The three-day ICNAME 2016 International Conference on Polar Science and Technology Cooperation and Communication was inaugurated on the morning of June 17th in the Sunshine Hall of Qihang Activity Center. Over 100 representatives of world-renowned universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises in the fields of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from twelve countries, including China, Russia, France, UK, USA, Ukraine, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Portugal and New Zealand, gathered at HEU and discussed on key technology in the field of Polar Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

The president of HEU, YAO Yu delivered a speech. President YAO said that facing the new trend of scientific research and talents cultivation in Polar Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, HEU, as the council unit of the Innovation & Cooperation in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Alliance (ICNAME), expects all professors and scholars from universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises at this conference will strengthen cooperation in the regard to top-level design and build closer alliances to promote rapid development of international Polar Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering on the platform of ICNAME. He said that after more than sixty-years of development, HEU has become a significant Chinese institution for talent cultivation and scientific research in the fields of shipbuilding, ocean exploitation, and nuclear power application. With the assessment and authentication of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), HEU possesses the first Chinese undergraduate Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering major. The Deep Sea Engineering and Technology Research Center, which was co-established by "Energy Valley" in Houston and HEU, was selected in the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (the 111 Project). At this conference, HEU will seize the opportunity to enhance communications and cooperation with all professors and scholars to go forward hand in hand and seek for common development.    

Professor Evgeny Appolonov, the president of State Marine Technical University of St. Petersburg, said in his speech that the expansion of Arctic Passage is a research subject of vital importance for the entire world, thus each country is expanding cooperation in this field positively. State Marine Technical University of St. Petersburg attaches great importance to the related research in this field. Moreover, the university possesses rich experience and great advantages in icebreaker building and other marine technology. The university also cooperates with some Russian famed large enterprises, such as Rosneftegaz. The president hoped to enlarge the scope, obtain new knowledge and make new friends via this conference.

In the speech, JIANG Tonghe, the deputy director-general of Education Department of Heilongjiang Province, affirmed that HEU and ICNAME have played a significance role in Heilongjiang Province's international profile, especially in cooperation and communication with Russia. JIANG expected that HEU can take advantages with its talents, disciplines and scientific researches to make greater contribution in prospering the economic and social development of Heilongjiang province and promoting the international cooperation and communication at the background of carrying out "the Belt and Road (B&R)"strategy and improving internationalization construction.

ZHANG Jian, the counselor of Department of International Cooperation in Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, delivered a speech. He highly praised achievements made in international science and technology cooperation in the field of ship and ocean since the establishment of ICNAME. He expected that ICNAME can keep improving international science and technology cooperation and communication in a larger range, a broader field and a higher level, and he also hoped that ICNAME can make effective use of the global science and technology resources and take part in the national B&R strategy vigorously.

After those speeches, three seminars were convened on the topics of Polar Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Polar Communications and Navigation Technology, and Polar Materials Technology. At seminars, representatives exchanged academic ideas on the international research regarding vital issues in the field of Polar Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, including polar environment, ice load, general design technology of polar ships, performance and structure technology of polar ships, polar shipbuilding technology, polar marine platform design technology, polar communication technology, polar equipment material technology.

During the tree-day conference, HEU proceeded cooperation talks on the Sino-France Numerical Tank Program with China Ship Scientific Research Center, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Bureau Veritas and other related groups.

Polar Big Science and Engineering Research is the vital practice for further developing B&R Strategy. Polar ships have been regarded as one of the significant high-tech ships research and development direction in Made in China 2025. The opening of Arctic Route is of vital importance for China. Meanwhile, the arctic area contains large amounts of resources--13% of the world's undiscovered petroleum reserve, 30% unexploited natural gas reserve and 9% coal reserve. Russia possesses the most nuclear-powered icebreakers in the world, thus Russia has sufficient capability to develop polar ships and marine engineering equipment. ICNAME, College of Shipbuilding Engineering of HEU and some related universities in Russia cooperate closely. Located in Harbin, HEU enjoys exceptional geographic advantages in developing Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Research. In 2015, HEU included Polar Big Science and Engineering Research in its ten priority-developing orientations of the thirteenth Five-Year Plan. At the beginning of 2016, HEU took the lead in founding Polar Big Science Research Center and centralized outstanding strength of the whole university to make greater contribution in Polar Big Science Research.