From January 13 to 14, 2011, the Conference on the Establishment of Terahertz Science and Technology Research Base and Strategic Seminar on Terahertz Science and Technology (SSTST) were held at IECAS. The seminar, a high-level gathering of China in the area of terahertz, was convened by Academician Liu Shenggang of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), with the participation of 14 academicians in this area as well as nearly 60 experts from relevant domestic research institutes and universities. Other attendees included relevant leaders of entities such as the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), General Office of Academic Divisions of Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and UESTC.

At the seminar, academicians and experts such as Liu Shenggang, Yao Jianquan, Wu Peiheng and Li Lemin made ten impressive academic presentations, summing up and discussing the major research achievements made in such aspects as terahertz source, spectrum analysis, transmission, receiving, detection, imaging and matter interaction through increasing the strength of relevant domestic research institutes and universities in the eleventh five-year period.

To further the development of China’s terahertz science and technology, the seminar came up with proposals on vigorously supporting Shenzhen International Conference on Advanced Science and Technology (SICAST) and adding THz column to Science in China (Series E), and advocated vigorously intensifying the construction of national major research projects supported by NSFC and MOST through overall domestic coordination and planning in the twelfth five-year period.

The seminar announced the official establishment of China Terahertz Science and Technology Research Base under the strong support of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The attendees reached a consensus that the seminar marked a new beginning of China’s effort to further intensify advantaged cooperation and strategic deployment in the area of terahertz, and was of great milestone significance for China to make a leap in original basic research and applied research in this area, improve the capacity for independent innovation and occupy the international commanding height. (Ma Ran, Office 4)