A Brief Introduction to Guangzhou Branch, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Guangzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was initiated for preparation in 1956 and formally established in December 1958. In 1961, the Guangzhou Branch and Wuhan Branch merged to form the Central South Branch, which was dissolved in 1969. The Guangzhou Branch was restored in May 1978.
As an outpost institution of CAS, the Guangzhou Branch oversees the following CAS-affiliated institutions: in Guangdong Province, the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, South China Botanical Garden, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Dongguan Institute of Materials Science and Technology, Guangzhou Chemistry Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.; in Hainan Province, the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering; and in Jiangxi Province, the Ganjiang Innovation Academy.
By the end of 2025, the Guangzhou Branch system had 6,154 on-the-job staff, including 3,869 researchers. Among them, 650 hold senior professional titles (professor level) and 1,078 hold associate senior professional titles (associate professor level); 3,203 hold doctoral degrees and 1,518 hold master’s degrees. There are 6 Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and 1 Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
For research platforms, the Branch hosts 13 National Key Laboratories (7 co-constructed), 2 National Engineering Laboratories (1 co-constructed), and 4 National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratories (1 co-constructed). It also runs 20 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratories, 2 Hunan Provincial Key Laboratories, 2 Hainan Provincial Key Laboratories and 1 Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Key Laboratory. The Branch operates 8 National Field Scientific Observation and Research Stations, 6 research vessels, as well as one specimen museum each for plants, rocks & minerals, and marine organisms.
It boasts a complete talent training system, with 25 first-level disciplines authorized for academic doctoral degrees and 29 for academic master’s degrees. There are 5 authorization sites for professional doctoral degrees, 14 for professional master’s degrees, 15 postdoctoral mobile stations and 2 postdoctoral workstations.
Major large scientific facilities operating or under construction in Guangdong Province include: China Spallation Neutron Source, High-Intensity Heavy Ion Accelerator, Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System, Phase II of China Spallation Neutron Source, Advanced Attosecond Laser Facility, Cold Seep Ecosystem Research Facility, Human Cell Lineage Large-Scale Research Facility, Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, Brain Atlas and Brain Simulation Facility, and Synthetic Biology Research Facility.
Targeting the socioeconomic development needs of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Jiangxi, the Guangzhou Branch performs the functions of communication and coordination. Under the leadership of the CAS Party Leadership Group, the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government, the Branch works with relevant provincial and municipal authorities to advance major research missions and translate scientific and technological achievements in the Greater Bay Area, providing leading and supportive strength for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Center.
(Updated in July 2026)