The 19^th annual meeting for the NKLPMG was held at SIPPE from Dec. 2^nd to 3^rd. Members of Academic Committee, Scientific Advisory Board, and all the principal investigators attended the meeting. Academician Zhihong Xu, the chairman of Academic Committee, and the deputy directors, Drs. Bin Han and Hai Huang, hosted the meeting.

Prof. Zhihong Xu made a welcome speech. On behalf of Academic Committee, he expressed his warm welcome and appreciation to all members for participating in the annual meeting and expected valuable and constructive recommendations from the committee to the NKLPMG PIs after reviewing their works. Prof. Hongwei Xue, the director of NKLPMG, made an introduction on research of the laboratory and individual groups, summarized work progress made in 2007 and funding status, and displayed the publications and patents. At the end, he put forward a proposal to strengthening systematic, creative, and original research; emphasis will be put on functional crop genes and breading, signal transduction, and epigenetics.

Nineteen group leaders, and three visiting scientists, funded the Opening Research Projects, presented their work progress and received advice from the committee members. In the discussion session, committee members gave recommendations on the management of the laboratory and suggestions for future research deployment. Academic achievement made in 2007 by the NKLPMG was largely recognized by the committee.

Academician Jiayang Li approved the progress and the team organization, and recognized that most research works aimed at specific questions. To meet the goal of being a successful national key laboratory, however, Prof. Li had more expectations. He suggested that the laboratory should fully exploit its unique advantages while keeping the tradition of the CAS to further focus on research topics and organize team working more reasonably. He emphasized that scientific research extends to no end and that standing at a higher altitude, with strict self-examination, shall facilitate the long-termed development of the NKLPLG. Prof. Xiaoya Chen, the Vice President of Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, made a grateful acknowledgement for the committee′s efforts. He indicated that the work of the NKLPMG should be more fundamental and approaching the frontiers and that more weight should be put onto innovative and unique topics for academic research. It shall be important to establish a forum for young scientists as a platform for vivid academic activities.

An the end of the annual meeting, members of Academic Committee and Scientific Advisory Board evaluated the three works supported by the Opening Research Projects and reviewed new applications for the 2007 fiscal year.