From July 22 to 28, the First Global Chinese Materials Conference (GCMC 2025) was successfully held in Namur, Belgium. The conference was organized by the Global Overseas Chinese Materials Scholars Association, and jointly hosted by Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) and the University of Namur. Co-organizers included WUT’s State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology For Materials Synthesis and Processing and the Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of Guangdong Province, with support from WUT’s Interdisciplinary Materials (IM), the Federation of Guangdong Academicians, Science China Press, and OAE Publishing Inc. Under the theme “Materials Frontier in the AI Era”, the conference featured esteemed leadership: Professor Bai Chunli, former President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), served as Honorary Chair. Academicians Zhang Qingjie (CAS), Su Bao-Lian (Royal Academy of Belgium), and Lu Gaoqing (CAS Foreign Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK) served as Co-Chairs, , while Academicians Jiang Desheng, Zhang Lianmeng, and Fu Zhengyi (all from the Chinese Academy of Engineering) acted as members of the Advisory Committee.

As a high-level academic event in materials science, the conference attracted nearly 450 experts from nearly 20 countries/regions, including academicians from CAS, CAE, and leading overseas academies. Academician Fu Zhengyi delivered a plenary speech representing WUT, while Academician Jiang Desheng chaired a keynote session by Academician Zhu Meifang.

The event also featured the founding ceremony of the Global Overseas Chinese Materials Scholars Association, with WUT recognized as one of the founding institutions. Academician Su Bao-Lian was appointed as a council member on behalf of WUT.

In parallel, WUT organized the Global Young Talents Forum, attracting over 50 outstanding overseas Ph.D. candidates, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career faculty. Vice President Mai Liqiang delivered a keynote address detailing WUT’s development strategy and talent recruitment initiatives.

The successful convening of GCMC 2025 not only established an international platform for academic dialogue and collaboration among global Chinese materials scientists, but also enhanced WUT’s global presence in international conferences, academic exchange, and talent recruitment. It represents a significant step forward in the university’s “Double First-Class” initiative and further strengthens its interdisciplinary influence in materials science, chemistry, and related fields.

Written by: Huang Linglin, Chen Lihua

Rewritten by: Li Huihui

Edited by: Liang Muwei, Li Tiantian

Source: Institute of New Materials