Pujiang Innovation Forum was jointed founded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government in 2008. Academician Xu Guanhua, also former Minister of MOST, is the Forum Chairman. Over the past 16 years, the forum consistently revolves around the theme of innovation, aiming to gather global innovative forces to discuss trends in technological innovation, build an open innovation ecosystem, forge consensus on innovation governance, and actively respond to the challenges of the times and significant global issues.

Science and technology is the foundation for prosperity of a country, while innovation is the spirit for progress of a nation. Orbiting around the theme of innovation and linking closely to the pulse of times, the forum is committed to connecting with the innovation forces across the world, focusing on innovation-driven strategies, paying attention to the innovation system construction, grasping industrial changes and planning and promoting innovation through global vision. So far, the forum has been held successfully for 16 years, attracting 2300 politicians, academicians and business elites from the world to conduct in-depth discussions on hot issues concerning enterprises, industries, entrepreneurs, regions, policies, finance, culture and future science, explore deeply into the international innovation trends and forecast the development prospects from various levels and perspectives, and collecting a lot of deep insights that are of outstanding values for the economic development and industrial innovation.

Opening cooperation. To further enhance the science and technology partnership between China and other countries, the Forum initiated the mechanism of the Country of Honor in 2012, and instituted the Country of Honor Forum, to share innovation experience, carry out innovation cooperation, effectively promote international science and technology innovation cooperation, and proactively serve science and technology diplomacy. In the past years, President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and national leaders from countries of honor (Wladimir Putin, President of Russia for 2014; Benjamin Netanyahu, Premier of Israel for 2015; Theresa May, Prime Minister of UK for 2016; Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark for 2017; Antonio Costa,Prime Minister of Portugal for 2018; Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia for 2020; Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands for 2022; Luiz Inácio Lula, President of Brazil for 2023) sent congratulatory letters videos to the forum successively, attracting worldwide attention. Bridges for innovation cooperation have been established between different countries and different institutions.

Coordinated development. To further promote the regional coordinated innovation development, the forum initiated the mechanism of the Province (Municipality) of Honor in 2012. Beijing Municipality (2012 and 2017), Sichuan Province (2013), Heilongjiang Province (2014), Jiangsu Province (2015), Zhejiang Province (2016), Anhui Province (2017),Guangdong Province(2018) ,Hebei Province(2019) , Shaanxi Province (2020) ,Chongqing Municipality (2021), Hainan Province(2022) , Hubei Province(2023) held the post of the province (Municipality) of honor of the forum in succession. They focus on relying on special topic forums including regional (city) forums and policy forums and extended activities of the provinces of honor, to conduct various kinds of communication and interaction, promote regional coordinated development, optimize resources allocation and create new growth poles.

Interconnection and mutual communication. To enhance the forum’s function as a platform for multi-lateral cooperation, the 2016 Forum arranged a “Belt and Road” Initiative Seminar for the first time. Governmental officials and representatives of technology think tanks from countries in the “Belt and Road” Initiative area attended the seminar, and conducted discussion on promoting the “Belt and Road” science and technology innovation cooperation, sharing theories, practices, policies and experience on science and technology innovation cooperation of key countries in the “Belt and Road” Initiative area, providing cooperative solutions and methods to common issues and challenges, and discussing together the specific measures for deepening the “Belt and Road” science and technology innovation cooperation, which also brought about new revelation for the future “Belt and Road” cooperation mechanism.

Exhibition and Match-making. As the innovation bridge connecting the demand side and the supply side of science and technology, Pujiang Innovation Forum held the “Global Tech-Matching Fair (InnoMatch EXPO)” for the first time in 2020, and held the “WeStart Global Entrepreneurial Investment Conference (WeStart)” for the first time in 2023.

Diffusion of innovation and warm-up of science and technology. With the continuous expansion of its social influence, the forum has attracted extensive attention from both domestic and overseas media. In addition to Xinhua News Agency, SMG, Science and Technology Daily, CBN, Nature, Science, Shanghai Daily, Jifang Daily, The Shanghai Mercury, Shanghai Xinmin Evening New and Sina, with which the forum have formed strategic alliances, a large number of mainstream media and professional media from home and abroad, such as CCTV, the Paper, BBC, IFENG.COM, Global Times, and Caixin Media made real-time coverage and in-depth interpretation of the Forum.

Keeping a foothold in the new era and the new start, the forum would closely center on the construction of an international sci-tech power and a science and technology innovation center with global influence, and focus on key points, grasp characteristics, lead hot topics and emphasize the highlights, to become a platform for release of important signals, discussion on key topics, and source of critical statements, continuously elevate international influence, and exert greater influence in promoting the science and technology innovation of the world and China, and supporting and leading global innovation development.