Overview
The 2026 World Science and Technology Development Forum (WSTDF) opened in Chongqing on 21 October 2026 and will run until 23 October, gathering approximately 800 experts, scholars and industry leaders.
Key Speakers and Themes
Wang Guangqian, President of the China Association for Science and Technology, urged breakthroughs in technology, tighter integration of scientific and industrial innovation, greener development pathways and stronger technology governance, emphasizing that future industries link science with the economy. Li Junhua, UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Economic and Social Affairs, portrayed engineering as the bridge between discovery and industrial practice and highlighted that achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals requires intensified international scientific cooperation. Zhu Huarong, Chairman of China Changan Automobile Group, described the evolution of automobiles from mere transport tools to “self‑evolving intelligent car robots,” noting the sector’s growing convergence of artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, communications and big‑data analytics, with spill‑over into energy management and urban governance.
Automotive and Energy Integration
In Chongqing, integration of vehicle‑road‑cloud data is already supporting traffic‑management systems, while vehicle‑to‑grid interactions and integrated energy architectures could enable vehicles to act as mobile nodes within green‑energy networks.
Robotics and Digital Infrastructure
Professor David Lopez Perez of the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia outlined emerging applications ranging from urban drones and industrial inspection robots to humanoid assistants for older adults. He stressed that robots must possess reasoning, planning and coordination capabilities, underpinned by digital twins, intelligent systems and forthcoming 6G networks, and that interoperability and standardisation remain essential. Professor Nils Stenseth, Member of Academia Europaea and University of Oslo faculty, presented a digital‑twin model built from air‑travel data to anticipate and contain local epidemics before they become global pandemics, highlighting the role of multisource data, digital technologies and a robust global surveillance network.
Forum Deliverables
The opening ceremony unveiled the “Top 10 Science and Technology Foresights of 2026,” which include artificial intelligence, brain‑computer interfaces and space‑resource development, together with an intelligent‑sensing industry map and additional outcomes. The forum, hosted in Chongqing for the first time since its 2019 launch, featured twelve parallel sessions covering intelligent sensing, AI‑powered simulation, embodied intelligence, smart manufacturing, green energy and new‑energy vehicles.
Publication Details
The announcement was issued by iChuangqing through PRNewswire on 22 October 2026, with a disclaimer that PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.