On the evening of May 6 (Beijing time), the China Association for Science and Technology United Nations Consultative Committee on Scientific Literacy (CAST-CCSL), partnered with the China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP), the Chinese Care and Compassion Society (CCCS), the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice, University of Kent (GSEJ), and the  Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST) to host an online side event at the 11th United Nations Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum)The side event, themed “science popularization empowering scientific and technological innovation and application,” attracted scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from UNESCO, international civil societies as well as renowned national and international universities, research institutions, and industry associations.

Xiaodong Pang the Executive Director-General of China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP) and Vice President of CAST UN Consultative Committee on Scientific Literacy (CAST-CCSL) addressed at the side event. He called on diverse global stakeholders to strengthen cooperation and promote the use of science popularization to empower scientific and technological innovation, contributing to humanitys efforts to address common challenges and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Six experts delivered keynote speeches. The speakers included Shaofeng Hu, Director of the Division of Ethics, Research and Technology, , Sciences Sector, UNESCO; Joy Y. Zhang, Professor at University of Kent and the Founding Director of GSEJ; Natalia Pasternak, Lecturer of science communication and policy, at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and President of the Instituto Questao de Ciencia in Brazil; Romain Murenzi, Former Executive Director of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); Marco A. Cabero Z,  Chairman of ARCST and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Latin American Sciences and Culture (JLASC); and Zhimin Zhang, Researcher and the Director of the Division of International Cooperation at CRISP. From multiple perspectives including global strategies of international organizations, citizen science in intelligent societies, governance of misinformation, effective paths for fostering a scientific culture, and global cooperation in genomic science innovation, they integrated theory with practice to explore how to strengthen science popularization to drive technological innovation, and put forward countermeasures and suggestions for building a fair and coordinated global innovation ecosystem.. The side event was hosted by Lin Yin, Deputy Director-General of China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM).

The United Nations STI Forum is a main platform of the technology facilitation mechanism under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 11th STI Forum took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 6–7, 2026. Its theme was “transformative, equitable and coordinated science, technology and innovation for the 2030 Agenda and a sustainable future for all.”