From July 26th to 29th, 2024, the 22nd International Conference on Optical Communications and Networks was held at the International Conference Center of Harbin Huayi Hotel. The conference was hosted by the IEEE Photonics Society and organized by our university. Shi Zhaohui, Deputy Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Yu Zhiwen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of our university, and Professor Shen Ping, the Global President of the IEEE Photonics Society and from the Southern University of Science and Technology, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Professor Zhang Jianzhong, the Conference Chairperson and Director of the Key Laboratory of Fiber Integrated Optics of the Ministry of Education of our university, presided over the opening ceremony.

In his speech, Shi Zhaohui said that as an important academic hub in the Northeast region, Heilongjiang Province has numerous teams engaged in relevant research and powerful optical communication industry companies. This conference not only provides an opportunity for international experts to learn about the research achievements of Heilongjiang Province and Harbin Engineering University in the field of optical communication, but also offers a good exchange platform for the research and industrialization in fields such as optical fiber sensing, optical fiber communication, and photoelectric detection within the province.

In his speech, Yu Zhiwen introduced the history, school-running characteristics, relevant discipline construction, scientific research achievements and other aspects of the school. Yu Zhiwen pointed out that the successful holding of the conference will enhance the international popularity of Harbin Engineering University, deepen the innovative cooperation with domestic and foreign counterparts in relevant fields, promote the teaching and research level and the cultivation of high-level talents, and bring a positive impact on the development of Heilongjiang Province and Harbin Engineering University in relevant fields.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Professor Shen Ping, the conference chairperson, announced the opening of the conference.

Professor Tomasz R. Woliński from Warsaw University of Technology in Poland gave a live report.

Professor Rao Yunjiang from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China gave a live report.

Chief Scientist Tang Xiongyan from China Unicom Research Institute gave a live report.

This conference attracted more than 420 experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from countries such as the UK, Russia, Poland and South Korea. The conference mainly focused on special topics like fiber optics, optical communications and networks, optical fiber sensing and lasers, optoelectronics, optical signal processing, microwave photonics, space optical communications and quantum optics to conduct technical discussions, product exhibitions and demand docking.

During the conference, the participating experts and scholars visited the Key Laboratory of Fiber Integrated Optics of the Ministry of Education. They recognized the achievements made by the laboratory and put forward research directions for future cooperation.

During the conference, our university signed a cooperation agreement with the Institute of Automation and Process Control of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The two sides will carry out further cooperation in aspects such as talent cultivation, scientific research and academic exchanges. Relevant personnel from the Office of International Exchanges and Cooperation and the School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering attended the signing ceremony.

As a large international academic conference under IEEE, the International Conference on Optical Communications and Networks (ICOCN) is held once a year. Since its establishment, it has been successfully held for 21 sessions in places like Singapore, India, Thailand and Hong Kong. It is currently one of the most important international conferences in the fields of optical communications, photonics and related fields.