The 2026 World Science and Technology Development Forum opened in Chongqing on October 21, serving as a global stage for around 800 experts, scholars, and industry leaders. The forum, held in Chongqing for the first time since its launch in 2019, ran through October 23. It established a comprehensive platform to examine how automotive technology, robotics, and other advanced scientific fields are actively shaping the industries of tomorrow. By focusing on the intersection of scientific discovery and industrial application, the event highlighted the critical need for cross-sectoral and international cooperation.

The Convergence of Science, Technology, and Future Industries

Wang Guangqian, President of the China Association for Science and Technology, delivered a pivotal address calling for significant technological breakthroughs and a closer integration of technological and industrial innovation. Wang emphasized that future industries serve as the essential link connecting science and technology directly with the economy. To achieve this, he advocated for greener development pathways and stronger technology governance frameworks. This perspective underscores a growing global consensus that scientific research must not exist in isolation; instead, it must be systematically channeled into economic structures to drive sustainable growth and address societal challenges.

Engineering as the Bridge to Global Sustainability

Representing the global governance perspective, Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, described engineering as the vital bridge that spans the gap between scientific discovery and practical industrial application. Li stressed that achieving the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is contingent upon building stronger international scientific cooperation. He noted that such progress requires active participation from all countries and communities, emphasizing that global challenges cannot be solved by isolated technological ecosystems. Engineering, in this context, acts as the mechanism through which theoretical science is translated into scalable, real-world infrastructure.

The Evolution of Intelligent Mobility: From Cars to Self-Evolving Robots

The automotive sector emerged as a primary example of rapid industrial transformation. Zhu Huarong, Chairman of China Changan Automobile Group, outlined a paradigm shift in how vehicles are conceptualized. According to Zhu, cars are rapidly evolving from simple transportation tools into “self-evolving intelligent car robots.” This evolution is driven by the deep integration of several core technologies:

  • Artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Advanced semiconductor chips
  • Next-generation communications
  • Big data systems

Zhu noted that the applications of these intelligent vehicles are extending far beyond personal transport into the realms of energy management and urban governance. In Chongqing, this is already visible through vehicle-road-cloud data integration, which actively supports municipal traffic management. Furthermore, vehicle-to-grid interaction and integrated energy systems are poised to transform vehicles into mobile nodes within green energy networks, allowing them to store and redistribute power dynamically.

Robotics, Digital Twins, and the Infrastructure of Tomorrow

The discussion on robotics expanded beyond automotive applications into broader societal and industrial roles. David Lopez Perez, a Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Valencia in Spain, outlined a diverse spectrum of robotic applications. These include urban drones, industrial inspection robots, and humanoid assistants designed to support older adults.

According to Lopez Perez, for these machines to operate effectively in complex human environments, they must possess the ability to reason, plan, and coordinate. This level of autonomy requires robust supporting infrastructure, including:

  • Digital twin models of physical environments
  • Advanced intelligent systems
  • Future 6G networks to handle massive data flows

He also emphasized that interoperability and standardization remain absolutely essential to ensure these diverse systems can communicate and operate safely across different sectors.

Digital Twins in Global Health: Preventing Pandemics

The application of digital twins is also proving crucial in public health and epidemiology. Nils Stenseth, a Member of Academia Europaea and Professor at the University of Oslo, demonstrated how advanced data modeling can address global health crises. Stenseth described a digital twin model that utilizes air travel data to simulate and explore how to prevent local epidemics from escalating into global pandemics.

This predictive approach relies heavily on:

  • Multisource data integration
  • Advanced digital technologies
  • A highly coordinated global surveillance network

By simulating pathogen spread through digital twins, public health officials can test intervention strategies virtually before deploying them in the physical world, showcasing how interdisciplinary technology can safeguard global populations.

Key Outcomes and Future Foresights

The forum served as a launchpad for several major scientific and industrial resources. A key highlight of the opening ceremony was the release of the Top 10 Science and Technology Foresights of 2026. This document identifies critical development areas destined to shape the coming years, including:

  • Artificial intelligence advancements
  • Brain-computer interfaces
  • Space resource development

Alongside these foresights, the forum released an intelligent sensing industry map and other collaborative outcomes. The event featured 12 parallel forums designed to dive deeper into specific technical domains. These sessions focused on intelligent sensing, AI-powered simulation, embodied intelligence, smart manufacturing, green energy, and new-energy vehicles. Through these structured tracks, the 2026 WSTDF demonstrated how international, cross-sectoral cooperation is translating advanced scientific theories into the practical, industrial solutions of the future.