At the foot of Shilong Mountain in Zhuantang, Xihu District lies a secluded campus composed of more than 10 buildings. Last September, the campus was officially named the Yunyi Campus Area of Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), UCAS (HIAS).
On the bank of Tongjian Lake, less than 3 kilometers away from the campus, a new project covering a planned land area of more than 1,000mu is under construction. This is the Shuangpu Campus Area, HIAS's new home in the future.
In April 2018, the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) formally signed a joint construction agreement under the witness of Ding Zhongli, then Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of UCAS, and Yuan Jiajun, then Deputy Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Governor of Zhejiang Province.
In May 2019, HIAS officially settled in Hangzhou, marking a milestone in Hangzhou's efforts to promote the Project for Famous Universities, Colleges and Research Institutes (referred to as the "Sanming Project"). Bai Chunli, then President and Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), personally attended the unveiling ceremony as a witness.
Today, HIAS also assumes the responsibility to realize one dream of the city where it is located, which is to help Hangzhou build a comprehensive national science center.
An Ideal Site in the Eyes of CAS: A Story of Friendship Developed via A Rare Opportunity
"This place, featuring a secluded environment decorated by a mountain and a river, is suitable for both studying and doing research," Wu Yueliang, an academician of CAS and Academic Vice President of UCAS, shared his praise for the tranquil environment of the campus with the reporter in an interview held at HIAS the other day. During this visit, Academician Wu has planned to stay at HIAS for two weeks to teach students and process some matters.
Wu Yueliang is one of the witnesses of HIAS's establishment. Walking in the campus area, he shared with the reporter a little-known past story of HIAS, which is about the friendship between a new scientific research institution and a city.
Over the years, Hangzhou has kept in mind the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and continuously promoted the construction of a unique and wonderful world-famous city. Compared with world-class modern metropolises, Hangzhou is obviously lacking in higher education and scientific research resources even if it has Zhejiang University.
To answer the question of how to enhance the urban function of Hangzhou by making scientific and technological innovation a new engine and driving force for urban development, the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee and the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government have played an active role in planning and acting. In May 2017, the Project for Building Famous Universities, Colleges and Research Institutes was launched. The project has set clear goals, including creating a city with the best talent environment, gathering talent from all over the world to jointly build Hangzhou, and introducing and building high-end universities to comprehensively improve Hangzhou's higher education development and scientific and technological innovation ability.
"At that time, the main leaders of Hangzhou took the initiative to contact CAS, hoping that we would help Hangzhou develop scientific research and higher education. Hangzhou specially offered a piece of land for scientific research and education, which cost a large sum of money in the beautiful Xihu District, and provided support in finance and other aspects. We are deeply impressed by such determination and sincerity. We have never seen a local government so eager to cultivate and attract talent and build an education and scientific research hub," said Wu Yueliang.
CAS carrying the responsibility to solve major scientific and technological problems related to China's general development plan has 36 research institutes in the Yangtze River Delta region. It is an important force serving the national strategy of "coordinated development of sci-tech innovation in the Yangtze River Delta". Previously, CAS had no institute-level branch in Hangzhou, an important city in the southern part of the Yangtze River Delta. This move to deploy a new institute in Hangzhou can further optimize CAS's scientific research layout to meet the needs of accelerating the reconstruction of the global innovation framework and global competition.
Wu Yueliang said with a smile, "Speaking of Hangzhou, many researchers are willing to come." As a famous historical and cultural city with both ecological and innovation vitality, the new first-tier city Hangzhou has inherent advantages in attracting talent. In recent years, it has been the city in China with the largest talent inflow rate. Given the well-developed private economy, the robust digital economy industry, and well-equipped hardware and software, there are increasingly sound sci-tech innovation foundations and market environments for building Hangzhou into a scientific and technological innovation base. "Hangzhou is an ideal place as it has a strong appeal to talent, a relatively complete industrial layout, and the ability to help transform scientific and technological achievements," said Wu Yueliang.
HIAS Strengthens Hangzhou's Confidence in Competing for Comprehensive National Science Center by Tackling Its Weakness Area in Applied Scientific Research
This year marks the inception of the 14th Five-Year Plan period when a special competition has been launched among cities in China.
Which will be the fifth city to house a comprehensive national science center, following Zhangjiang, Shanghai, Hefei, Anhui, Huairou, Beijing, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area? Cities, such as Hangzhou, Xi'an, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing, have all shown a strong will to apply for the project.
Through the approval of comprehensive national science centers, cities (regions) can be incorporated into the national science and technology system, and preferential conditions in the construction of major scientific and technological facilities and the deployment of national laboratories will be given.Thus, there are extremely high requirements for cities. They need to have strong comprehensive strength in scientific research and education, and sound software and hardware foundations, like large-scale scientific installations.
With the advancement of the Sanming Project, a number of famous universities, colleges and research institutes, such as HIAS, Westlake University, and the Advanced Institute of Information Technology, Peking University, have successively settled in Hangzhou, giving the city the confidence tocompete for the comprehensive national science center. As a "national team", HIAS has its own mission and responsibility.
"CAS represents the highest scientific research level in China. From the moment we decided to settle in Hangzhou, we made it clear that HIAS should be internationally competitive and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch should shoulder the task of supporting the operation of HIAS," said Wang Jianyu, an academician of CAS, President of HIAS and President of the CAS Shanghai Branch.
In just two years, HIAS has employed 11 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, including Wang Jianyu, Zhao Guoping, Wu Yueliang, Ding Jian, Jiang Guibin, Li Lin, Tan Weihong, Tang Yong, Cai Ronggen, Jiang Hualiang and Ma Dawei. They work for both the two national academies and HIAS. "Among all institutions and research institutes across China, only CAS, the 'national team', can employ 11 academicians in a short time," said Ma Lisong, Secretary of the Party Committee of HIAS. He continued that HIAS also has 196 double-employed professors and 72 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (hereinafter referred to as "outstanding young scholars"), all of whom are elites in their respective fields. Next, HIAS will increase its efforts to attract talent from all over the world and sincerely invite young talent from home and abroad to do scientific research and engage in innovation and entrepreneurship projects at HIAS.
In addition to high-end scientific research talent, large-scale scientific facilities and national laboratories are also important guarantees and support for building a comprehensive national science center. There is the Earth System Science Numerical Simulator Facility in Beijing, Zhangjiang Laboratory and Tsung-Dao Lee Institute in Shanghai, Peng Cheng Laboratory in Shenzhen, and the National Laboratory for Quantum Information Science, the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology and other major scientific and technological infrastructure in Hefei.
After its establishment, HIAS immediately initiated its scientific research planning. In terms of physical information, HIAS has built large-scale scientific facilities like the Taiji Laboratory for Gravitational Wave Universe (Hangzhou). When it comes to intelligent science and technology, HIAS has built the Intelligent Computing Laboratory and the Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure of Multi-dimensional Super Perception with Zhejiang Lab. Regarding life & health, it has set up major scientific and technological units, such as the X-ray FGI Three-Dimensional Nano-microscopic Imaging Device, the Application Research and Transformation Platform of New Cell Tracing Technology for the Exploration of New Methods of Heart Regeneration and the Science and Innovation Center for Drug Target. In terms of new materials, the Astronomical Infrared Material Growth and In-situ Ultra-high Resolution Photoelectric Characterization Platform has been established... These are all high-end scientific research projects that are necessary for Hangzhou to build a science and technology innovation hub.
"CAS's advantages lie in its ability to organize teams of people from all disciplines to conduct interdisciplinary research. Since its establishment, CAS has given full play to its institutional advantages to undertake major national projects and solve the country's major practical needs. HIAS should help Hangzhou achieve great breakthroughs in applied scientific research," said Wang Jianyu.
Will HIAS, Small Yet High-quality Institute at High Standard Covering Different Disciplines, Become China's MIT?
Wu Yueliang, Chief Scientist of the Chinese Space-borne Gravitational Wave Detection Program "Taiji" (hereinafter referred to as "the Taiji Program"), told the reporter that after human beings first detected gravitational waves in 2016, the Party and state leaders immediately gave instructions on including this field of research in China's scientific research layout. On April 18 this year, HIAS's Taiji Laboratory for Gravitational Wave Universe (Hangzhou) was officially unveiled, marking that Hangzhou owned the core platform supporting the Taiji Program.
"Currently, space gravitational wave detection is the most state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology in the world. In this technology, we are among the top in the world together with NASA and ESA," said President Wang Jianyu, commander-in-chief of the mission of Taiji-1, a technical verification satellite of China's Space Gravitational Wave Detection Program. He added that the Taiji Laboratory, as a large-scale scientific facility, is an important part of the Taiji Program.
HIAS has always paid attention to research on the precise measurement of gravitational waves, systemic health sciences and intelligent technology. Based on CAS's advantages in these three fields, seven interdisciplinary secondary science and education units have been established. Although small in size, HIAS is a quality institute. In this regard, it is like the world-renowned MIT in the USA. Both of them are small but world-class institutes with a few disciplines.
When the reporter asked Wu Yueliang if HIAS will become MIT in China, he answered with a smile, "We are moving forward towards this goal. UCAS's positioning of HIAS is also to make it a small yet high-quality institute at a high standard."
Executive Vice President Zheng Chonghui uses four Chinese words (Ding-Tian-Li-Di) to describe the research directions and development goals of HIAS. The meaning of "Ding Tian" is to make new breakthroughs, inventions and creations by targeting the international technology development frontiers and the country's major needs and recognizing the world. Through the implementation of the Taiji Program, HIAS has carried out many projects, including building the International Centre for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific (ICTP-AP) in Hangzhou. It has strived to achieve many original innovative scientific research achievements and assist in constructing the Hangzhou National Comprehensive Science Center. "Li Di" means to transform some of HIAS's scientific research achievements that can drive the development of industries like physical information and life & health as soon as possible by closely catering to the reality of Hangzhou and the Yangtze River Delta region in economic and social development. These achievements should be directly transformed into productivity to promote economic and social development and solve practical problems.
As a branch of CAS on the bank of the Qiantang River, HIAS is also different from universities and institutes in the general sense in terms of talent training. The integration of science and education is its fine tradition. Zheng Chonghui said, "UCAS has unique advantages in the integration of science and education. HIAS has developed a professor lab mechanism that makes chief professors responsible persons. Instructors and supervisors are all front-line researchers in the professor labs. Thus, students can get more practical guidance in their theoretical study and project practice. Students can participate in major national scientific research projects under the CAS system to experience 'immersive training'."
To make changes in both technology and application and solve the last-phase problems of the transformation of scientific achievements, HIAS has established the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Industrial Incubation. As an industrialization platform carrier set up within HIAS, the Center cooperates with the secondary science and education units of HIAS to give full play to the advantages of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem continuously built by Hangzhou and enable the implementation of more new achievements, technologies, products and applications in Hangzhou.
Wang Jianyu said, "In the future, facing the development of cutting-edge science and technology in the world and focusing on the major national needs and needs of regional economic and social development, HIAS will implement the strategy of '"One Core and Two Wings' (One Core: a high-level talent training base; Two Wings: a frontier scientific research and innovation base and an emerging industry incubation base), with a goal of achieving integrated development of science and education. It will accelerate the training of top-notch inter-disciplinary innovative talent urgently needed by the country, gather resources for scientific and technological innovation and local industrial transformation and upgrading, and inject impetus to the optimization of the region's economic structure."
Editor | Zou Qianhui
