On November 11, 2025, the first academic committee meeting of the Beijing Key Laboratory of Large Models and Smart Governance was held at the Lide Building of Renmin University of China. President Lin Shangli of Renmin University attended the meeting and delivered a keynote speech. The meeting was co-hosted by Vice President Wang Xiaohu of Renmin University and Academician E Weinan, Chair Professor at Peking University and Director of the Laboratory’s Academic Committee. Representatives from over 40 leading universities and research institutions joined the event both in person and online, including prominent scholars such as Professor Cui Bin from Peking University, Professor Chen Enhong from University of Science and Technology of China, Professor Du Xiaoyong from Renmin University, Professor Gao Hong from Zhejiang Normal University, Professor Gao Lianyi from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Professor Li Zhanhuai from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Professor Wu Fei from Zhejiang University, Professor Wang Guoyin from Chongqing Normal University, Professor Wang Jianmin from Tsinghua University, Professor Yu Ge from Northeastern University, Professor Zhang Min from Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), and Professor Zhou Aoying from East China Normal University. Representatives from collaborating institutions, including Wu Haoran, Director of Science and Technology Product Management at China Unicom Data Intelligence Co., Ltd., and Wen Ziwei, Strategic Investment Manager at Baichuan Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd., also attended the meeting. The gathering brought together experts and guests to engage in in-depth discussions on the laboratory’s development strategy and future direction, offering valuable suggestions for its sustainable innovation and high-quality growth. President Lin Shangli emphasized that the establishment of the laboratory marks a pivotal step in Renmin University’s strategic positioning in the fields of artificial intelligence and smart governance. He highlighted that large language models are fundamentally reshaping social governance paradigms and called on the laboratory to take on its historical mission by: first, focusing on foundational theories to become a “source of innovation” for core large model technologies; second, promoting interdisciplinary integration to serve as a “think tank” for innovative governance theories; and third, advancing open collaboration to become a “model site” for industry-academia-research-application integration. He expressed hope that under the guidance of the Academic Committee, the laboratory would boldly explore uncharted territories and contribute meaningful intellectual and technological power to China’s smart governance system. Wen Jirong, Director of the laboratory and Executive Dean of the Huoqian Institute of Artificial Intelligence at Renmin University, presented a comprehensive report on the laboratory’s strategic positioning and progress. Since its official launch in December 2024, the laboratory has been actively advancing its research agenda in alignment with national strategic needs. It has already achieved significant breakthroughs in key technical areas, successfully developing core systems such as “Yulan-LLaDA,” the AI-powered deep search engine WebThinker, the “Yulan-Wanxiang” multi-agent social simulation platform, and a large model for international rule of law. The laboratory has also established strong collaborative ties with industry partners like China Unicom and Baichuan Intelligence, accelerating the real-world application of AI technologies across diverse scenarios. Looking ahead, the laboratory will continue to focus on fundamental research in large models, strengthen the construction of a robust industry-academia-research-application innovation system, and support the overall advancement of smart governance research at Renmin University and the broader technological development of Beijing. Academician E Weinan highlighted the need for the academic community to enhance collaboration and maintain leadership in cutting-edge AI technologies, especially in the face of rapid developments in large models. He commended the early strategic focus of the Huoqian Institute on large model research, noting the significant potential of diffusion methods in language processing and the integration of physical models with data in applications like weather forecasting. He also identified promising frontiers in scientific computing with multimodal AI, as well as AI for Science and AI for Social Science. E also pointed out the current limitations in theoretical modeling within China’s economic research and called for greater support for fundamental, high-risk, and long-term basic research to ensure sustainable, original innovation. The committee members, while affirming the laboratory’s achievements, offered constructive recommendations. They stressed the importance of aligning the laboratory’s work with national “AI+” initiatives and Beijing’s development priorities, refining its research focus, and aiming for landmark outcomes in both foundational theory and core technology. They encouraged deeper industry collaboration, especially with partner organizations, to ensure that innovations are effectively translated into real-world applications in smart governance. The committee also urged young faculty to pursue bold, original research in this emerging interdisciplinary field. In the academic presentation session, faculty representatives from the laboratory—Professor Sun Hao, Associate Professor Hu Di, and Associate Professor Lin Yankai—delivered reports on “AI-empowered Scientific Computing,” “Preliminary Exploration of Multimodal Interactive Large Models,” and “Autonomous Agents in Large Models for General Intelligence,” showcasing the laboratory’s early progress in both theoretical exploration and practical application. About the Beijing Key Laboratory of Large Models and Smart Governance The Beijing Key Laboratory of Large Models and Smart Governance was officially approved in December 2024, led by Renmin University of China in collaboration with China Unicom and Baichuan Intelligence. The laboratory is directed by Professor Wen Jirong and guided by Academician E Weinan as Chair of the Academic Committee. Its research focuses on four main areas: the mechanisms and new algorithms of large models, novel native multimodal training methods, efficient alignment and complex capability activation in large models, and the application of large models in social governance. The laboratory aims to develop original theoretical frameworks, build a comprehensive system for large model-based governance, and foster a suite of platform-level applications and demonstration systems to advance smart governance in China.