On September 12, 2025, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Tianjin University jointly convened the 2025 Symposium on the Sustainable Development International Cooperation (SDIC) Science Program. The symposium was organized by NSFC’s Bureau of International Cooperation and hosted by the College of Earth System Science at Tianjin University. NSFC Vice president, Prof. Lan Yujie attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

Prof. Lan Yujie opened the meeting by noting that guided by the the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, NSFC has built a global innovation network, signing cooperation agreements with research funding organizations in 28 Belt and Road partner countries. NSFC launched the Sustainable Development International Cooperation (SDIC) Science Program in 2022 to support collaborative research and exchanges between scientists from China and neighboring countries along the Belt and Road. Since then, 100 cultivation and key projects have been funded, with partners covering 45 countries worldwide, establishing a new paradigm of international scientific collaboration characterized by shared resources and outcomes.

Prof. Lan emphasized that international S&T cooperation now is undergoing profound transformation with distinct trends of moving from "decentralized exploration" to “systematic integration”, and from "technological competition" to “survival priorities”. He expressed his hope that scientists participating in this symposium would take the opportunity to focus on strategic directions for sustainable human development, engage in cross-project and interdisciplinary dialogues, conduct intellectual exchanges, foster innovative consensus, and contribute China's strength to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and jointly addressing global challenges.

Prof. Liu Congqiang, Chair of the SDIC Scientific Expert Group, elaborated on the program’s scientific themes, objectives, priority funding areas, and implementation strategies. He called on participating experts to engage in in-depth dialogues, pool wisdom, and jointly jointly shape a global science agenda that focuses human survival challenges and addresses pressing global crises—such as climate change, resource depletion, and ecosystem collapse—that threaten the survival of humanity as a whole. He further urged collaborative transdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and intercultural efforts to systematically advance sustainable human development.

Dr. Fan Yingjie, Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation of the NSFC, reported on the policy background, program positioning, and funding outcomes since the implementation of the SDIC program. Dr. Fan also provided an overview of the discussions and expert consensus reached during the 419th NSFC Shuangqing Forum on sustainable development.

The symposium had two parallel thematic sessions: Earth System Processes and Sustainable Development. Principal investigators of ongoing projects presented comprehensive updates on the scientific progress, key outcomes, and future work plans since their projects’ initiation. Through collaborative discussions, participating experts refined critical scientific challenges related to human-environment interactions and sustainable development within the Belt and Road region. The symposium also served as a platform to collectively propose strategic recommendations for the next phase of implementation of the SDIC program.

Prof. Yang Xianjin, Party Secretary of Tianjin University, attended the opening ceremony. The symposium also brought together over 100 participants, including expert panel members, including Yu Guirui from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ouyang Zhiyun from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhang Linxiu from the United Nations Environment Programme. Staff from NSFC’s Bureau of International Cooperation attended this meeting.