Shanghai Lingang, within the World Laureates Forum, there is one scene that remains utterly unique: No preset agenda. No glowing slides. Only the wavering light of wine glasses, and sparks of thought igniting across the room. This is WLF Möbius Night, a space we believe best embodies the original spirit of scientific exchange.
The 2025 edition once again reaffirmed our core conviction: many of humanity’s greatest scientific breakthroughs are born not in formulas or agendas, but in the spaces in between. As the host, we are not merely organizers, we are builders and witnesses of this scientific “ideal realm.” We strive to dismantle the invisible walls, allowing cross-disciplinary and cross-generational dialogue to unfold freely and authentically.
The Art of Intentional “Blank Space”: Returning Conversation to Its Origins
We deliberately removed everything that has become a “standard feature” of modern conferences. When a Nobel Laureate specializing in DNA repair sits beside a young scholar pushing the boundaries of quantum computing, there are no scripts, only a shared curiosity about the unknown. In such an “informal” setting, stripped of titles and seniority, ideas meet in their purest form. It was here that an imaginative conversation on merging DNA repair mechanisms with quantum algorithms once emerged, an example of the boundless creativity this space is designed to cultivate.
A Dual Mission: Bridging Theory and Industry, Connecting Lingang and the World
Carving “canals” through disciplinary boundaries
We witnessed an intense debate on traditional medicine vs. modern biotechnology.
This was more than a clash between old and new paradigms, and it reflected our commitment to integrating organized research with scientist-driven exploration.
In Lingang’s fertile environment for innovation, such collisions are precisely what support breakthroughs beyond disciplinary silos.
Pressing the fast-forward button for translation and application
WLF Möbius Night is not only a furnace of ideas, it is also a starting point for collaboration. We were pleased to see scientists and industry representatives, through casual conversation, quickly identify mutual needs and opportunities. This informal matchmaking often proves far more efficient than a string of formal presentations.
It is shaping a cycle of “inspiration → technology → application,” the core pathway that allows us to attract world-leading scientific resources to Lingang and support Shanghai’s mission to build a global science and innovation hub.
Notes from the Roundtable: Listening to the “Human” Behind the Science
In the gentle flicker of candlelight, we captured voices that reveal more about the essence of science than any technical report could.
On the “ten-year promise”
When asked where they would invest research energy if granted ten years of stable funding, their answers spanned everything from astrophysics to neural decoding.
On “looking back”
When recalling their most formative moments, scientists spoke of mentors’ silhouettes, chance academic encounters, and the lone lamp glowing in a late-night lab. These quiet fragments mark the starting points of each scientist’s unique trajectory.
On the “institute of the future”
When imagining the ideal research institute, several themes emerged repeatedly:
“tear down walls,” “free movement,” and “embrace failure.”
On “time in China”
Many scientists shared their research and life experiences in Shanghai, memories woven between rigorous experimental data and the warmth of everyday city life, forming impressions both vivid and enduring.
As co-organizers of WLF Möbius Night, the Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology Innovation Development Foundation and Fudan University remain committed to serving as “keepers of the flame” for unbounded intellectual exchange. We firmly believe that the flashes of inspiration that surge through the night will, before long, illuminate humanity’s path forward.
