A forum looking to promote the development of the new materials industry through the use of material genomes and big data technology was held in Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, Anhui province on July 26.

As the development of data-driven new materials becomes a hot discussion topic around the world, the forum explored how to upgrade the innovation capabilities of Anhui's new materials enterprises and how to enhance the competitiveness of Anhui's new materials research and development.

Government officials, experts, scholars, and enterprises representatives in the field had discussions about recent research results and application cases in latest developments of new materials.

Attendees analyzed future trends in the new materials industry and agreed that it will play an important role in the national economy.

Since 2013, Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone has launched a variety of supporting policies encouraging investment in key industries such as big data, new materials and biomedicine.