On December 19, 2019, the founding meeting of China Alliance for Scientific Literacy was held in Beijing. Under the initiative of China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), 125 influential enterprises, media, societies, universities and scientific research and cultural institutions, including Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI), jointly launched the consortium to explore new models of science popularization in China and create a new engine for social science popularization.

From Science and Technology Daily

It is reported that in Beijing, Dec. 18 (by Li LIU, Gailun ZHANG), 125 enterprises, medias, societies, universities, scientific research and cultural institutions gather together for popular science. On December 18, the " China Alliance for Scientific Literacy " initiated by the CAST was established in Beijing. Qide HAN, Honorary chairman of CAST, was elected as the first president. This huge organization will explore the new mode of China's science popularization and find a new way for socialized science popularization.

According to the person in charge of CAST, in recent years, China has adhered to the principle that science and technology are for the people. We gradually found a working mechanism of "adhering to the leadership of the party, taking the people as the center, promoted by the government and participated by the whole society", paying special attention to the scientific quality improvement of the underdeveloped areas and key groups, and establishing a long-term mechanism for serving all regions and groups. Through enriching platform channels, guiding value orientation, consolidating infrastructure, stimulating social vitality and upgrading scientific quality to national action, we will promote the participation of all sectors of society and improve scientific quality.

Historical experience and international experience also show that only by adhering to the mode of national mobilization and widely mobilizing the participation of the society, can the construction of public scientific quality obtain an inexhaustible endogenous power.

China Alliance for Scientific Literacy is initiated and established by the CAST and serves as the competent business unit. The establishment of the consortium will build a new era of socialized science popularization ecology, promote the expansion of science popularization value to the economic and social fields, optimize the national innovation system and integrate into the global innovation network. The consortium will fully gather all forces to jointly build an effective mechanism for socialized participation, market-oriented operation, institutional guarantee, information support and international exchange.

At the founding meeting of the consortium, the Declaration on China Scientific Literacy was also issued.

It is proposed in the declaration the consortium is with the common mission of improving the scientific quality of the public, pursues the unity of serving the national strategy, fulfilling social responsibilities and meeting the needs of the people, promoting the two aspects of scientific popularization and scientific and technological innovation, promoting the scientific spirit, disseminates scientific knowledge, and creating a science popularization ecology, so as to build a strong country of science and technology in the world and a fertile land for innovation and a modern governance system and capacity. We will inject strong impetus into the transformation and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The consortium focuses on the following core areas: building a socialized science popularization platform, developing public science popularization, prospering science popularization industry, expanding the supply of high-quality science popularization, holding science popularization awards, carrying out international exchanges and cooperation, building a national innovation system and integrating into the global innovation network. The consortium adheres to the concept of inclusiveness, cooperation and sharing, and is willing to work with all aspiring promoters of public scientific quality to build a new era of science popularization ecology.

About 400 people attended the conference, including leaders of China Association for science and technology, leaders of relevant ministries and commissions, representatives of sponsors of the consortium, and media representatives. Jinpeng HUAI, Secretary of the Party group, executive vice chairman and first Secretary of the Secretariat of CAST attended the establishment meeting and delivered a speech. Qinghai MENG, vice president and Secretary of the Secretariat of CAST, is the executive vice president of the first Council of the consortium, and Xi BAI, Minister of science popularization Department of CAST, is the Secretary General of the first Council of the consortium.

There are 44 state-owned enterprises, 10 private enterprises, 4 media, 26 societies, 28 universities and 13 scientific research and cultural institutions in China Alliance for Scientific Literacy. These member units have been playing an important role in promoting science popularization and technological innovation.