On August 9, 2024, the Qingdao University-University of the Republic of Uruguay Medical (Online) Forum was successfully held. Attendees included Minister Counsellor Martín Orlando and staff from the Uruguayan Embassy in China, Chargé d'affaires He Fei and staff from the Chinese Embassy in Uruguay, Rector Rodrigo Arim of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, President Wei Zhiqiang of Qingdao University, as well as leaders, research heads, academic backbones, and clinical researchers from the International Office,Medical College, Medical Group, School of Stomatology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering. The forum was co-chaired by Ren He, Vice Dean (acting) of theCollege of Medicine at Qingdao University, and Montbrú, Vice-Rector of the University of the Republic of Uruguay.

This forum originated from the Joint Statement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, witnessed by the heads of state of China and Uruguay in November last year. Thanks to the efforts of both universities' leadership and scientists, the forum was successfully approved as a national key R&D plan for Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation in July of this year. The forum marked a significant milestone in the cooperation between both sides and served as the first joint academic international conference since the establishment of the partnership.

President Wei Zhiqiang extended a warm welcome and sincere thanks to all participating experts and scholars from China and Uruguay. He noted that although China and Uruguay are separated by vast oceans, both nations share a common vision and goals in technological innovation. This forum will further deepen cooperation in the field ofBiomedicalNanotechnology, promote the sharing and complementarity of research resources, and achieve common development. He expressed his hope that Sino-Uruguayan scientific cooperation would deepen, and the friendship between the two nations would grow stronger, contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative with wisdom and strength.

Rector Rodrigo Arim of the University of the Republic of Uruguay expressed his sincere gratitude to Qingdao University for proposing the forum. He highlighted that the collaboration between the two universities began with the establishment of the Confucius Institute in 2017, which has since become a key institution for Chinese language education in Uruguay. He emphasized that this forum serves as an excellent platform for communication, bringing together experts and scholars from different countries and fields to discuss the latest advancements and future developments inBiomedicalNanotechnology andMedicalScience. He hoped that participants would seize this valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and spark new innovations, thereby driving forward collaborative innovation.

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Uruguay, He Fei congratulated the forum's successful organization. He noted that for the past 36 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Uruguay have adhered to mutual respect, equality, and win-win cooperation, yielding fruitful results. During their meeting, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to promote cultural and sports exchanges and facilitate people-to-people interactions between the two countries. He pointed out that Sino-Uruguayan cooperation in the field of medical research is flourishing and holds great potential. The Memorandum of Understanding on the Joint Sino-Uruguayan Laboratory for Biomedical Nanopharmaceuticals, signed in 2023, laid a solid foundation for the laboratory’s construction. He expressed his hope that through this forum, Qingdao University and the University of the Republic of Uruguay would further explore cooperation potential, strengthen trust, and advance Sino-Uruguayan cooperation in medical research and education to new heights.

Minister Counsellor Martín Orlando conveyed the sincere greetings of the Uruguayan Ambassador to China, Fernando Lugris, and emphasized the Ambassador's great interest and attention to the educational exchanges between China and Uruguay. He hoped that the attending experts and scholars would breathe life into the forum and contribute positively to the formation of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries through scientific innovation based on mutual benefit.

During the forum, leaders and researchers from the Medical College,College ofStomatology , Medical Group, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering at Qingdao University, as well as counterparts from the Medical College, College of Stomatology,Affiliated hospitals, and clinical researchers from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, focused on cutting-edge topics inNanobiology andClinicalMedicalTechnology. They presented progress in frontier clinical medicine, laying the foundation for future academic exchanges and technical cooperation in clinical disciplines. The following collaborative research directions were preliminarily agreed upon:

1. Research and development ofNanomedicine;

2. Study and development of nanocarriers and drug delivery systems, such as constructing responsive liposomes and hydrogel nanocarriers guided by tumor microenvironment heterogeneity;

3. Development ofNanobiology andMedicalDiagnosticTechnologies, including the design ofBionicMolecularRecognitionNanoprobes, establishment ofNanoscale signal transduction platforms, and the construction of intelligentNano-Biosensors;

4. Research and development ofBiomaterials for human implantable devices and external artificial biological hybrid tissues, such as developing bionicBio-Nano-Formulated human implantable materials and intelligent bionic human spinal degeneration models for clinical applications;

5. Cooperation in clinical skills training.

The successful convening of this forum provided a platform for Chinese and Uruguayan experts and scholars in medical education to gain an initial understanding of each university's development in relevant medical fields and clarify the directions for future exchanges and cooperation. Both parties agreed to continue further academic exchanges and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.