Institutional Agreement of the Silk Road Astronomy Research and Education Alliance

Against the backdrop of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of Yunnan as the radiation center facing South and Southeast Asia, academic exchanges and cooperation in the astronomical field at home and abroad have become increasingly close. To actively respond to the spirit of the important speeches made by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection in Yunnan, expand scientific, technological and cultural exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries, advance global academic exchanges in astronomy and drive the in-depth development of global astronomical research, we have established the Silk Road Astronomy Research and Education Alliance in line with the Silk Road spirit featuring peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. The Alliance is aimed at building an international academic exchange platform, promoting scientific research cooperation and talent cultivation, and facilitating the sharing of academic resources, information connectivity and common development among members. The institutional agreement of the Alliance is as follows:

I. Objectives

1. Establish long-term, stable and win-win scientific and technological cooperation relations, and deepen the cooperative partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative.

2. Expand scientific and technological and cultural exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries, and extend the radiation to South and Southeast Asia.

3. Boost the in-depth development of astronomical research and raise the scientific research level of all member countries.

4. Promote talent cultivation in universities and research institutions of all member countries.

II. Membership

All institutions engaged in astronomy, astrophysics, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and related fields are eligible to apply for membership, including but not limited to research institutes in countries and regions along the Silk Road Economic Belt and all countries in South and Southeast Asia.

III. Activities

1. Academic Conferences: Hold an annual astronomy-related academic conference in a hybrid online and offline format to promote academic exchanges among research institutions.

2. Training Camps: Organize scientific training camps in astronomy, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and other fields to foster interdisciplinary talents, drive the integration of cutting-edge technologies, advance scientific research innovation and solve complex scientific problems.

3. Scientific Research Cooperation: Jointly undertake collaborative projects and build joint laboratories among research institutions to enhance academic cooperation.

4. Teacher and Student Exchanges: Facilitate exchanges between teachers and students of various research institutions through programs such as visiting scholars and exchange students.

5. Academic Information Sharing: Build an academic information sharing platform to provide alliance members with academic trends, research results, academic resources and other relevant information.