From August 23 to 25, 2026, the Symposium on Chemical Sensors and Functional Molecular Materials: Industry-Academia-Research-Application Collaboration was held in Xi’an. The event was organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials and co-hosted by the Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials at Shaanxi Normal University and the Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials at Xi’an Jiaotong University. More than 150 delegates from various regions across the country and different industries attended the conference.

On August 24, delegates attended the opening ceremony, which was presided over by Prof. Ding Liping, who also delivered opening remarks. During the presentation session, Prof. Liu Shengzhong from Shaanxi Normal University delivered a report titled “Interfacial Chemistry of Perovskite Optoelectronic Devices”; Shen Yuehua, general manager of Ningxia Huiyi Biotechnology Co., Ltd., gave an entrepreneurial talk titled “Diligent Study as the Foundation of One’s Life: The Unity of Knowledge and Action”; and Liu Lianzhu, executive director of medicinal chemistry at Sironax Biotechnology Co., Ltd., presented an industrial report titled “Setting Out from Shaanxi Normal University”. Dr. Chang Xingmao, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Ulm in Germany; Prof. Zhang Jinjiang and Prof. Zhang Wei from the Frontier Institute of Science and Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University; Dr. Wang Chaolong, Special Research Assistant at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Dr. Huang Rongrong, a postdoctoral researcher at Nanyang Technological University, each presented reports. The presentation sessions were chaired by Professors Ding Liping, Liu Jing, and Peng Junxia, respectively.

During the closing session, Prof. Fang Yu delivered a speech titled “From Rural Schools to the Halls of Academia: My Thousands of ‘I Never Expected This’ Moments”. Drawing on his own decades-long, eventful, and enriching life journey and vast experience, he shared with the delegates his personal insights on topics such as “making the right choices at critical junctures in life”, “solutions always outnumber difficulties”, and “the true essence of a happy life”. His words were interwoven with both a winding retrospective and moments of sudden clarity. Prof. Fang earnestly encouraged the delegates to persevere in self-cultivation and professional development, while also maintaining a spirit of kindness and positivity in their daily lives, striving to become a beacon of light that warms themselves and illuminates those around them. The entire summary was both intellectually profound and imbued with human warmth, bringing the conference to a powerful and inspiring close.

This symposium closely aligns with national strategic development needs in areas such as new materials, ecological environment, and health monitoring. It focuses on cutting-edge developments in the fields of chemical sensors and functional molecular materials, bringing together experts, scholars, and industry professionals from academia, industry, and research institutions to jointly discuss the latest advances in basic research, technological breakthroughs, and industrial applications of chemical sensors and functional molecular materials, thereby promoting technological innovation and the coordinated upgrading of the industrial chain in these fields.