The 2026 World Laureates Forum is scheduled to take place in Shanghai from October 30 to November 1. The event will feature 33 winners of prestigious international awards, including Nobel, Turing, Wolf, and Fields prizes, alongside 139 senior scientists and 81 young researchers.
Organized by the China Association for Science and Technology, the forum adopts a 1+6+4+1 structure, comprising an opening ceremony, six parallel sessions, four thematic events, and a closing ceremony. The agenda focuses on the theme of paradigm shifts and the next decade of scientific breakthroughs.
The 2026 World Laureates Prize will be awarded during the opening ceremony. The list of 11 winners, announced on September 10, includes Shao Feng, the first Chinese recipient of the award, who was recognized in the Life Science or Medicine category alongside Yuan Junying, Wang Xiaodong, and Vishva Dixit.
Keynote speakers include 2025 Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi, academician Hu Hailan, Fields medalist Laurent Lafforgue, and CATL founder Zeng Yuqun. This marks the first time industry leaders are sharing the stage with top award winners to discuss the integration of basic science and industrial needs.
Parallel sessions will cover semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, aerospace, energy, and quantum science. These sessions aim to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application, with the aerospace forum specifically addressing the transition to large-scale operations.
A new joint academic committee, co-chaired by Zhang Jie and Nicholas Dirks, has been established to oversee the forum's agenda and guest selection. The event has received 132 research paper submissions across the six featured scientific fields.
