CAS academician Prof. CHENG Guodong, Executive Director of NSFC Department of Earth Sciences, visited ITP on March 26, 2012. Prof. YAO Tandong first briefed him on ITP’s capacity building, infrastructure construction, scientific research and international cooperation.

On knowing the benign development of ITP in the past few years, Prof. Cheng expressed his approval of its vigor and vitality. Four suggestions were also proposed on ITP’s further development:

First, considering the unique geographical status of the Tibetan Plateau , ITP should eye on key science questions in earth system sciences;

Secondly, Third Pole Environment (TPE) program should be further promoted by pooling more financial support from NSFC, and by joining hands with distinguished research groups at home and abroad;

Thirdly, ITP should pay attention to a holistic development of various research disciplines by supporting unique research disciplines to the Plateau;

Fourthly, team spirit should be cultivated in doing academic research on the Tibetan Plateau, and an overall perspective should be adopted in laying out research strategies, thus to update the general research level of China’s Tibetan Plateau research.