2013 September 16th-18th, Space Very Long Baseline Interformetry Forum was successfully held in Beijing.  This academic forum is organized by International Space Science Institute-Beijing (ISSI-BJ), National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the CAS, and supported by the International Cooperation Bureau of the CAS and the Strategic Priority Research Program.

    Prof. Xiaoyu Hong (Director of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory), Prof. Leonid Gurvits (Joint Institute of VLBI in Europe) and Prof. Kenneth Kellermann are the conveners   of this forum. The participants are world-wide excellent experts in radio astronomy and space VLBI field, and invited by the conveners and scientific organization committee. More than 60 people from 14 countries and regions joined the forum.

    The forum emphases on the scientific objectives and key technologies of the “Chinese Millimeter-wavelength Space VLBI Array Background Program” of SHAO, which is one of the Strategic Priority Research Programs of the CAS. The discussion covers a broad aspect of topics: the history, current status and future of space VLBI, overall design of the project, scientific objectives and key techniques, potential international cooperation. The experts raised a lot of constructive comments and instructive suggestions to the project organization. Solid schemes to broaden the international cooperation were established: to form an open, more effective and international management format; to constitute an advisory scientific committee to guide the science program, technique requirements and overall design; to establish six science working groups and 9 technique working groups. Maurizio Falanga (deputy director, ISSI-BJ), Ji Wu (director, NSSC), Kenneth Kellermann (senior professor, NRAO) and Xiaoyu Hong (director, SHAO) made conclusive remarks.

   The experts on radio astronomy and space VLBI paid high attention to the international forum, and showed great passion to contribute to the Chinese Millimeter-wavelength Space VLBI Program.

webpage of the forum: http://www.issi-beijing.ac.cn/Programme/Workshops/vlbi/home/