Nearly 800 scientists, educators and entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries and regions opened the World Young Scientist Summit 2026 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, on October 24. The event is hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and the World Association of Young Scientists, and it is built around the theme «Gathering Talents Worldwide to Create a Better Future».
The summit's annual agenda, «Global Youth Action in the AI Era: Building a Sustainable Future», is designed to draw on the perspectives of young people worldwide, deepen international science and technology cooperation, and address questions about young people, science and the future. Organizers said the gathering aims to strengthen international collaboration and move scientific achievements closer to practical use and commercial application.
Officials speaking at the opening included He Junke, vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology in charge of daily work and first secretary of its secretariat; Lian Yimin, chairman and party group secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Marcelo Knobel, executive director of The World Academy of Sciences; and Zhang Zhenfeng, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee. Yao Gaoyuan, vice governor of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, presided over the first segment of the plenary session.
Keynote speeches covered a range of subjects. Efim Zelmanov, Fields Medalist and foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, spoke on education reform in the AI era. Chen Yunji, deputy director of the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the National Key Laboratory of Processor Chips, addressed AI and processor chips. Mary Garson, president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, discussed young women scientists' participation in science. Lu Chaoyang, member of the Standing Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology, executive dean of the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Science and Technology of China and chairman of the council of the World Association of Young Scientists, addressed quantum computing. Together the speakers explored new opportunities for research, talent development and international cooperation in the AI era.
Participation was weighted toward early-career researchers. Young talents under the age of 45 made up 88 percent of attendees, and the organizers said the summit placed greater emphasis on the growth needs of young scientists than in previous years. The stated goals include building a cluster of international journals, connecting young scientific talent, facilitating a batch of international collaborative projects and advancing the application and commercialization of scientific and technological work.
During the summit, organizers released the Report on the Distribution and Mobility of Young Scientists in the Field of Embodied Intelligence and launched the World Young Scientist Summit Partner Journal Program along with the 2026 World Young Scientist Innovation and Entrepreneurship Growth Support Program. They also published the «Young Scientist Pioneers 2035» list and announced the 2026 Sustainable Development Young Scientist Award, which was presented to four Chinese and foreign scientists. Recipients named in the event coverage include César de la Fuente and Nicola Segata. Chen Tianrun, founder of Hangzhou Moxin Technology Co., Ltd., and Yuan Yang, assistant to the dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University, were among the young scientists who spoke at a flash-talk session about their research practices.
The program extends beyond plenary remarks. The conference held 12 parallel forums on future manufacturing, quantum information, embodied intelligence, brain-computer intelligence, environmental science, deep-sea resources, and life and health. It also featured the «Gravitation π» Future Technology and Concept Products Exhibition and Exchange, local thematic side events, and science and humanities study visits, according to the organizers' account of the program.
13
