On June 5th, in commemoration of the 53rd World Environment Day, Beijing Forestry University marked the inauguration of three new institutes: the Institute of Forest Food and Health, the Institute for Green Building, and the Institute of Rural Revitalization. The ceremony was attended by university leaders including Wang Hongyuan, Chairman of University Council; An Lizhe, University President; Wang Tao, Vice-Chairman of University Council and Secretary of Committee for Discipline Inspection; Vice Presidents Li Xiong and Zhang Zhiqiang. Xie Xuewen, Vice-Chairman of University Council, presided over the meeting.

On behalf of the University Council, Wang Hongyuan extended heartfelt congratulations on the formation of the Institute of Forest Food and Health, the Institute for Green Building, and the Institute of Rural Revitalization. He delineated four strategic imperatives to propel the advancement of these institutes:

1.Strategic Positioning: Adopt a holistic perspective and clarify the strategic positioning. Remain steadfastly committed to "serving ecological civilization construction" and adhere tenaciously to a trajectory of ecological and sustainable development.

2.Innovation Capability: Enhance innovation capacity and drive rapid development. Tackle key challenges in the high-quality growth of green sectors, harnessing BFU's expertise in forestry and grassland to make headway in germplasm resources, eco-friendly building materials, and rural revitalization strategies.

3.Talent Development: Focus on talent cultivation and strengthen team development through interdisciplinary and inter-collegiate research groups to attract and refine top-tier professional talents.

4.Collaborative Integration: Intensify collaborative integration and refine work mechanisms. Establish collaborative mechanisms and reinforce internal infrastructure to amplify university-community and university-industry alliances, and to pioneer collaborative paradigms that substantially augment support for industrial development.

An Lizhe highlighted that the establishment of these three research institutes is a crucial aspect of BFU's efforts to actively embrace Xi Jinping's ecological civilization philosophy. This initiative aligns with BFU's "Year of Quality Improvement" focus and aims to leverage new productive forces to support ecological civilization, contributing to the ambitious early-phase development of "One University with Two Campus". He urged the institutes to maintain a clear focus and fulfill their significant responsibilities by aligning closely with the ecological civilization construction, fostering deep integration between basic and distinctive disciplines, expanding the scope of basic scientific research, and enhancing research capacity in traditional fields. Additionally, they should also undertake the tasks of addressing critical challenges in forestry and grassland areas, supporting the vital "rural revitalization" strategy and the national "dual carbon" goals, and promoting the development of the "forest food industry." BFU plans to further refine its technological platform and institutional systems to provide enhanced support and assurances for the institutes' development and success.

Zhang Zhiqiang presented the "Beijing Forestry University Announcement on the Establishment of the Institute of Forest Food and Health, Institute for Green Building, and Institute of Rural Revitalization". University leaders in attendance collectively participated in the unveiling ceremony for these new institutes.

During the meeting, the directors of the three newly established institutes outlined their strategic plans and visions for the construction and future development of the institutes.

Leaders from relevant departments and colleges also attended the ceremony to offer their collaboration and support.

It is reported that BFU, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, is at the forefront of green technology innovation and continuously optimizes its scientific and technological innovation platforms. BFU has previously established the Institute of Capital Biodiversity Conservation and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, with the objective of reinvigorating and propelling the advancement of ecological civilization construction.

Written by Gou Yue, He Jinru
Photo by Chen Haoyuan
Translated and edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang