On the morning of October 22, the ONCE Third Open Science Conference and Qunxian Lecture were held at Xiamen University. HUAI Jinpeng, the Minister of Education, and LI Xinghu, the Vice Governor of Fujian Province, delivered opening remarks. SONG Yingdong, President of Harbin Engineering University (HEU), attended the conference and gave a keynote speech at the Forum for Presidents and Academicians on advancing the integrated development of education, science, technology, and talent. Professor JIAO Nianzhi, the chief scientist of ONCE, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a professor at Xiamen University, conferred the title of Honorary Fellow of ONCE on President SONG Yingdong and several other domestic and international experts.

The conference focused on integrating marine science and humanities education, aiming to enhance recognition of the value of marine science popularization and talent cultivation. It sought to explore new pathways for marine science education, promote the deep integration of marine scientific innovation with socio-economic development, and foster talents with both scientific literacy and a humanistic spirit. The goal was to provide new impetus and direction for disseminating scientific knowledge and educational reform, injecting fresh energy into social development.

During the forum session, President SONG Yingdong emphasized that ONCE serves as an important platform supporting the integration of education, science, and talent. He highlighted the need to leverage the significant role of ONCE fully. Specifically, he stated:

We should strengthen basic research by investigating the scientific principles governing the interaction between ship carbon emissions and ocean carbon cycles in the context of carbon neutrality. This includes rapidly promoting technological innovations for low-carbon and zero-carbon ships, thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry.

We need to develop a new educational system that establishes an interdisciplinary framework encompassing ship design, energy technology, marine environment, and climate change. This will help create a comprehensive model for cultivating internationally leading talents.

ONCE should build an international team, actively fostering and assembling professionals with a global perspective who are familiar with international research standards and capable of making significant contributions on the international stage.

Currently, HEU has officially joined the Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions initiative. In the future, HEU will actively integrate into the ONCE framework in key areas at the forefront of global science and technology, driving socio-economic development. The university will engage in high-level scientific research, cultivate and attract top-tier scientific talent, and enhance its capacity to build international consensus and foster cooperative innovation.