The fifth Shanghai Academician Summit opens on Dec 1. [Photo/ eastday.com]

The fifth Shanghai Academician Summit, which opened on Dec 1, saw experts sharing opinions on how technology has, and will drive industry innovation in areas such as urban planning, manufacturing and medicine.

Wen Zuliang, secretary of Pudong New Area said that talents are the ultimate fountain of innovation. Pudong is now endeavoring to attract talent from around the world. Zhangjiang town, for example, is developing into a hub for science and technology. At present over 70 projects there have kickstarted.

Hang Yingwei, chief of Pudong New Area, highly appreciated the summit as a platform for experts to share ideas and discuss academic issues. He added that Pudong will focus on the development of Zhangjiang Technology city and Lingang area, and improvement of the industry's supply chain.

Zhang Jie, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, talked about innovation and Shanghai's industry layout. He said Shanghai should seize the opportunities in industry revolution, and importance should be attached to key industries such as intelligent manufacturing, precise bio-medical sciences and e-finance and trade.

Qian Xuhong, an academician from the East China University of Science and Technology, shared his ideas on the development of Shanghai's industries. And Zhou Zhenhua, a member of the Shanghai Political Consultative Conference gave a detailed analysis of Shanghai's advantages and disadvantages in industry innovation by comparing it with some of the world's major cities.

At the parallel session in the afternoon, experts discussed innovation in industries with high growth potential.

At the first session, "Developing New Materials, Advancing Manufacturing", Prof. Ding Wenjiang of Shanghai Jiaotong University evaluated future prospects for magnesium alloy; Prof. Yu Muhuo of Donghua University and Luo Haosu, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics，Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced new materials in their field of research and demonstrated how to apply them in different industries.

At the second session, "Precise Medical Treatment", academician Chen Kaixian, president of the Association for Science and Technology, and academician Wang Hongyang, both who study liver cancer, discussed the future of precise medical treatment and market opportunities in this area. Chen said Pudong should seize opportunities in industry innovation and plan for the future.

In the third session, "Global and Intelligent City", Prof. Zheng Shiling of Tongji University showed a picture, "Shanghai 2035", sharing his imagination of the city of the future.