On August 26, 2025, the 6th China New Materials Industry Development Conference Forum Chairs Meeting was successfully held at the Beijing Railway Hotel in Beijing. The meeting focused on national development strategies and served as a high-level sectorial event that combined academic exchange with practical insights. Attendees included Academician Wei Bingbo, President of the Chinese Materials Research Society, Professor Zhang Zengzhi, Secretary-General of the Chinese Materials Research Society, as well as chairs or secretaries-general of various sub-forums. The meeting was presided over by Secretary-General Zhang Zengzhi.

As a strategic and fundamental industry, the new materials sector plays a critical role in global technological competition and the enhancement of national comprehensive strength. Amid the current wave of rapid transformation and upgrading of the global new materials industry, China’s new materials industry is encountering numerous opportunities while also facing severe challenges. Having evolved through five previous editions, the China New Materials Industry Development Conference has become a premier platform for experts, scholars, and enterprise representatives from around the world to gather. It has played an irreplaceable and active role in publicise the deep integration of "industry-academia-research-application" in the field of new materials and driving technological innovation in the industry.

At the meeting, Academician Wei Bingbo delivered an important speech, providing guidance for the preparations of the 6th China New Materials Industry Development Conference from a global perspective and the strategic height of national development. Professor Zhang Zengzhi provided a detailed update on the overall preparation progress of the conference and the comprehensive upgrades in conference services. Chairs or secretaries-general of the sub-forums sequentially reported on their preparation progress, covering key information such as expected attendance, venue requirements, and plans for sub-forum exchanges. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on how to help China’s new materials industry gain a competitive edge in the global arena and enhance its international influence in the field. Topics ranged from breakthroughs in cutting-edge new materials R&D to accelerating the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, as well as strengthening international cooperation and exchanges and building a robust industrial ecosystem. Many constructive opinions and suggestions were put forward.

The successful convening of this Forum Chairs Meeting not only further consolidated the efforts of all parties and clarified the priorities for subsequent preparations but also laid a solid foundation for the upcoming conference, which will be held from October 11 to 13 at the Guilin International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangxi.

The conference will focus on seven critical areas: key foundational materials, key energy materials, key information materials, biomedical materials, materials for daily necessities (clothing, food, housing, and transportation), environmental engineering materials, and safety engineering materials. It will emphasize major breakthroughs in frontier new materials, new industry trends, and novel application scenarios. Against the backdrop of the accelerating evolution of a new global technological revolution and industrial transformation, the conference will inject strong momentum into the development of China’s new materials industry and the global new materials sector. It will effectively promote collaboration among nations to explore more innovative achievements in the field of new materials, contributing wisdom and strength to the grand goal of building a "strong materials nation."