Recently, the committee of National Natural Science Foundation of China issued a notice that the project of "Resources and Environment Management Theory and Application in the Digital Economy Era" led by Academician Chen Xiaohong has been funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China as a basic science center project with a funding period of 5 years. The center became the first National Basic Science Center in Hunan.
The National Basic Science Center is the highest-positioned science fund project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China so far. The project is positioned to create "an academic highland, a talent highland, and a think tanks highland", aiming to target the frontiers of international science, seize the commanding heights of international scientific development, and form several original results with important international influence. It has great significance in strategic leadership, scientific and technological originality, and cutting-edge breakthrough power, and occupies an important position in the promotion of our country's innovation-driven strategy.
Mineral resources and energy are important resources indispensable for national construction and an important material basis for the survival and development of human society. To coordinately solve the problem of insufficient resource supply caused by strong ecological protection and environmental pollution caused by heavy resource development, the strong support of modern science and technology is particularly critical. The development of digital economy and technology, characterized by modern information technologies such as big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and blockchain, provides a major opportunity for the modern management of resources and environment. The project of "Resources and Environment Management Theory and Application in the Digital Economy Era" is based on the background of the digital economy era, with resource and environmental security as the main line, focusing on the four main aspects of mineral resource management theory and application, energy resource management theory and application. The construction of the center will promote the formation of “original scientific theories”, “breakthrough technological methods”, “national decision-making platforms”, “international top think tanks”, “intersecting new disciplines” and “world-class talent teams”, build a domestic first-class and internationally leading resource and environmental management theory and method system, realize the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities in the field of resources and environment, and promote the coordinated development of resources, environment and economy under the overall national security perspective, provide a solid theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the construction of ecological civilization and a beautiful China, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the realization of global sustainable development under the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The center relies on Central South University, and jointly declares with the Institute of Mineral Resources of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Hunan University of Technology and Business, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, and China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research participate as collaborative units and attract a group of top scholars and potential young scholars at home and abroad to carry out research. The members of the center include three academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, five Distinguished Professors of Changjiang Scholar of the Ministry of Education, six winners of the National Science Fund for Outstanding Youths, two heads of the "Changjiang Scholar Innovation Team" of the Ministry of Education, and six candidates of the National "Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand Talents Project", 2 winners of the National Fund for Excellent Youths, and 3 “Young Changjiang Scholars” of the Ministry of Education.
The successful approval of the National Basic Science Center is another major national platform obtained by Academician Chen Xiaohong and her research team. It is also a major breakthrough in scientific research of our school in recent years, which will effectively promote the production of a batch of new landmark research results, and contribute wisdom and strength to the country's implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy and the construction of an innovative country.
