The Sixth Annual Conference of Pan-Balkan Alliance of Natural Products and Drug Discovery Associations and the 2025 Seminar of UNESCO Regional Network of Natural Products Chemistry was held at the Niudun Road new campus of SIMM from October 26 to 29, 2025.

This conference, themed “Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue: Natural Products Science and Global Health Well-being,” is jointly organized by SIMM and the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, National Institute for Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade (IBISS). The conference is supported by multiple organizations including the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, Bureau of International Cooperation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, International Science and Technology Cooperation Center, the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations (ANSO), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, and Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology. Over 100 experts, professors, and young scholars from 32 countries and regions, including China, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Portugal, Montenegro, Turkey, Albania, the United Arab Emirates, North Macedonia, Ethiopia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, China Hong Kong SAR, China Macau SAR, Germany, Singapore, the United States and Switzerland had academic exchanges through 13 plenary and invited lectures across two half-day plenary sessions, along with 45 parallel presentations across two half-day parallel sessions in three different rooms. The 58 academic presentations spanned multiple cutting-edge fields including natural products chemistry, AI applications in drug discovery, biosynthesis and synthetic biology of natural products, metabolomics, separation and structural identification of natural compounds, bioactivity and molecular mechanism studies of natural products, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical technology and pharmacy, plant physiology and biotechnology, as well as the integration of traditional medicine and modern medicine.

Prof. Ye Yang, Deputy Director-General of SIMM, chaired the opening ceremony and delivered an address as Chair of the Pan-Balkan Alliance of Natural Products and Drug Discovery Associations. He was joined by the following distinguished speakers who also delivered addresses: Dr. Marina Soković, Principal Research Fellow of the IBISS; Prof. Zhou Bing, Deputy Director-General of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Zhao Quan, Director of International Cooperation Division, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality; and Dr. Bolun Ning, Director of Division of European Affairs, Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative to the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, delivered an online address.

Jiang Yirui from International Science and Technology Cooperation Center, Ministry of Science and Technology; Zhao Yingzhe, Community Engagement Coordinator of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia; Yang Wei, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Development Department, Wuhan Institute of Industrial Innovation and Development; Luo Kai, Deputy Director of Zhejiang Science and Technology Service Center and Han Shenghua, President of Zhejiang Huadan Agricultural Microbial Resource Application Research Institute attended the conference.

This conference serves as a major international academic gathering in the field of natural products and drug discovery across the Pan-Balkan, Pan-Asia, and Pacific regions, comprehensively showcasing the entire innovation chain in natural products research—from resource development and bioactive discovery to novel drug creation. Attending experts, professors and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on the interdisciplinary convergence of natural product chemistry with cutting-edge fields such as modern multi-omics technologies and artificial intelligence. They also explored the translational potential of natural products in addressing major disease challenges. The conference established a multi-tiered exchange platform, injecting new momentum into advancing Belt and Road scientific and technological innovation cooperation while providing robust academic support for achieving sustainable development goals.

Address by Moderator Prof. Ye Yang, Deputy Director-General, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Address by Dr. Marina Soković, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, National Institute for Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade

Address by Prof. Zhou Bing, Deputy Director-General, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Address by Dr. Zhao Quan, Director, International Cooperation Division, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality

Address by Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative to the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia

Address by Dr. Ning Bolun, Director, Division of European Affairs, Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Conference Venue

Conference Venue

Conference Venue

Group Photo

Source: Ye Yang Research Group | Author: Yang Tianyun