The 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum will take place in Shanghai from Sept 20 to 22, spotlighting global collaboration in science and technology.

Hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shanghai municipal government, this year's forum adopts the theme "Sharing Innovation and Shaping the Future: Building an Open and Cooperative Global Sci-tech Community".

Who's joining the conversation?

The forum will welcome 550 distinguished guests from 45 countries and regions, including Belarus, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. Belarus is the guest country of honor, while Liaoning is the guest province of honor.

What's on the agenda?

The 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum will include:

• Opening ceremony & main forum
• 30 thematic forums
• Key events: InnoMatch Tech-Matching Fair, WeStart Entrepreneurial Investment Conference, China-Belarus Sci-Tech Innovation Cooperation Achievements Exhibition, and Youth Innovation Hub (Y-HUBs)
• A lineup of technology showcases and achievement releases

What cutting-edge topics will be discussed?

From AI for Science to controllable nuclear fusion, from neurotechnology to quantum intelligence, over 30 sessions will tackle the frontiers of science.

Speakers include Nobel, Wolf, and Turing laureates, ensuring the conversations set the tone for future innovation worldwide.

How does the forum drive real impact?

The InnoMatch Tech-Matching Fair will release about 10,000 tech demands, 2,000 job postings, and unveil 80 debut products with immersive experience zones. More than 120 major companies, some 200 SMEs, and over 200 universities and institutes will attend.

At WeStart Entrepreneurial Investment Conference, 1,487 innovation projects from around the globe signed up, with 100 top picks set to pitch to investors.

 

Key highlights of the 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum

The forum focuses on five key areas:

1. Building a new platform for innovation  

The focus is on sci-tech-driven development while strengthening the forum's role in strategic decision-making.  

2. Creating a center for collaborative innovation  

The forum addresses global sci-tech development and challenges while promoting international cooperation and exchange.  

3. Inspiring a new hub for innovative ideas  

Discussions will explore the future of innovation, expanding both the depth and influence of the forum.  

4. Leading trends in frontier fields  

Attention is given to future industries and facilitating the integration of technological and industrial innovation.  

5. Building a home for innovative talent  

Efforts focus on building platforms for talent interaction and strengthening the soft power of sci-tech innovation.  

The two major matchmaking events, the InnoMatch Global Tech-Matching Fair and the WeStart Entrepreneurial Investment Conference, feature distinctive highlights.

InnoMatch Global Tech-Matching Fair  

The fair focuses on innovation needs, talent support, and capital resources, creating a platform that integrates demand, research achievements, talent, and funding.

Key features include:

• An online InnoMatch platform serving the entire fair  
• Three days of exhibitions and diverse events  
• 365 days of continuous matchmaking and comprehensive support throughout the process  
• Four core zones and three functional areas  

The event spotlights the innovation needs of leading enterprises and emphasizes key aspects of technology transfer, such as future industries and concept validation. It features a future tech experience zone, a technology trading market, and matchmaking events for supply and demand.

Highlights include:  

• More than 10,000 technology needs, with a total investment value exceeding 20 billion yuan ($2.81 billion) 
• Over 2,000 recruitment openings for sci-tech talent
• 120 leading enterprises and more than 200 innovative entities exhibiting on-site  
• The debut of 600 high-quality transferable research and 500 innovative products from small and medium-sized enterprises

WeStart Entrepreneurial Investment Conference  

The conference features an opening ceremony and main forum, two sub-forums, a thematic seminar, over 10 roadshows, and a 1,300-square-meter technology investment exhibition. 

Structured around a conference, a competition, and an exhibition, this event establishes a multi-layered platform for efficient investment and financing matchmaking.

The conference focuses on cutting-edge fields, creating a communication platform for venture investment. The competition has a global reach, providing a stage for sci-tech project pitches, while the exhibition integrates multi-stakeholder resources, building a matchmaking platform for entrepreneurship and investment. 

 

Source: Official WeChat account of the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government at "shanghaifabu"