On July 13, Felix San Vicente, chief scientist of the global maize project team of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Zhang Xuecai, senior scientist of molecular breeding, Alba Virginia Sulbaran Arevalo, independent consultant of project management and human resources, and Zhang Chunyi, deputy director of the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), visited the Biotechnology Research Institute, SAAS. Zhao Zhihui, vice president of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS), as well as the young scientists from the Institute of Biotechnology Research Institute and Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute attended the meeting.

Zhang Xuecai introduced the research progress and representative achievements in germplasm resources, quantitative genetics, and haploid breeding technology with the presentation entitled "Maize Molecular Breeding: Experiences and Lessons from CIMMYT".

Zhang Chunyi made a presentation entitled "Developing Nutritional Corn and Promoting Agricultural Supply-Side Reform". Taking corn silage, high-protein corn, and folic acid-rich corn as examples, from the perspective of consumers and market demand, he focused on using biotechnology technology to select and breed germplasm resources with industrial application value.

Vice president Zhao said that the Biotechnology Research Institute should aim at the national strategic needs, face the international frontier of science and technology, focus on the development of the biological breeding industry chain, rely on the CIMMYT international platform, strengthen the cooperation between domestic and foreign scientific research institutes, and carry out collaborative innovation of biological breeding common technologies and key industrial technologies.

Shi Biao, director of the Biotechnology Research Institute, expressed his gratitude to the leaders and experts for their long-term support for the construction of the institute and the platform. He said that the Biotechnology Research Institute would take advantage of the resources of the international platform, combine with the needs of high quality development of Shanghai urban modern agriculture, strengthen the precise docking of common technology industries, and promote the transformation and landing of agricultural scientific and technological achievements.

After the meeting, experts visited the Crop Ecological Environment Safety Supervision and Testing Center (Shanghai) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.