The First Belt and Road International Symposium on Salt Lake and Salt Industry Innovation Technology and the Fifth Ghent University - China Partner Academic Forum were successfully held in Tianjin.

To implement the International Communication Action Plan of "Pioneer Plan", expand the depth and breadth of international scientific and technological innovation collaboration in salt lake and salt industry fields, and promote sustainable resource utilization and high-quality industrial development, The 1st Belt and Road International Conference on Salt Lake and Salt Industry Innovation and Technology & The 5th China Partners Academic Forum of Ghent University were successfully held in Tianjin on November 15-16, 2025. The event were jointly organized by the International Society for Salt Lake Research (ISSLR), Tianjin University of Science and Technology (TUST), and Ghent University (UGent). More than 150 experts, scholars and enterprise representatives from China, Russia, Belgium, Malaysia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and other countries attended the conference.

Academician Mianping Zheng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, academician Buxing Han of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, president Egor Zadereev of ISSLR, rector Petra De Sutter of UGent, chief engineer Hongbo Sun and deputy chief engineer Longgang Li of CITIC Guoan Industrial Group Co., Ltd., vice president Xiaowang Wu of CITIC Salt Industry Technology Research Institute, board chairman Dateng Zhang and board secretary Yue Du of Jinsheng Ocean Technology Development Co., Ltd., deputy general manager Yunfei Liu of Bohai Seafood Co., Ltd., general manager Yue Zheng of Beijing Dizhiguang New Energy Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., general manager Zhenfa Ma of Tianke Jinsheng Technology Development Co., Ltd., and rector Fuping Lu of TUST attended the opening ceremony. The event was hosted by Standing Committee Member Tianlong Deng of ISSLR and Director Liying Sui of the Asian Regional Artemia Reference Center.

Rector Fuping Lu, president Egor Zadereev, rector Petra De Sutter, Chief Engineer Hongbo Sun, and board chairman Dateng Zhang delivered speeches at the opening ceremony respectively.

On behalf of TUST, rector Fuping Lu extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to the academicians, experts, scholars, and enterprise representatives attending the conference. He pointed out that the conference is an important measure and concrete practice for the university to address national major strategic needs, promote sustainable utilization of salt lake resources, and advance green and low-carbon development. The university has a profound accumulation in salt lake science and technology, established deep cooperative relations with many renowned domestic and international universities, research institutions, and enterprises, and achieved a series of important innovative results in the development and utilization of salt lake resources. He expressed hope to take this conference as an opportunity to continue deepening cooperation with ISSLR, UGent, and other universities and research institutions, jointly build an open, collaborative, and international scientific and technological cooperation network, and contribute wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

President Egor Zadereev, on behalf of ISSLR, extended a warm welcome to all participants. He emphasized that since its establishment, the society has been committed to promoting global scientific and innovative development of salt lakes, and has facilitated in-depth discussions and cooperation among researchers worldwide in salt lake resource development, ecological protection, and related fields through building high-level academic exchange platforms. He expressed anticipation for mutual learning and exchange of scientific and technological achievements among researchers from various countries to jointly promote the development and prosperity of global salt lake research, development, and protection.

Rector Petra De Sutter, on behalf of UGent, extended a warm welcome and sincere greetings to all guests. In her speech, she fully affirmed the fruitful achievements in Artemia resource development cooperation between TUST and UGent, and emphasized that the two universities will further deepen extensive cooperation in scientific research innovation, talent cultivation, academic exchanges, and other fields. She also wished the forum a complete success.

The conference invited academician Mianping Zheng, academician Buxing Han , president Egor Zadereev, and professor Patrick Sorgeloos (honorary professor of UGent) to deliver plenary presentation titled “Scientific response to changes in salt lakes ”, “Green chemistry and technology”, “Summary of IUCN meeting outcomes and international salt lake society action plan”, and “Crucial role of Artemia in solar salt production: opportunity for new integrated Artemia-Salt farming business model”, respectively.

Professor Mustafa Demir (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Turkey), professor Murdjon Samadiy (Dean of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Karshi State Technical University, Uzbekistan), professor Himsar Ambarita (Director of the International Cooperation and Development Office, North Sumatra University, Indonesia), researcher Longgang Li (Deputy Chief Engineer of CITIC Guoan Industrial Group Co., Ltd., China), professor Annelies Declercq (Director of the Aquaculture Laboratory and Artemia Reference Center, Ghent University, Belgium), professor Yeong Yik Sung (University of Terengganu, Malaysia), professor Tianlong Deng and professor Liying Sui delivered keynote presentation titled “Uptake of critical raw materials (Li, Sr, Rb) from geothermal brines via ion-sieve sorbents”, “Underground brine resources and utilisation in Uzbekistan”, “Green and efficient utilization of marine resource and energy”, “Discussion on utilization of lithium - potassium - boron - bromine from the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia”, “Artemia research at Ghent University: foundations for Sino-European collaboration in aquaculture”,“Molecular guardians: heat shock proteins and their significance in shrimp aquaculture”, “Separation and extraction of dispersed elements from brines”, and “Salt lake treasure brine shrimp Artemia: uncovering the functions and application prospects of bioactive compounds from Artemia”, respectively..

The Youth Forum brought together young scholars from multiple disciplines such as Chemical Engineering and Technology, Marine Science, Light Industry Technology and Engineering, and Food Science and Engineering, who fully exchanged and discussed the latest progress and future development trends in scientific and technological innovation in salt lakes and the salt industry.

Under the theme “Innovation Empowers Development·Green Wins the Future”, the conference focused on topics including salt lake chemistry and chemical engineering, salt lake biology, salt lake ecology, and salt lake geology. It featured plenary presentation, keynote presentation, and Young Scholars Forum, aiming to create a high-level platform for academic exchange and technological cooperation, pool global wisdom, and jointly explore cutting-edge scientific issues and development trends in salt lake resource exploration, green development, efficient utilization, ecological protection, and salt industry technological innovation.

The conference brought together international top talents in the field, strengthened international scientific and technological innovation exchanges and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, led academic frontiers, exchanged the latest achievements, fostered cooperation opportunities, and enhanced our university's international influence in the global salt lake and salt industry chemical engineering sector.