The 1st Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Meeting of Cold Spring Harbor, Asia, was held on Oct. 4 and 5 for the first time in Suzhou. Suzhou Industrial Park was officially designated to be the meeting site for Cold Spring Harbor Asian, which makes SIP one of the top global academic exchange centers in life science. One of the main items on the agenda at the board meeting was to discuss matters concerning the series of academic meetings of pan-Asian and Pacific region to be held in Suzhou next year.


The 20-odd scientists who attend the meeting are all top global scientists in molecular biology, including Academician Zhou Guangzhao, Honorary Chairman of China Science and Technology Association and former Vice-chairman of Standing Committee of Chinese People's Congress, Bruce Stillman, President of American Cold Harbor Laboratory and Member of US Academy of Sciences, and He Dayi, Director of Aids Research Center of Rockefeller University. James Watson, "Father of DNA", thought absent form the meeting, expressed: "Cold Spring Harbor Asia will greatly accelerate the development in biotechnology, genetics, and medical research in Suzhou because of its attraction to talented scientists."

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, located on the scenic spot of Long Island, New York, was founded in 1890 and has been known for quantitative biology. Over the years, the lab has established itself as the sacred place of life science and cradle of molecular biology in the world, ranking the very top of the ten major research institutes. Since the 30s of last century, Cold Spring has become a convention center and training base for international life science. The lab leads the whole world in biology, neurology, cancer research, and bio-information. Annually, it holds 20 to 30 international conferences and senior training courses, from which more than 7,000 attendees and trainees benefit.


The Asian Company was officially inaugurated during the meeting. The attendees to the meeting visited SIP Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation Zone and BioBay, and endorsed the design and construction progress of Yinrui Hotel, which will be the base for academic exchanges and meetings of Cold Spring Harbor Asian Company. The hotel is scheduled for completion by November next year. Watson will lead a delegation of top scientists here to attend the opening ceremony and chair the Asian molecular biology conference.


Cold Harbor Spring Asian Conference, with SIP as the meeting site, is scheduled from 2010 onwards, and within 10 years, an average of 10 to 35 exchange meetings and training courses will be conducted annually to promote the growth of life science industry in Asia.