The Inauguration Ceremony of the Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the first meeting of the Academic Commission were held in IGSNRR on April 9, 2010.

Members of the Academic Commission, delegates of CAS and IGSNRR, and senior researchers in the field attended the meeting, together with about 100 staffs and graduate students of the Laboratory.

The establishment of the Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, as one of the 33 newly approved key laboratories by CAS in 2009, reflects a wide recognition of the highly-deemed and influential research work of the research team of Human-Economic Geography at IGSNRR on national and regional sustainable development. It provides a new platform for interdisciplinary research among social and natural sciences which has been the goal of endeavors for many years. The Academic Commission fully agreed that the Laboratory must make use of its advantages and adhere to the philosophy of “oriented towards demand, based on research, focused on application, and devoted to serving decision-making” in the future. Furthermore, it should take the functions of organization and coordination, establishing an open and organic network which can bring more researchers and institutions to the research activities; and it should participate in international research networks. That is, the organization pattern of “small core, large network” should be established. Great importance need to be attached to the study of basic theories, establishment of data platform, application of quantitative modeling approaches, and presentation aided by modern visualization techniques. Collaboration with physical geography, resources and ecological science, mathematics and computational science, economics and social science must be strengthened. The Laboratory attempts to play a  role as the “think tank” of governments and make greater contribution to the sustainable development of China.

Prof. and Academician LU Dadao, who is the director of the Academic Commission, made a keynote speech with the title of “Enhance Inter-Disciplinary Research and Forward Studies on Regional Sustainable Development”, where the objectives, scopes and methodological issues of regional sustainable development research were elaborated. Prof. Fan Jie, the director of the Laboratory, reported the work plan of the Laboratory, including aims and directions, research objectives, main tasks, the establishment of research team, and prospect of future development. A variety of advice for the construction and development of the Laboratory was presented by the Academic Commission and senior researchers.