On April 26, Peking University established the School of AI for Science at its Shenzhen Graduate School. Leung Chun-ying, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration event and delivered a speech. Also present were Qin Weizhong, Mayor of Shenzhen; Wu Yihuan, Vice Chairman of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Lu Wenpeng, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Municipal Government; He Guangcai, Secretary of the Party Committee of Peking University; Zhang Jin, Executive Vice President, Dean of Shenzhen Graduate School, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Piao Shilong, Vice President and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The event was hosted by Tan Wenchang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen Graduate School.
Inauguration Event Scene
Attendees also included: Academician E Weinan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the International Machine Learning Research Center of Peking University, and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence; Academician Mei Hong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Faculty of Information Science and Technology at Peking University; Academician Tang Chao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chair Professor of Peking University; Academician Duan Huiling of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Faculty of Engineering at Peking University; Academician Guo Wanlin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Academician Gao Wen of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of Pengcheng Laboratory; Efim Zelmanov, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Chair Professor of Southern University of Science and Technology; Jiang Yugang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Fudan University; Zhou Hui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shenzhen University; and Zhang Min, Distinguished Assistant to the President and Dean of the Institute of Computing and Intelligence at Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen). Representatives from relevant departments of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and experts from industries including Huawei, Tencent, BYD, Baidu, and Wanhua Chemical also attended.
School of AI for Science is a forward-looking layout responding to scientific revolutions and industrial transformations in the intelligent era. Adopting a dual-tutor system of "AI + Science," it is committed to building an innovation ecosystem where artificial intelligence and basic sciences deeply integrate, cultivating interdisciplinary talents with scientific intelligence literacy, cross-disciplinary innovation capabilities, and an international perspective. Based in Shenzhen, the school leverages Peking University’s research strengths and the industrial innovation resources of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, continuously deepening strategic cooperation with key industries to play a greater role in serving national strategic needs, nurturing compound innovative talents, and empowering high-quality regional development.
Inauguration Event Scene
In his speech, Leung Chun-ying pointed out that Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as "dual engines" driving China’s high-quality development, are at the forefront of the country’s reform and opening-up and serve as an important link for interaction and cooperation between the two systems within one country. Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, adhering to the development path of "problem-oriented, collaboration between north and south campuses, AI-driven, innovation and integration," has made significant breakthroughs in fields such as AI4S interdisciplinary research and university-enterprise joint R&D, fully demonstrating the patriotic sentimentsand innovative responsibility of Peking University members. Standing at a new starting point, Leung Chun-ying put forward four expectations for the School of AI for Science: first, deepen Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaboration to build an open innovation ecosystem; second, cultivate a fertile ground for talents to nurture "AI + Science" leaders; third, focus on industrial needs to promote in-depth integration of industry, academia, and research; fourth, expand global perspectives to contribute to addressing common human challenges. He hoped that the School of AI for Science would leverage the unique advantages and experience of Shenzhen and Hong Kong on the vibrant land of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to write a new chapter in the integration of artificial intelligence and science.
In his speech, Zhang Jin stated that the establishment of the School of AI for Science is an important deployment to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and serve national development, as well as a major measure to promote the coordinated development of education, science and technology, and talents as an integrated whole and serve the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. He proposed three development directions: deepen university-local collaborative innovation to seize the commanding heights of AI for Science (AI4S) development; lead the reform of talent training paradigms through the transformation of research paradigms to nurture future scientists in the AI4S era; adhere to the "five-in-one" framework of "computing power, models, data, knowledge, and scenarios" to connect technological innovation and industrial transformation. Zhang Jin noted that AI4S provides a historic opportunity for China’s technological innovation and development. As a pioneer, the school will take Peking University’s "Technological Innovation Year" as a starting point to explore a path for artificial intelligence development with Chinese characteristics, Peking University’s style, and Shenzhen’s features, providing core support for accelerating the construction of a world center for scientific and technological innovation and a talent highland.
Tian Yonghong, Vice Dean of Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School and Executive Dean of the School of AI for Science, introduced the school, stating that it will adopt a dual-advisor training model with AI advisors and Science advisors. It will cultivate a group of interdisciplinary talents in scientific intelligence, build scientific intelligence infrastructure and platforms covering multiple disciplines, create a "Peking University Model for Scientific Intelligence," and strive to provide discipline construction and industry-education integration solutions for the global AI4S field.
Leung Chun-ying, Qin Weizhong, He Guangcai, Wu Yihuan, Lu Wenpeng, Zhang Jin, Piao Shilong, and E Weinan jointly inaugurated the School of AI for Science. Zhang Jin presented appointment letters to E Weinan, Honorary Dean of the school, and members of the Development Advisory Committee, including Efim Zelmanov, Gao Wen, Mei Hong, E Weinan, Guo Wanlin, Tang Chao, Piao Shilong, Duan Huiling, Hua Weiqi, Zhou Yuefeng, and Gong Qing.
Efim Zelmanov, Guo Wanlin, and E Weinan delivered academic reports in sequence.
At the School of AI for Science Development Advisory Meeting held on the same day, participating experts and scholars discussed issues such as core scientific problems of AI4S and how to cultivate high-end AI4S talents, offering suggestions to lead China’s intelligent discipline construction to the world’s top level and nurture outstanding artificial intelligence talents in the new era.
