On May 21, 2006, Prof. Yao Tandong, Director of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS (ITPCAS) flew to Kunming, where he inspected the future site of Kunming Campus of ITP, and discussed thoroughly with Prof Li Dezhu, Director of the Kunming Institute of Botany, about the preparation of the initiation.

As one of the three campuses (Beijing, Lahsa and Kunming) of ITP, Kunming Campus will focus on the research areas including botanical species on the Plateau, bio-diversity, microbes in the ice cores, advanced epiphyte and so on.

Directors Yao and Li also saw eye to eye on the issue concerning broader cooperation realm. Both agreed that they should take advantage of the research convergence in plant studies and bio-diversities on the Plateau, and actively conduct collaboration with some international organizations as ICIMOD, thus to realize the benign combination between geography and biology.

At current construction rate, the Kunming Campus was to run normally in October this year.