From September 17 to 25, the 76th Annual Meeting of the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP), hosted by the University, was convened in Beijing. The opening ceremony was held on September 18 at Xijiao Hotel. Liu Bo, President of China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing; Fan Yuxin, Director of Shandong Provincial Bureau of Coalfield Geology; and ICCP President Stavros Kalaitzidis attended the ceremony. More than 100 experts and scholars from over ten countries and regions, including Australia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Denmark, Poland, Mongolia, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and China, participated in the meeting. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Shao Longyi from School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering of CUMTB.
In his opening remarks, Liu Bo, on behalf of the University, congratulated the convening of the conference and extended a warm welcome to all distinguished guests and participants. He noted that energy constitutes a fundamental material foundation for human survival and development, and that fossil fuels, as the principal component, will continue to account for a major share of global primary energy consumption for a considerable period. As the most authoritative international academic organization in the field, ICCP plays a vital role in the formulation of international standards and terminology, as well as in advancing disciplinary development. Liu expressed his hope that the conference would serve as a platform for in-depth dialogue, promote knowledge sharing and interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthen consensus on cooperation, and contribute to the sustainable development of the global energy sector.
Fan Yuxin also extended his congratulations and welcomed the participating experts. He outlined the work and recent research advances of Shandong Coalfield Geological Bureau, and expressed his hope to deepen engagement with ICCP and its members, broaden collaboration, and work together to further advance the organization’s development.
Speaking on behalf of ICCP, Professor Stavros Kalaitzidis thanked the host institution for its excellent organization of the meeting. He briefly reviewed the Committee’s recent progress and expressed his hope that the conference would achieve its intended goals through the collective efforts of the participants.
The conference focused on the following key themes: organic petrology and climate change; coal geology and critical minerals in coal-bearing strata; AI-empowered coal geology and organic petrology; and emerging technologies in coal geology and organic petrology. During the conference, participants engaged in extensive and in-depth discussions on these themes, as well as related emerging issues and research frontiers in the field. Professor Sun Beilei of Taiyuan University of Technology, together with Professor Shao Longyi, Associate Professor Liu Yu, and Lecturer He Xiaofang from CUMTB, led participants on a field excursion to examine representative Carboniferous-Permian coal-bearing strata sections in China.
The International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology is the only global organization responsible for establishing standards and terminology in coal petrology. As the leading international academic authority in the field, ICCP plays a pivotal role in advancing related disciplines and promoting international cooperation.
