On the morning of May 18, the 2024 Shanghai Science Festival kicked off at the Zhangjiang Science Hall in Pudong. Gong Xingao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Key Laboratory of Computational Material Science of the Ministry of Education at Fudan University, walked on the "red carpet" and walked on the "Metaverse Science Red Carpet" for the first time.

He is not only a senior computational condensed matter physicist, academician, Xie Xide Distinguished Professor of the Department of Physics at Fudan University, but also a Shanghai education contributor and a school principal.

Previously, The Paper interviewed Academician Gong Xingao on basic research, the South Australian Science Conference (referred to as the "South Australian Conference"), and university student education.

"There is Xiangshan in the north and Nan'ao in the south." The Nan'ao Science Conference, initiated and organized by Academician Gong Xingao, is benchmarked against the Xiangshan Science Conference.

Three years ago, on April 7, 2021, he took office as the president of Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (TEIIT), China's only Sino-foreign cooperative university in science and engineering.

In September 2023, he was awarded the title of " Shanghai Education Meritorious Contributor ".

Academician Gong Xingao said that he had an observation: there are two things rooted in Israel’s education model: curiosity and tolerance of failure.

"Why is the latter important? An Israeli professor once asked me, 'How many of the things you do every day are successful?' Hua Luogeng also said that you must have the courage to make mistakes. When you have made all the mistakes, you will find the answer in the end. But many people do not have this courage or guts."

At the 2024 Shanghai Science and Technology Festival, Gong Xingao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Key Laboratory of Computational Material Science of the Ministry of Education at Fudan University, walked onto the "Metaverse Science Red Carpet".

To encourage scientific researchers to take the bench, we must first improve the relevant mechanisms

For some time, "basic research" has been a "hot word" mentioned by many people.

Is this too much?

Gong Xingao doesn't think so. Basic research is the source of innovation. "Without basic research, how can you innovate?" he said.

He is engaged in research on computational condensed matter physics, which belongs to the field of basic research. Specifically, it includes molecular dynamics methods and their applications, theoretical research on the physical properties of nanosystems, design and calculation of new energy materials, and structural and dynamic properties of surfaces and interfaces.

He was born in Changsha County, Hunan Province in June 1962. He served as a research intern, assistant researcher, associate researcher and researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1985 to 2005. He has been a professor at the Department of Physics, Fudan University since 2000. He has been the director of the Key Laboratory of Computational Material Science, Ministry of Education since 2009. He received the National Outstanding Youth Fund in 1999 and was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017.

He told The Paper that the term "basic research" has indeed been mentioned many times in recent years, but from a certain perspective, it is still not enough. Specifically, China's investment in basic research is insufficient. Basic research funding in developed countries accounts for 16% to 18% of the country's total scientific research expenditure, but in China, this proportion has only reached about 6% in recent years. "So in a sense, our basic research is still not enough."

Academician Gong Xingao also said that investment in scientific research is related to economic development, "We must fill our stomachs first." "We have made some money through decades of reform and opening up by doing manual labor, but later, we must have fundamental breakthroughs in basic research to compete with others. Therefore, basic research is indeed an area that China must vigorously improve and strengthen."

He said that the core characteristics of basic research are, on the one hand, new knowledge, and on the other hand, talent. Many talents can be cultivated in the process of basic research exploration.

Regarding encouraging researchers to sit on the bench, Academician Gong Xingao believes that first of all, the relevant mechanism should be improved and there should be a bench. "Now in many places, you have to say goodbye after working for a few years, 'either get promoted or leave'! If you can't get promoted, your salary won't increase, and your wife will make trouble for you. This is a problem of system and mechanism."

Gong Xingao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of the Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, delivered a speech at the 8th South Australian Science Conference held in January 2024. The theme of this seminar was "New Science Brought by Artificial Intelligence" (Science via AI, SCIviaAI).

Launch a more "magical" South Australian science conference to attract talents and gather energy

The South Australian Science Conference focuses on cutting-edge basic research and academic exchanges, and is planned to be held 6 to 8 times a year; and requires that a considerable proportion of the participating experts be young scholars under the age of 45.

One of its secretariat and organizing units is Guangdong Institute of Technology, of which Academician Gong Xingao is the president.

"The Xiangshan Conference may be the longest-running scientific conference in China. It is held to discuss and establish a certain project, but our conference is entirely about basic research. People in the industry call the Xiangshan Conference the 'Gods' Conference', and our Nan'ao Conference may be even more 'godly' than the Xiangshan Conference," said Gong Xingao.

He explained that the Xiangshan Science Conference requires the formulation of recommendations for a certain project, which is generally for the purpose of applying to relevant national departments for project approval and scientific research funding. "But ours is absolutely a 'fight between gods'. The discussion time we designed is much longer than the report time. We are doing this 'fight between gods' to solve a certain scientific problem, so we are less constrained."

On February 8, 2023, the Nan'ao Science Conference was launched and its first meeting was held in Nan'ao County, Shantou City, Guangdong Province.

The conference was hosted by the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province and the People's Government of Shantou City, and co-organized by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund Committee and Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The 20 academicians and more than 60 experts and scholars from various fields who attended the first meeting of the South Australian Science Conference were called an unprecedented high-level "academician group" in the local area.

Regarding the origin of the South Australia Science Conference, Academician Gong Xingao said that first of all, China needs such a platform for basic research exchanges. Basic research has its own characteristics. It faces completely unknown things and requires people to have a collision of ideas. "Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang. This kind of intense discussion is needed."

Secondly, Shantou needs such a platform.

Academician Gong Xingao said that through this platform, many well-known scholars and experts have been attracted and gathered, and more talents, resources and opportunities can be brought to Shantou. Shantou's high-tech industry has not yet taken shape and formed a system. "I hope to build something like a small Silicon Valley," creating some technology platforms to drive Shantou's technology industry and planning, and encourage school professors to set up some technology companies, helping foreign technology talents to take root, sprout, blossom and bear fruit in Shantou. I believe it will promote the development of Shantou's technology industry and economy.

In addition, he said that Shantou people are very smart and capable, but they need a stage. "The purpose of hosting the South Australia Science Conference is to give the outstanding Chaoshan people another reason to return home."

In the first year of the launch of the South Australian Science Conference, eight meetings were successfully held, attracting more than 200 experts and scholars to discuss topics such as basic research, quantum materials and regulation, and efficient integration of optoelectronics, gathering wisdom and strength to promote the development of related fields. In 2024, "New Science Brought by Artificial Intelligence" (Science via AI) and other topics have become hot topics among experts.

Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is currently the only Sino-foreign university in China that specializes in science and engineering.

A research university that inspires students' potential

Academician Gong Xingao is the second president of Guangdong Institute of Technology.

Guangteng Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) is a Sino-foreign cooperative university with independent legal personality jointly run by the world-renowned higher education institution Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and Shantou University (STU).

"This is a very good school." "It is not easy for people from two different cultural backgrounds to sit together and run a university." Gong Xingao said that these are two very robust cultures with strong "personalities". The running-in process lasted for four or five years, and now there are basically no obvious conflicts. "I have worked in Chinese universities, and I know that the conflicts within other universities may be even greater than this."

Guangdong Institute of Technology is a research university.

Why do we need research universities? Academician Gong Xingao said that students feel different in such schools. In teaching universities, classes are held in teaching laboratories. "Our students are very busy after class. They have to go to the laboratory to see what is done in cutting-edge academic research. They want to gain experience! They start to participate in specific scientific research projects in their second year. Students with this kind of experience have different innovative abilities." "We clearly write it in the contract that our professors spend 40% of their time on teaching and the rest on research. This is a difference between research universities and teaching universities."

Academician Gong Xingao said that China's research universities have a very short history. In fact, they only appeared after the "985" project. At that time, the country made large-scale investments in university research projects.

Here, the improvement in students' grades and abilities is beyond his imagination. He shared a recent experience. While he was having a meal in the cafeteria, a student came up and asked, "Principal, can I have dinner with you?"

On July 10, 2023, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) held its third graduation ceremony. Professor Gong Xingao, President of GTIIT and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a message to the graduates: Carry wisdom and tenacity, and write a life answer sheet of courage and perseverance.

"You can tell at first glance that this kind of student is very good, right? Most students are very afraid of the principal. I said, of course you are welcome. After sitting down, he formally introduced himself, saying which grade he was in and which major he was in. I asked him how his college entrance examination results were. He said that he failed the first time and his father asked him to go home and start a business. He refused. The next year, he was admitted to Guangdong Institute of Technology with the lowest score. In the first three months, he couldn't understand the lessons at all. We taught in English. He could not finish copying notes every day from morning to 11 o'clock at night. After three months, he began to understand. Why did he work so hard? He said that his father didn't want him to come to school. But he had to study hard. Now he is the first in the grade. He is very busy, doing social work, laboratory work, and helping younger students. Such a child will really become a talent in the future, with a broad vision and strong ability. This is the value of our existence at Guangdong Institute of Technology." said Gong Xingao.

On May 15, 2024, the photo exhibition "Explore the Beauty of the Microcosm and Seek Scientific Adventures" was officially opened in the exhibition hall on the first floor of the teaching building of the North Campus of Guangdong Israel Institute of Technology.