IHB director MIAO Wei addressed at the 2026 Hubei Youth Science and Technology Forum which was held at IHB on Sept. 13, 2026. (Credit: IHB)

On Sept. 13, 2026, the 2026 Hubei Youth Science and Technology Forum was held at the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The forum was hosted by the Hubei Association for Science and Technology and organized by the Wuhan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and IHB.

The forum brought together young researchers to discuss career development and innovation. Sessions included a face-to-face meeting, briefings on talent policies, and talks by young scientists and frontline researchers. More than 200 early-career researchers from universities, research institutes, laboratories and enterprises across the province attended, with 50 participants organized by IHB.

At the meeting, XU Weilin, vice chairman of the Hubei Association for Science and Technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, met with the young researchers. Participants asked questions about how to align personal research with Hubei's innovation goals, how to stay committed to long-term directions amid hot topics, and how to translate research results into practical applications. Xu answered each question and encouraged young researchers to keep the national interest in mind, integrate into Hubei's innovation landscape, and take on leading roles in building a strong province through science and technology.

The forum launched the Frontier Science Initiative, urging young researchers to explore frontier fields and pursue breakthroughs in key core technologies such as optoelectronic information, quantum technology and embodied intelligence. It also awarded certificates to the 2026 Chenguang Support Project recipients. GAO Zhenyu, director of the Talent Division of the Planning and Policy Bureau of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, gave a briefing on talent policy.

During the experience-sharing session, IHB Professor JIN Junyan gave a talk drawing on her own research and career experience. Under the theme "let fish eat more healthily," she shared her experience addressing research challenges in the interdisciplinary field of comparative molecular nutrition of fish, as well as her reflections on remaining committed to the goals of scientific research, which resonated widely among the young researchers present.

Representatives from universities, hospitals, enterprises and local agricultural technology centers also shared their experiences at the session.

The forum was one of nine segments of the 2026 Hubei Science and Technology Academic Annual Meeting and followed other high-level IHB events such as the Nature Editors-institution Tour. It gave young researchers across the province a platform for cross-disciplinary discussion and research exchange, highlighting IHB's role in supporting a regional science and technology innovation center.

At the meeting, XU Weilin, vice chairman of the Hubei Association for Science and Technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, met with the young researchers. (Credit: IHB)

During the experience-sharing session, IHB Professor JIN Junyan gave a talk drawing on her own research and career experience. (Credit: IHB)

On Sept. 13, 2026, the 2026 Hubei Youth Science and Technology Forum was held at the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Credit: IHB)