Visitors view a poster outside the venue of the sixth World Laureates Forum, which opened on Monday in the Lingang Special Area of Shanghai. [GAO EROIANG/CHINA DAILY]

The sixth World Laureates Forum opened in Shanghai on Nov 6, bringing together over 300 scientists from 25 countries and regions, including 27 Nobel laureates, to discuss cutting-edge topics such as life sciences, artificial intelligence, and climate change mitigation.

This year's forum was co-organized by the World Laureates Association and the China Association for Science and Technology and had the tagline "science leads transformation."

In his opening speech, Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, emphasized the importance of the forum in promoting international dialogue on technology and fostering cooperation among scientists.

He highlighted Shanghai's efforts to build an international innovation and technology center and expressed hope that scientists will continue to focus on the future and contribute to the development of a shared future for humanity.

Roger Kornberg, chairman of the World Laureates Association, announced that the association plans to establish its own laboratories to enable 1,000 young scientists to conduct independent research. He also called the World Laureates Association a jewel in the crown of Shanghai and a beacon of hope in difficult times.

During the opening ceremony, five winners of the 2023 World Laureates Association Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics and Life Science or Medicine received their medals and award certificates.

Arkadi Nemirovski, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, and Yurii Nesterov, professor at the University of Louvain in Belgium, were awarded the Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics "for their seminal work in convex optimization theory". 

Karolin Luger, professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US, Daniela Rhodes from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in the UK, and Timothy J. Richmond, professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland won the Prize in Life Science or Medicine "for elucidating the structure of the nucleosome at the atomic level".

The World Laureates Association Prize is an international science prize established in Shanghai in 2021. It aims to recognize and support eminent researchers worldwide. The winners were selected by esteemed committees, and each category of the prize carries a total award of 10 million yuan ($1.38 million).

Prominent scientists attending the forum, such as Thomas Sudhof and Susan M. Gasser, expressed their support for international collaboration and praised the opportunities available to scientists in China. They highlighted the importance of open communication and cooperation in advancing scientific research.

The sixth World Laureates Forum, which was held from Nov 6 to 8, consisted of various full-day and sub-forums covering a wide range of scientific topics. The forum is regarded as a platform for scientists to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and promote the advancement of science and technology.