Reporter: Wang Jing Correspondents: Wang Li, Dong Liangliang Photographer: Wang Jing 

Shandong Agricultural University Media, October 15 — The opening ceremony of the sub-venue of the 2026 International Conference on Industry-University-Research Cooperation (Shandong) was held at Shandong Agricultural University on October 14. The conference brought together academicians from multiple countries, diplomatic envoys in China, as well as representatives from domestic and foreign universities, research institutes and enterprises at the foot of Mount Tai to discuss international collaborative innovation in science and education and seek a new chapter for the in-depth integration of industry, university, research and application.H.E. Evgenios Kalpyris, Ambassador of Greece to China; Chen Jianrong, Deputy Director of the Center for School Planning and Construction Development of the Ministry of Education; Leng Changjian, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of our University; Prof. Frédéric Francis (Lei Shuangfu), Director of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Liège, Belgium and recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award; and Li Yuxiao, Chairman of Kingenta Group, delivered speeches in sequence. Li Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Jinan University; Xue Qingzhong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shandong University of Science and Technology; Meng Xiaojun, Vice President of Qingdao Agricultural University; Zhou Yuxi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of our University; and Zhang Tiecheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, Vice President and Director of the Organization Department of our University, attended the event. Wang Fuhai, Director of the Division of International Exchange and Cooperation of Shandong Provincial Department of Education, presided over the opening ceremony. Prof. Chen Xuegeng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering from Shihezi University, a number of academicians of the European Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences and overseas academician experts, as well as Chinese and foreign guests from Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, New Zealand, Pakistan, Tanzania and other countries attended the opening ceremony.

In his address, Chen Jianrong pointed out that the International Conference on Industry-University-Research-Application Cooperation serves as an important platform for the Ministry of Education to advance education opening-up, deepen the integration of industry and education, and facilitate the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. At present, higher education in China is at a critical stage of categorized reform, and universities of all types should participate in international collaborative innovation of industry, university, research and application based on their own positioning. He stated that he hopes universities in Shandong will proactively align with national strategies, concentrate efforts on tackling key core agricultural technologies, and cultivate new-type talents who understand and love agriculture. He expects enterprises to play the principal role in innovation, and all parties to join hands to deepen practical international cooperation in agricultural science and technology so as to jointly address the challenges to global food security. The Center for School Planning and Construction Development of the Ministry of Education will continue to provide policy, project, platform and other support for the international industry-university-research-application initiatives of universities in Shandong.

Ambassador Efthymios Kalperis extended warm congratulations to Shandong Agricultural University on its 120th anniversary. He stated that climate change brings multiple risks such as high temperatures, droughts, soil degradation and the spread of pests and diseases, posing a severe challenge to global food security. Greece and China have maintained sound cooperation in agriculture for a long time. The joint laboratory established by Shandong Agricultural University and the Agricultural University of Athens marks an important milestone in the scientific research collaboration between the two sides. He looks forward to the joint efforts of scientific researchers from both countries to tackle key problems, jointly safeguard food security and the quality and safety of agricultural products, and elevate Greece-China agricultural cooperation to new heights.

On behalf of Shandong Agricultural University, Leng Changjian extended a warm welcome to the participating guests. He introduced that rooted in Shandong Province, Shandong Agricultural University upholds its educational mission of Securing grain for the world and stabilizing the nation through agriculture. The university has cultivated a large number of outstanding talents including Academician Li Zhensheng and produced a series of high-level original scientific research achievements. Adhering to the development philosophy of Striving for cutting-edge breakthroughs, serving local demands and pursuing internationalization, the university took the lead in establishing the China-CEEC Alliance for Modern Agricultural Science, Education and Innovation, built 24 international joint laboratories and set up a number of overseas science and technology courtyards. It has carried out technical training for Belt and Road partner countries and achieved fruitful results in international industry-university-research cooperation. Leng Changjian stated that taking this conference as an opportunity, Shandong Agricultural University will further deepen industry-university-research cooperation with universities, research institutions and enterprises at home and abroad. The university will work together with its partners on joint scientific and technological research, achievement transformation and talent training, striving to make new and greater contributions to the sustainable development of global agriculture.

Professor Lei Shuangfu reviewed his more than 20 years of cooperation with Shandong Agricultural University. The two sides have carried out faculty and student exchanges, jointly built a joint scientific research platform, and jointly trained master's and doctoral students. The China-Belgium Joint Doctoral Training Program was officially approved by the Ministry of Education this year. He reflected on the profound bond he has formed with Shandong and Mount Tai, and wished that the cooperation between the two universities would forge ahead steadily and yield more fruitful results.

Li Yuxiao introduced the development practice of Kingenta Group in adhering to the collaborative innovation of industry, university, research and application. He stated that since its establishment, the company has consistently followed the development path integrating industry, university, research and application. Through approaches such as technology transfer, commissioned research, joint research, co-construction of scientific research platforms and talent training, it has blazed a collaborative innovation path of introduction – digestion and absorption – innovation and upgrading. The enterprise has set up multiple overseas R&D centers and overseas production bases, and deeply participated in relevant work of international institutions including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It has maintained close cooperation with Shandong Agricultural University for more than 20 years, and the two sides have jointly won national science and technology awards. It is expected that relying on this conference, the Group will work together with global partners to advance agricultural scientific and technological innovation, safeguard global food security, and facilitate the green and sustainable development of agriculture.

The opening ceremony featured a launch event for multiple international industry-university-research-application cooperation achievements. Witnessed by Chinese and foreign guests, the agreement on the joint construction of the China-Greece Joint Laboratory for Smart and Green Agriculture was formally signed. Shandong Agricultural University and the Agricultural University of Athens will carry out joint research on smart and green agriculture based on this new platform. The Zimbabwe Tobacco Industry Research Institute of Shandong Agricultural University was inaugurated, creating a new platform for agricultural science and technology exchanges between China and Africa. The ceremony also included an appointment ceremony for Chinese and foreign co-supervisors. University leaders from University of Jinan, Shandong University of Science and Technology and Qingdao Agricultural University presented appointment letters to representative foreign co-supervisors, further strengthening the team for joint talent training under the Chinese-foreign dual-supervisor system.

Wang Fuhai stated while presiding over the opening ceremony that it is necessary to deepen joint research and development. Focusing on cutting-edge fields such as smart agriculture, green technologies and artificial intelligence, efforts should be made to translate laboratory achievements into industrial applications. It is necessary to innovate the joint talent training model, expand the training scale through the special program of Chinese and foreign dual supervisors, and cultivate top-notch innovative talents with global competence. It is necessary to establish a long-term international cooperation mechanism, strengthen regular exchanges with universities from Belt and Road partner countries, and develop a number of exemplary international science and education cooperation projects.

It is understood that since Shandong Province joined the framework of the International Conference on Industry-University-Research Cooperation under the Ministry of Education in 2022, more than 7,000 participants from universities, research institutes and enterprises in over 30 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and Russia have attended the conference via online and offline modes. Over 400 participants have delivered keynote speeches, and more than 1,000 new enrollment quotas for postgraduate and doctoral programs under the special Sino-foreign dual-supervisor joint training initiative have been added. Relying on the International Conference on Industry-University-Research Cooperation, universities in Shandong have achieved a series of outcomes in international scientific and educational cooperation, joint talent training, demonstration and promotion of technologies, and co-construction and sharing of platforms.

The keynote report of the conference was presided over by Zhou Yuxi, Vice President of Shandong Agricultural University. Focusing on biotechnology and modern agriculture as well as digital agricultural science and technology, and centering on key topics including agricultural modernization, smart agriculture and biological breeding, the report invited four academicians and experts from home and abroad to deliver special presentations. Professor Chen Xuegeng, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering from Shihezi University; Researcher Wang Xiaobing from the Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and President of the China Apple Industry Association; Researcher László Nagy, Member of the European Academy of Sciences; and Professor Li Chuanyou, Dean of the College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, shared the latest scientific research achievements respectively in the fields of intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment innovation, practices of the digital agriculture industry, cutting-edge fungal biotechnology, and research on germplasm resources and breeding.

On the afternoon of the 14th, at the two parallel forums on smart agriculture and biotechnology, Chinese and foreign experts engaged in face-to-face exchanges and close docking. Breaking down national and disciplinary barriers, they shared cutting-edge academic progress, addressed pain points in industrial development, and carried out in-depth academic discussions and industrial matchmaking.

During their visit to the university, the participating experts and leaders toured the State Key Laboratory of Wheat Breeding and the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center. They gained first-hand insights into the development of scientific research platforms and the commercialization of research achievements in the fields of biological breeding and smart agriculture at our university. They spoke highly of the university’s educational outcomes rooted in the land of Qilu and serving the development of modern agriculture.