On November 17, the national giant panda conservation and research center was inaugurated in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. The center integrates the resources of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, serving as a world-class platform for giant panda research cooperation and exchange.

The newly established National Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center has gathered outstanding giant panda research teams from across the country. Led by Wei Fuwen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the center has established a giant panda conservation academic committee and a national innovation alliance. Looking ahead, the center will build a key giant panda laboratory under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and promote the establishment of similar laboratories for other endangered animals.

In terms of scientific research, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Forestry and Grassland and the Chengdu Municipal People's Government have jointly allocated a starting capital of 110 million yuan for the giant panda conservation and research fund. Two major research projects on key technologies have been initiated, namely, to protect the wild giant panda population and habitat in national parks, and to improve the genetic diversity of the captive giant panda population. In the future, the International Forum on Giant Panda Conservation will also be held by the center every two years. Various research cooperation and cultural exchange activities related to giant pandas will be gradually implemented. 

At the inauguration ceremony, 10 excellent and innovative giant panda research teams from all over the country were commended. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration awarded each team 1 million yuan as research incentive funding.