I  About the Forum

Shanghai Forum, launched in 2005, is known as one of the most famous international forums held in Shanghai. Co-hosted by Fudan University and Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, undertaken by Fudan Development Institute (FDDI), the Forum holds an annual symposium each May in Shanghai. Shanghai Forum takes its mission to “Concentrate on Asia, Focus on Hot Issues, Congregate Elites, Promote Interactions, Enhance Cooperation and Seek Consensus”.

Over the years, numerous political dignitaries, distinguished scholars, and elites from different circles have been invited to deliver keynote speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies of Shanghai Forum. For example, the keynote speakers of Shanghai Forum 2017 include Abdullah Gül (Former President of Turkey), Temir Sariev (Former Prime Minister of Kyrghyzstan), György Matolcsy (Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary), Christopher Pissarides (2010 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics), etc.

The organizing committee invited high officials, heads of think tanks and Nobel Laureates to join the International Advisory Board of the forum, includingDagfinn Høybråten (Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers), Arkebe Oqubay Metiku (Special Advisor to Prime Minister of Ethiopia), Enrico Letta (Former Prime Minister of Italy), Robert Zoellick (Former President of the World Bank Group), Robert Shiller (2013 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics), Zhu Min (Former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund), etc.

As an international forum, Shanghai Forum opens the application for the chairs of session/roundtables to the world. Up till now, there have been about 100 universities, think tanks and multinational corporations at home and overseas involved in the forum, such as Peterson Institute for International Economics, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Centre for European Policy Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, University of California, London School of Economics, Goethe University Frankfurt, University of Copenhagen, etc. Problems regarding the strategic development of Asia and the world will be discussed comprehensively and profoundly in areas of economics, politics, society, culture and environment.

II  About the Theme

Shanghai Forum 2018, the 13th annual conference of Shanghai Forum, will be held in Shanghai from May 26th to May 28th, 2018. The theme is “Asia’s Responsibilities in a World of Change” (tentative). The world is undergoing profound changes in political situation, economic and social development. How is Asia going to deal with the situation, what kind of role and responsibility will Asia take? The theme will be discussed through six panels including “Global Governance”, “Social Governance”, “Public Security”, “Environmental Governance”, “Scientific & Technological Innovation” and “Culture & Civilization”.

III  The Application Requirements

Now the application for roundtables and sessions officially opens up to universities, think tanks, governments and enterprises all over the world. The specific requirements are as follows:

1.    Qualification:

The applicant should be qualified with rich academic/social/media resources and influential in specific areas.

l The applicant who brings in resources is preferred, such as inviting keynote speakers at the opening or closing ceremony, introducing funds, cooperative opportunities, media resources, and projects, etc.

2.    The Topics:

The topics of each roundtable/session should focus on the general theme while discussing from a specific perspective. The topics should be realistic, valuable, strategic and be able to draw extensive attention of the public and media. For example, the Belt & Road Initiative, artificial intelligence, precision medicine, Internet security, financial innovation, ecological protection, etc.

      The topic direction includes but is not limited to the following:

3.    The Guests:

The chair should invite guests with world-class research backgrounds or social influence. To guarantee the depth of discussion and promote international communication, each roundtable/session can invite 10 speakers, including 4 from overseas, 3 from China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) and 3 from Shanghai. 

l If the ratio of the delegates needs to be adjusted depending on the topic, please contact the organizing committee after the application is approved. The organizing committee may advise on the list to assure the diversity of guests and the quality of discussion.

4.    If you are interested in organizing roundtables/sessions of Shanghai Forum 2018, please download and fill in the Application form of Shanghai Forum 2018.docx and send it back to the email address: shanghaiforum@fudan.edu.cnbefore October 31, 2017. The result will be announced after a responsible process of selection.

IV  The Regulations of the Forum

The 3-day Shanghai Forum 2018 will be composed of keynote speeches, roundtables and sessions. Each roundtable/session lasts 3.5 hours (either in the morning or afternoon). Each applicant could apply for 1-2 sessions.

Each roundtable/session has one or two chairs and one liaison person. The chair is in charge of all the organizational work, such as inviting guests, designing the agenda, collecting papers, organizing academic discussions and writing reports. The responsibility of the liaison person includes assisting the chair with the preparatory work; coordinating among the chair, the organizing committee and guests; fulfilling tasks assigned by the organizing committee.

The chair of each roundtable/session is required to submit a review of the frontier perspectives and trends in the research area or a policy report. The organizing committee will contact the chair later regarding the detailed requirements.

Shanghai Forum has financial rules and will cover costs including conference material, venue rental, interpretation, roundtrip flight tickets (economy class), accommodation and meals during the forum, etc.

Thank you for your attention and participation! Please contact the organizing committee if there is any problem.

Contact: Luo Qian, Zhang Yuan
Address: 105, Think Tank Building, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-021-65642354
Fax: 86-021-55664590
E-mail：shanghaiforum@fudan.edu.cn
Website：www.shanghaiforum.fudan.edu.cn

Shanghai Forum Organizing Committee

                                                                                                    October, 2017

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