yinan
Editing in charge: ZHANG Yi
Reviewer: YANG yi
Final Review: QU Haidong