From August 19^th to 20^th, 2023, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Harbin Engineering University, the 13^th Science and Technology Progress Forum and the Academic Annual Conference of the Technical Innovation Professional Committee of the China Association for Science of Science and S&T Policy (2023) were held at our university. The conference was sponsored by Science & Technology Progress and Policy Magazine, the Technical Innovation Professional Committee of the China Association for Science of Science and S&T Policy, and the School of Economics and Management at Harbin Engineering University, with the assistance of the Heilongjiang Regional Innovation-Driven Development Research Center and the Chinese Industry-University-Research Cooperation Issues Research Center at Wuhan University.

The theme of this forum is “Enabling sustainable development through digital technology innovation”, with the aim of providing new ideas for solving global problems, achieving sustainable development, supporting the construction of modernization with Chinese characteristics, and building a platform for communication and cooperation between government, industry, academia, and research. The conference included an opening ceremony, 10 keynote speeches, 9 sub-forums, a dean forum, a young scholars roundtable, an academic salon for paper submission and enterprise visits. The two-day event invited more than 350 leaders, renowned experts, and young scholars from over 40 sister universities, including Tsinghua University, University of Science and Technology of China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhejiang Gongshang University. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor CHEN Heng, Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Harbin Engineering University.

At the opening ceremony, Professor GAO Wanxin, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee at Harbin Engineering University, expressed that Harbin Engineering University is a university with a glorious military tradition, profound cultural heritage, and distinctive educational characteristics. In recent years, the university has attached great importance to the development of economic and management disciplines, strengthened top-level design, and focused on connotation construction. The forum was honored to have invited experts and scholars well-known in the domestic science and technology management field to present wonderful reports and engage in in-depth discussions on the theory and practice of digital technology innovation and sustainable development from different perspectives and levels. He looked forward to all experts and scholars attending the conference to share their minds and exchange ideas, and make a new and greater contribution to supporting the university to build the first-class economic and management discipline and the national economic and social development.

Professor CHEN Jin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association for Science Studies and Science and Technology Policy Research, expressed warm congratulations on the 70th anniversary of Harbin Engineering University during his speech. He pointed out that “Smart Technology Innovation Empowers Sustainable Development” is a theme that closely follows the times, caters to the needs of the people, and aligns with national strategies. We are currently in an era of accelerating technological revolution and industrial transformation, where smartization has become an important driving force for social progress, economic growth, ecological protection, and improvement of people’s livelihoods. Smart technology innovation involves multiple fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. It features cross-disciplinary integration, open collaboration, and inclusive sharing, providing new ideas and means to address global issues and achieve sustainable development.

In his speech, XIAO Song, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hubei Provincial Institute of Scientific and Technological Information and President of Science and Technology Progress and Policy Magazine, stated that the theme of this forum is in line with the background of era development and the requirements of the new era. Sustainable development is a common goal pursued by all mankind. Currently, the digital economy, which relies on technology and data as key elements, is flourishing, and digital technology is profoundly changing the ways of production and social governance. Smart technology innovation is becoming an important driving force for sustainable development. It is hoped that through this forum, everyone can gain new knowledge and inspiration, make friends, exchange thoughts, enhance cooperation, promote academic prosperity, comprehensively deepen the theoretical and policy practices of technology innovation in the smart era to promote sustainable development, actively explore new methods and paths, and contribute wisdom to the construction of innovation theory of China.

On August 19^th, 10 keynote speeches were delivered at the conference, including Professor XUE Lan from Tsinghua University with the keynote speech “The Growing Pains: New Situations and Challenges of Science and Technology Innovation System in China”; Professor LIU Xielin from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences with “Problem-Oriented Science and Breakthrough Innovations”; Professor CHEN Jin from Tsinghua University with “Technological Innovation in the Era of Intelligenc”; President WANG Yonggui from Zhejiang Gongshang University with the keynote speech “Dual-edge Effects of Knowledge Hidden in the Digital Era”; Professor ZHANG Yuhua from the University of Science and Technology of China with “Enterprise Technological Innovation System and Innovation Chain”; Professor CHEN Kaihua from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences with “Reflections on Innovative Development and Management Reform in the Digital Background”; Vice General Manager WANG Fuwei from Harbin Dongan Automotive Power Co., Ltd. with the keynote speech “Practice and Reflection on Intelligent Manufacturing Factory”; Secretary-General CHEN Guang from the Chinese Association for Science Studies and Science and Technology Policy Research with “Development and Reflection of Science and Technology Societies under the Digital Background”; Assistant to the President YIN Hang from Harbin Engineering University with “Innovation of Business Models for Technology-based Small and Medium-sized Enterprises under the Guidance of Entrepreneurial Investment Funds”; and Associate Director ZHANG Chidong from the Institute of Science and Technology Strategy Consulting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with “Research on Enterprise Innovation Policy System in China: Structure, Characteristics, and Trends”. The session was presided by Professor SU Yi, Party Secretary of the School of Economics and Management, Harbin Engineering University.

On the morning of August 20^th, lively discussions were held at the Qihang Activity Center on nine topics including digital innovation and digital transformation, regional and industrial innovation development, enterprise innovation and specialization, green innovation and development, innovation ecosystem, science and technology innovation management and policies, paper workshop, and doctoral forum.

In the afternoon of August 20^th, a high-level forum for deans was held at the School of Economics and Management of Harbin Engineering University as part of the series of academic forums commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Harbin Engineering University. The theme of the forum was “Talent Cultivation, Think Tank Construction, and Disciplinary Development in the Context of New Liberal Arts”, inviting deans from the school of economics and management of 20 sister universities to explore how to successfully navigate the path of transformation and development faced with new situations, opportunities, and challenges.

In the afternoon of August 20^th, a roundtable forum among young scholar invited 7 experts from universities such as Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and Northeastern University to answer questions and provide guidance to young scholars on the topic of “the Road to Research and Growth for Young Talents”.

In the afternoon of August 20^th, an academic salon for paper submission invited Associate Editor-in-Chief GAO Jianping from the journal Science and Technology Progress and Policy to exchange ideas and provide guidance to young scholars who were interested in submitting papers. GAO Jianping pointed out that since its inception, Science and Technology Progress and Policy has been committed to promoting scientific and technological progress, integrating science and technology with the economy, and has always adhered to academic, contemporary, innovative, and cutting-edge principles. It is dedicated to serving national strategies, leading academic directions, nurturing new academic knowledge, fulfilling social responsibilities, and providing a platform for scientific research to scholars with sincerity and dedication.

The 13^th Science and Technology Progress Forum and the Academic Annual Conference of the Technical Innovation Professional Committee of the China Association for Science of Science and S&T Policy (2023) concluded successfully. The academic exchange atmosphere during the conference was intense, and the participating experts fully utilized their talents and wisdom to openly express their ideas, engage in extensive communication, share experiences, and promote cooperation. This conference injected new energy and provided new insights into empowering sustainable development through digital technology innovation.