International Congress on Fundamental Sciences Opens in Beijing

The 2026 International Congress on Fundamental Sciences opened in Beijing on August 9, according to CCTV News. Themed "Focusing on Fundamental Sciences, Leading the Future of Humanity," the congress gathers over a thousand Chinese and international scientists, researchers, and students.

Scheduled to run for two weeks, the congress will feature more than 500 academic sessions covering various branches and interdisciplinary areas of fundamental science. Discussions will include generative large models, computer vision, human-computer interaction, and quantum information. Leading international scientists are slated to deliver keynote speeches on fundamental science and frontier science awards, sharing recent breakthroughs and promoting cross-disciplinary innovation.

This marks the fourth year the congress has been held in Beijing. It is jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the World Federation of Chinese Mathematicians. China has been significantly increasing its support for fundamental research through funding, policy, and talent cultivation.

Beijing's initiatives include a program to advance fundamental research, which has yielded significant original achievements, such as the first chemical induction of human blood cells into pluripotent stem cells globally. The Beijing Natural Science Foundation has also established a program to support undergraduate students in fundamental research, with 397 alumni choosing to pursue further studies. Huairou Science City hosts 37 major scientific infrastructures and research platforms, 29 of which are operational.