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 summit is hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and the World Association of Young Scientists. Its theme is « Gathering Talents Worldwide to Create a Better Future », and its annual agenda centers on « Global Youth Action in the AI Era: Building a Sustainable Future ».
Officials who addressed the opening included He Junke, Vice President of CAST 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. The organizers said the summit aims to draw on the insights of young people worldwide, deepen international sci-tech cooperation, and address questions about young people, science and the future.
The plenary keynotes covered several areas of research and policy. 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 the participation of young women scientists. Lu Chaoyang, Member of the Standing Committee of CAST, Executive Dean of the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Science and Technology of China, and Chairman of the Council of the World Association of Young Scientists, presented on quantum computing. Together the speeches explored new opportunities for research, talent development and international collaboration in the AI era.
This year's summit placed greater emphasis on the needs of early-career researchers, with participants under the age of 45 making up 88 percent of attendees. Organizers said the event aims to build a cluster of international journals, bring together young scientific talent, facilitate international collaborative projects and advance the application and commercialization of scientific achievements.
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.
Speakers at a flash-talk session included Chen Tianrun, Founder of Hangzhou Moxin Technology Co., Ltd.; Yuan Yang, Assistant to the Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University; and two of the 2026 Sustainable Development Young Scientist Award winners, César de la Fuente and Nicola Segata. They shared their research practices and reflections.
The conference also covers future manufacturing, quantum information, embodied intelligence, brain-computer intelligence, environmental science, deep-sea resources, and life and health. It includes 12 parallel forums, the « Gravitation π » Future Technology and Concept Products Exhibition and Exchange, local thematic side events, and sci-tech and humanities study visits, which organizers describe as an interdisciplinary, cross-regional and cross-sector platform for youth sci-tech exchange and cooperation.
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