On 15^th-16^th October, 2018, the third Sino-German forum on green chemistry and functional materials, co-sponsored by Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI), Chinese Academy of Sciences，Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS), ShanghaiTech University and ICT Innovation, was solemnly held in Shanghai. The Sino-German forum on green chemistry and functional materials is aimed to establish a communication platform for green technology and solution. In particular, with the support of government, it will promote the effective integration of industry, academic research and financial investment, and forms the corresponding technological alliances. Thereby, it will propel and implement the low-carbon technological innovation and solutions, and accelerate major technological demonstrations and industrial cooperation between China and Germany, and even Europe.

The forum was chaired by Professor Yuhan Sun, director of the CAS Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Conversion Science and Engineering. Relevant leaders of National Natural Science Foundation Committee, Shanghai Science and Technology Committee (STCSM), SARI and Songjiang District Science and Technology Commission also attended the forum. The forum attracted multinational enterprises such as Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Total, BASF, Sabic, Air Products, Air Liquide, Siemens, Voith, and domestic energy companies such as Petro China, Sinopec, Cnooc, Shenhua, Angang, Shanxi Coal, Lu’An Group, Yangquan Coal, Huayi Group, Donghua Science and Technology, PJCHEM and Jupeng Bio, and other financial institutions such as Shanghai Alliance Investment and Green Technology Bank. There were more than 40 participating units and more than 150 delegates.

Guoqing Fu, deputy director of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, pointed out that achieving high-quality green sustainable development and building an environment-friendly society is one of the major themes in today's world. China's new chemical materials industry is facing challenges of environmental protection and industrial transformation and upgrading. The top experts and scholars from China and Germany gathered in the Sino-German forum, and it not only provided a platform for low-carbon and green chemistry, but also brought forward-looking and creative ideas. The forum played an important role in promoting new fields and modes of Sino-German cooperation in the new era. Academician Xi Wang, President of SARI, pointed out that the world was entering a new energy era, and low-carbon green sustainable development was the general trend. Shanghai Advanced Research Institute worked with Fraunhofer Institute to provide solutions for related industries in China and Germany. Since 2016, the two countries have held forums to provide opportunities for domestic and foreign enterprises to exchange and share relevant experience in green chemistry and functional materials. More importantly, it begins to form strategic industrial alliances for the two countries.

          The forum mainly discussed two important topics of "catalytic process of high value-added chemicals" and "conversion of clean energy". Academician Xinhe Bao, Professor Bernd Meyer, Professor Yuhan Sun and Professor Ralf Wehrspohn were invited to give scientific and strategic reports, respectively. Fourteen well-known experts and scholars from Peking University, Fudan University, East China Normal University, ShanghaiTech University, Dalian Institute of Chemicals, SARI and RWE made thematic reports. In addition, the forum arranged a discussion link for company cooperation. ICT Innovation, CNOOC, Shaanxi Coal, Lu’An Group, Yangquan Coal and other enterprises introduced the development situation and future strategy. Chinese and German experts and enterprise representatives positively launched the intense discussion on the current problems and challenges of low-carbon green sustainable development of chemical materials industry, and also discussed the possibility of international cooperation.

          Another feature of the forum was the tight integration of science and technology between SARI and ShanghaiTech University, which lay the foundation for collaborative innovation cooperation between industry, university and research institutes. It was of great significance to promote interdisciplinary cooperation, strengthen international cooperation as well as to promote the development of low-carbon fields.