On August 1, the China Symposium on Polar Science 2026 — the largest and most authoritative national comprehensive academic conference in the field of polar science — opened in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. The conference was hosted by the Polar Research Institute of China and the Chinese Oceanographic Society, and co-organized by SEU and the Nantong Municipal People’s Government, with the theme of “Towards the Fifth International Polar Year (IPY5): New Technologies and Frontier Science.” Experts and scholars from national ministries, key domestic universities, research institutes, central and state-owned enterprises, and relevant institutes in Nantong gathered together to exchange academic achievements and discuss industrial collaboration, contributing to the higher-quality development of China’s polar scientific expedition endeavors. On the same day, the Strategic Advisory Committee for Major Infrastructure Development in Polar Extreme Environments, initiated and established under the support of SEU, was officially inaugurated.
SEU President Sun Youhong attended the conference and delivered a special academic report. Zhang Tong, Mayor of Nantong; He Kaitao, Deputy Director-general of the Department of Science and Technology Development of the Ministry of Natural Resources; Liu Zhaowei, Deputy Party Secretary of the Polar Expedition Office of the State Oceanic Administration; and Zhong Wenqi, SEU Vice President, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches respectively.
In his invited report titled “Progress in Scientific Drilling Technology and Engineering Research for Antarctic Subglacial Lakes,” Sun Youhong clarified the scientific objectives of Antarctic subglacial lake research and systematically reviewed the domestic and international technological development trends in subglacial lake scientific drilling. He highlighted the key technological breakthroughs and engineering progress achieved in China’sQilin Subglacial Lake drilling experiment. He also proposed follow-up implementation plans and future development concepts for theQilin Subglacial Lake scientific drilling project, providing important technical support for subglacial lake scientific exploration and leading the continued advancement of studies in this field.
In her speech, Zhang Tong stated that hosting the conference in Nantong represents a significant opportunity for the city to serve the national strategies for maritime and polar power development. Nantong will make every effort to provide comprehensive service guarantees, deepen university-local government collaboration through the conference, and jointly promote the establishment of major innovation platforms such as simulation experimental facilities under extreme polar conditions and ocean exploration vessels. The city will chart a course from a higher starting point and along a broader channel, gathering resources from all parties to tackle core polar technologies, and jointly promote the higher-quality development of China's polar endeavors.
In his speech, He Kaitao expressed his hope that researchers would leverage this conference to deepen collaborative innovation in polar scientific research and accelerate the commercialization and application of cutting-edge polar research achievements.
Liu Zhaowei stated that the Polar Expedition Office would continue to coordinate and advance scientific expedition missions in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and thoroughly implement the various arrangements for the Fifth International Polar Year.
Zhong Wenqi stated that SEU would consider this annual conference a bond to continue its efforts in polar talent cultivation, key technology breakthroughs, and major facility construction, contributing more SEU's wisdom and strength to refine China's action plan for the Fifth International Polar Year and accelerate the development of a polar power.
The conference featured fifteen parallel thematic forums and over 100 oral academic presentations, covering a full spectrum of research directions including the polar cryosphere, marine geology, climate change, intelligent scientific expedition equipment, polar clean energy, and polar strategic law and governance. The main plenary session was chaired by Zhang Beichen, Director of the Polar Research Institute of China. Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering — Li Jiabiao, Liu Jiaping (Chair of Southeast University’s Academic Committee), and Wang Yanghua (Foreign Academician of CAE) — along with Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences — Jian Zhimin, Guo Lei, and Sun Hongbin — attended the conference.
Several major achievements were released at the conference. Among them, the “2026 Polar Science Shared Data Catalog” was officially published. Multiple academicians delivered significant invited reports, collectively presenting a series of landmark technological breakthroughs and original research achievements in fields such as Antarctic drilling, plate dynamics, paleoclimate evolution, unmanned expedition systems, and polar zero-carbon energy.
Since its inaugural session in 2005, the China Symposium onPolar Science has been held for 21 consecutive sessions. The conference consistently features diverse exchange formats including invited academician reports, sub-forum thematic discussions, and research achievement exchanges. It continuously showcases the phased achievements made by China's Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, identifies frontier research directions in the polar field, and coordinates collaborative innovation across multiple domains of polar science, engineering, and strategy.
Source: SEU News Network
Translated by: Melody Zhang
Edited by: Leah Li
