On March 30, 2025, the Belt & Road and BRICS Technology Innovation and International Cooperation Forum was grandly inaugurated at the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing. The forum invited over 10 government dignitaries, international academicians, renowned experts, and Fortune Global 500 companies from BRICS countries and nations along the Belt and Road Initiative to attend and deliver reports. More than 200 guests from Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Iran, Bolivia, and China participated in the forum exchanges.
As one of the key actions to implement the Kazan Declaration of BRICS, this forum, themed "Belt & Road and BRICS Technology Innovation Cooperation for Sustainable Development of New Industries and New Quality Productive Forces," featured five keynote speeches and four thematic reports, and released three international practical cooperation outcomes. It powerfully demonstrated the pivotal role of "Innovative BRICS" in advancing global new quality productive forces and international scientific and technological collaboration.
A stellar lineup of distinguished guests from global political, industrial, academic, and research circles jointly mapping out a blueprint for cooperation.
This forum is one of the parallel forums of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference, jointly organized by the Chinese Council of the BRICS Business Council, the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS, and the China Association of Invention.
Yu Jun, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, attended the forum and delivered a speech. In his address, he emphasized the need to solidly advance scientific and technological cooperation, deeply integrate into innovation networks, and continuously build exchange platforms. With a more open attitude and pragmatic measures, he called for constructing an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness.
Fausto Pinato, Chairman of the Brazil-China Parliamentary Front and the Brazil-China Friendship Committee in the Brazilian Congress, delivered a speech on-site. He outlined the vision for technological cooperation between Brazil and China, stating that technological advancement is not merely a goal but a long-term strategic commitment, and the partnership between Brazil and China is becoming increasingly vital.
Luo Hui, Member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the China Association for Science and Technology and Director-General of the Department of International Affairs, as well as Vice President and Co-Secretary-General of the China Alliance of Engineers, pointed out in her speech that engineering science and technology innovation has become a key area in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and a major focus of common interest among BRICS countries. She expressed hope for establishing a cooperation mechanism in the field of engineering technology under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the BRICS cooperation mechanism.
Yu Huarong, Party Secretary, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association of Invention, delivered a speech expressing hope to strengthen technology innovation collaboration, promote talent exchange and mutual learning, improve international cooperation mechanisms, focus on green and inclusive development, and deepen cooperation among BRICS countries and within the Belt and Road Initiative. Frederico Lamego Soares, International Business Director of the Brazil National Confederation of Industry (CNI), and Alina Doskanova, Chair of Russia Chapter of BRICS Business Council Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation Working Group, also delivered speeches respectively. They congratulated the successful hosting of the forum and looked forward to more practical cooperation brought by the BRICS Business Council Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation Working Group to promote innovative BRICS collaboration.
Song Min, Vice President of the China Vocational and Technical Education Association and Vice President of Minzu University of China; Wang Yumin, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Building Material Machinery Association; Zhao Qing, Second-Level Inspector of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Zhongguancun Administrative Committee; Qin Jianzhong, Second-Level Inspector of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce; Rodolfo Fischer, President of the Brazilian Association of Software Companies (ABES); Luis Felipe Miziara Fernandes, Head of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Education Affairs at the Brazilian Embassy in China; Carlos Eduardo, Regional Director of Brazil National Service for Industrial Training(SENAI); and Marco Cabero, President of the Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology, attended the forum.
Wisdom converges, charting the course for the global future.
Five heavyweight guests led by internationally renowned academicians delivered keynote speeches themed on "BRICS+ ' Path to Technology Breakthroughs and Industry Innovation," envisioning humanity's future around technological revolutions, artificial intelligence, and large-scale model applications. Four international experts from Singapore, South Africa, Bolivia, and Indonesia shared their countries' experiences during the special report session titled "BRICS+' Mechanisms and Pathways for Cultivating Outstanding Engineers and Technology Innovation Talents."
Academicians discuss the way forward to propel future technologies onto the global stage
Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, former Vice President of the National University of Singapore, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology, and Fellow of the International Academy of Engineering and Technology, delivered a speech titled "Technology Progress and Industry Transformation Towards 2050." Using global industry transformation as a mirror, he anchored the strategic pivot of the "skills revolution" in the internationalization process of advanced manufacturing. This not only serves as a forward-looking warning about technology iteration but also embodies Eastern wisdom in inspiring talent co-cultivation and paradigm shifts in innovation among BRICS nations.
Member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Honorary Member of the China Association for Science and Technology, Academician of the International Nuclear Energy Academy, Dual-appointment Professor at Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology and Department of Computer Science, President of the Postdoctoral Alumni Association, Fellow of the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence, Director of the Causal and Uncertain Artificial Intelligence Professional Committee, and Advisor of the Smart Healthcare Professional Committee Zhang Qin took clinical diagnosis as an example to elaborate on building a new ecosystem of trustworthy and high-quality healthcare from large models to credible artificial intelligence.
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor of the PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, and expert of the BRICS Business Council, Liu He elaborated on the key applications of large-scale models in the oil and gas industry, proposing that Artificial Intelligence Agents (Agent AI) tailored for specific oil and gas business scenarios represent the future development trend of AI large-scale models in the sector.
Innovation-driven, jointly exploring technological breakthroughs and industrial transformation
Andrey Siling, Executive Director of Russia's National Technology Initiative Platform, proposed strengthening international technological cooperation to create a shared future. Tri Mumpuni Iskandar, Head of the Board of Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency, discussed the path of technological breakthroughs and industrial innovation within BRICS countries. Liu Zhenying, Chair of China Chapter of BRICS Business Council Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation Working Group, and President of the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS, elaborated on the formulation of technical and skills standards, curriculum development, implementation of the skills passport program, organization of the Belt & Road and BRICS Competition of Skills Development and Technology Innovation, establishment of International Training Bases for BRICS Future Technical Skills and Humanities Exchange Talents(BRICS Workshop), development of Belt&Road and BRICS Auditorium of Skills Development and Technology Innovation, hosting of the BRICS Vocational Skills Competition, and the construction of the BRICS+ Alliance of Science and Technology Innovation, all of which contribute to the sustainable development of new quality productivity.
Building Future Competitiveness and Promoting a New Paradigm of BRICS+ Industry-Education Integration
Professor Zhou Wei (Chair of the International Society of Intelligent Manufacturing) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Ms. Mapule Ncanywa Chair of South Africa Chapter of BRICS Business Council Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation Working Group and Director of the Education and Training Authority under the South African Department of Higher Education and Training; and Mr. Marco A. Cabero Z. (President of the Andean Road International Science and Technology Organization) delivered keynote speeches on topics including intelligent manufacturing, transformation of technical and vocational education training, technological innovation collaboration among Belt&Road and BRICS nations, as well as cultivating outstanding engineers and innovative talents. Their insights provided new perspectives for "BRICS+ Excellence in Engineering and Technology Innovation Talent Development," addressing bottlenecks in industry-academia-research-application integration to achieve dual-spiral coupling between talent innovation and industrial development. This approach establishes a talent-centric pivot for sustainable development of new industrialization and productive forces in BRICS+ nations, thereby reshaping resilient competitiveness in the global industrial landscape.
The forum also released the achievements of technology innovation and international practical cooperation under the Belt&Road Initiative and among BRICS countries.
One of the achievements was the launch of the BRICS Technology Platform and the unveiling of the "BRICS+ Alliance of Science and Technology Innovation" . At the forum, the Russian Strategic Initiatives Agency and the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS signed a memorandum of understanding, planning to conduct joint technological research in areas such as smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies, and jointly establish the BRICS New Technology Platform and the "BRICS+ Alliance of Science and Technology Innovation" The construction of the BRICS New Technology Platform is expected to integrate resources from all parties, promote cross-border technology transfer and joint research and development, and provide BRICS countries and related partners with broader opportunities for technological innovation cooperation. Meanwhile, the establishment of the complementary "BRICS+ Alliance of Science and Technology Innovation" platform aims to mobilize more innovative technological forces from BRICS+ countries, tap into the potential of BRICS science and technology innovation collaboration, and ensure that innovation outcomes benefit global sustainable development.
The second achievement was the awarding of the plaque for the International Training Bases for BRICS Future Technical Skills and Humanities Exchange Talents(BRICS Workshop). The release of this outcome marks another significant step forward in talent cultivation and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa. Initiated in 2020, the "International Training Bases for BRICS Future Technical Skills and Humanities Exchange Talents" (also known as "BRICS Workshop") is an international education cooperation project jointly implemented with the Center for International Cultural Exchange under the Ministry of Education. As a mature brand integrating industry and education, it has yielded fruitful results. Over 90 base projects, jointly established by domestic and international vocational institutions and enterprises, are systematically carrying out a series of collaborations, including training programs, certification, standardization coordination, and skills passport initiatives. To date, the the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS has signed more than 30 memorandums of understanding with local governments, universities, and relevant institutions in South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Bolivia, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries. This plaque-awarding ceremony formalizes the international localization training program for technical and skilled talents between Chinese technology enterprises and South Africa, further advancing international industry-education integration and supporting the global expansion of enterprises and vocational education.
The third achievement is the launch of the BRICS+ Future Skills and Technology Innovation Talent Development Program. This outcome includes the 2025 Belt & Road and BRICS Competition of Skills Development and Technology Innovation, as well as the 2025 BRICS Skills Competition, with over 200 attendees witnessing the launch ceremonies of these two events. It is reported that the first batch of the 2025 Belt & Road and BRICS Competition of Skills Development and Technology Innovation has already registered more than 180 events, primarily focusing on Industry 4.0-driven smart manufacturing, digital technology skills, and future technology skills. In addition to the China International Competition, South Africa International Competition, Brazil Technology Innovation Competition, Russia International Competition, and Xiamen International Competition, this year will also feature newly added ASEAN International Competition, Central Asia International Competition, and Middle East International Competition, expected to attract over 200,000 young technical and vocational talents from home and abroad. The 2025 BRICS Skills Competition has currently registered more than 30 events, mainly concentrating on high-end manufacturing, digital economy, emerging industries, new business models, and new technologies, particularly in key areas such as advanced manufacturing and information technology. It will further promote technological innovation and application, driving deeper integration of technology and industry among participating countries.
Liu Zhenying, Chair of China Chapter of BRICS Business Council Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation Working Group and President of the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS , stated while chairing the forum: Zhongguancun is not only China's innovation hub but will also become a "super node" for innovation and technology collaboration among BRICS+ countries. He looks forward to more Chinese enterprises and institutions making full use of the Belt &Road and BRICS technology innovation platforms to actively engage in practical international cooperation.
This forum, with its high-level organizational structure, prominent highlights, and fruitful outcomes, has once again established a high-level, comprehensive platform for exchange and cooperation in technological innovation among Belt&Road and BRICS countries. It has vigorously propelled the new industries and new quality productive forces of Belt&Road and BRICS+ nations toward a new journey of sustainable development, while also adding a vibrant international dimension to the Zhongguancun Forum.
The forum concurrently held the Standing Council (Expanded) Meeting of the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS, as well as the promotional conference for the Belt & Road and BRICS Competition of Skills Development and Technology Innovation.
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