2016 Annual Meeting of China National Committee for International Geoscience Program (IGCP) was held in Beijing on November 30th, 2016. This meeting is also a handover meeting of the Third and Fourth China National Committees for IGCP. During the meeting, the composition of the Fourth National Committee was formally announced and working plan for the year of 2017 was decided. In addition, Chinese geologists, who are leaders or co-leaders of the ongoing IGCP projects, gave presentations on the working progresses of their projects.

The Fourth China National Committee for IGCP includes 15 members, who are from MLR, Ministry of Sciences and Technology of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Earthquake Administration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAGS, China University of Geosciences, Peking University, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, SinoPec Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation and China Non-Ferrous Metals Resource Geological Survey.

The following geologists gave presentations on the working progress of their IGCP projects at the meeting:

Prof. Jin Xiaochi: IGCP 589-Development of the Asian Tethyan Realm

Prof. Xiao Wenjiao: IGCP 592-Continental Construction in Central Asia

Prof. Li Guobiao: IGCP 608-Asia-Pacific Cretaceous Ecosystems

Prof. Chen Xi: IGCP 609-Cretaceous Sea-Level Changes

Prof. Chen Zhongqiang: IGCP 630-Permian-Triassic Climatic and Environmental Extremes and biotic responses 

Prof. Sha Jingeng: IGCP 632-Permian-Triassic Climatic and Environmental Extremes and biotic responses 

Prof. Yang Jingsui: IGCP 649-Diamonds and Recycled Mantle

Prof. Zhang Yuandong: IGCP 653-The onset of the Great Ordovician Biodiversity Even

The International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) fosters interdisciplinary geoscientific research among researchers internationally, through joint research work, meetings and workshops. Since its creation in 1972, IGCP has supported over 350 projects in about 150 countries. IGCP brings together scientists from around the world, and provides them with seed money to devise and conduct joint international research and to collectively publish the results. High on the list of selection criteria are scientific quality and the extent of the international, multidisciplinary cooperation likely to be generated by a proposed project.

By the end of 2016, Chinese geologists participated in 136 IGCP projects with 69 Chinese geologists being project leaders or co-leaders. The China National Committee for IGCP was established in 1980. The Committee is affiliated to Ministry of Land and Resources of China (MLR) and its Secretariat is located at Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS).