On April 20, the Inaugural Meeting of the First Academic Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Dynamics-Physical Environment and Intelligent Sensing (hereinafter referred to as “the Laboratory”) was held in Qingdao. 

President Zhang Junfeng pointed out that marine science has long been one of OUC’s strongest and most distinctive disciplines and that the university shoulders an important mission in serving China’s endeavor to become a strong maritime country. In recent years, OUC has achieved a series of breakthroughs and landmark results in marine science and technology innovation that have laid a solid foundation for the Laboratory’s development. Going forward, the university will take the Laboratory’s development as a key lever to advance marine science and technology innovation and talent training. Together with Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences) and the Institute of Oceanographic Instrumentation (Shandong Academy of Sciences), OUC will strive to build the Laboratory into a world-class center for cutting-edge marine science and technology research and a base for cultivating top innovative talent, thus providing strong strategic support for building China into a strong maritime country and a strong country in education.

Prof. Duan Peiyong, President of Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), noted that the university has actively advanced the development of marine-related disciplines, stepped up efforts to tackle key technologies in the marine field, and made breakthroughs in critical bottleneck technologies, including marine sensor technologies and instruments, marine observation technologies and equipment, and marine big data and information processing. He added that the university will work hand in hand with OUC, make sustained efforts to build major national science and technology facilities in the marine field, create a highland for marine talent, and promote international cooperation in the marine sector, so as to strengthen and develop the Laboratory and make new and greater contributions to building both a strong maritime nation and a strong maritime province.

Academician Wu Lixin, Director of Lao Laboratory, remarked that the approval of the Laboratory marks the deep integration of the country’s leading research strengths in the fields of environment and sensing. National key laboratories, he stressed, are an important component of the national strategic science and technology power. He hoped the Laboratory would work closely with Laoshan Laboratory’s major missions and tasks, stay true to its clearly defined mission, keep a firm grasp of its position, explore innovative management mechanisms, and achieve high-quality development.

The committee members and guests in attendance fully recognized the remarkable results the Laboratory has achieved in research output, team building, talent training, platform development, international cooperation, and operations management. They also held in-depth discussions on the Laboratory’s future development and put forward valuable suggestions.