Expert: New materials key to country's progress

Materials genome engineering is a cutting-edge field, he said, adding that by innovating new materials through research and development, replacing the traditional trial-and-error method, the development of new materials can be accelerated, the development cycle can be greatly shortened and the R&D cost can be reduced.

China has great natural resources and is striding forward to become a powerful country in new materials, Xie said.

China's basic research in the materials field is gaining prominence. It ranks first globally in patent applications and number of papers published.

However, there are still deficiencies in the applications of new materials, which is the last kilometer of innovation, Xie said.

The forum, one of the top academic conferences in the field of new materials, is held annually.