A science popularization forum under the 2026 Greater Bay Area Science Forum opened on Nov 1 at Guangzhou Tianhe Foreign Language School, drawing academicians, researchers and nearly 200 schools from across the region.

At the event, the Guangzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences partnered with its first batch of 20 schools from Tianhe district to turn advanced research resources into accessible science education materials. Ren Hai, president of the branch, said the goal is to open laboratories and research projects to students and build a sustainable framework linking schools, institutes and experts, rather than just conduct one-off lectures.

Ren Hai, president of the Guangzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, addresses the forum. [Photo/thnet.gov.cn]

Tianhe, home to 33 universities and 20 percent of the GBA's national key laboratories, has appointed 258 science vice principals across its 119 schools.

The forum also launched a new five-year plan for the CAS science popularization campaign and featured keynote speeches on ocean monitoring and deep-sea exploration, alongside exhibitions of national research achievements and frontier technologies.

At the roundtable dialogue, school leaders from the Greater Bay Area share their views on science education. [Photo/thnet.gov.cn]