Officials from Japan, lead by Mr. Koji Omi, founder and chairman of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum, visited BIG on December 1, 2009 and met with Professor Yu Jun, Vice Director of BIG, and other scientists.  

Prof. Yu welcomed Japanese guests and introduced the development history, research directions and facilities of BIG. The delegation also visited the genomics and bioinformatics platform, high-performance computing system, and laboratories of the institute.

Mr. Koji Omi introduced the organizaton of the 7^th STS Forum to be held in October 2010 in Kyoto, Japan, and formally invited Prof. Yu to attend the Forum and give a lecture. Prof. Yu expressed the interest to the Forum and exchanged ideas on the seven topics of the Forum.

The STS forum, inaugurated in November 2004, holds an annual meeting starting on the first Sunday of October every year, in Kyoto, Japan. The meeting is aimed at creating a global human network based on trust and providing a framework for open discussions regarding the further progress of science and technology for the benefit of humankind, while controlling ethical, safety and environmental issues resulting from their application: “The Lights and Shadows of Science and Technology”.