The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) and the Dongguan Government have pledged to build a photon source facility as part of a larger plan between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Guangdong Provincial Government to build an international S&T innovation center.

Agreements to launch both programs were signed during a ceremony in Guangzhou on Nov. 18.

The agreement to build the Southern Photon Source was signed by Wang Yifang, director of IHEP, and Xiao Yafei, mayor of Dongguan City. Chen Yanwei, deputy director of IHEP and director of the IHEP Dongguan Campus, also attended the ceremony.

IHEP and the Dongguan Government will jointly plan and construct the synchrotron facility as well as provide strategic support for building the innovation center, which will serve the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Li Xi, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ma Xingrui, governor of Guangdong Province, attended the ceremony, during which CAS and the Guangdong Government also signed additional cooperation agreements.

CAS and the Guangdong Government aim to build a world-class large-scale scientific facility cluster, a number of high-level scientific research institutions, a leading technology transfer platform, as well as a Guangzhou-Shenzhen science and education park.