Iain Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee, speaks at the latest Science Café event, a platform launched by the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Dec 1, 2023. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

A top British scientist has called for joint efforts to tackle the mounting challenges that humanity is increasingly faced with in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Dec 1.

"Institutions, industry and policymakers across the globe must work together to address common challenges," said Iain Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee, against a backdrop of growing globalization, intensifying climate change and the increasing health risks it brings.

He was speaking at the Master Dialogue of the Science Café, a science communication platform launched by the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology (ZAST) earlier this year to facilitate discussions in science.

Themed "Embracing Innovative Cooperation: Injecting New Vitality and Global Health", the latest event focuses on how innovation and cooperation can empower global health development in the post-pandemic age.

Infectious diseases can cause both direct and indirect harm, including reducing labor supply and stifling human capital investments, and have vast economic implications, Gillespie said.

In the coming decades, pandemics are expected to cause an average annual economic loss of 0.7 percent of global GDP, according to the World Economic Forum.

A Growing world population and increasing human activity contribute to climate change and increase the frequency of infectious disease outbreaks, said Gillespie, which means multilateral cooperation is necessary for effective governance.

"Cooperations has the ability to bring together expertise and capacity," he said.

Science Café has provided a space for such partnerships, said Wu Chuanyu, vice-president of ZAST.

Nobel laureates have been invited since the inception of the platform, Wu said, and entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and the general public have also been attracted to the gatherings.

"We hope the platform can help deepen scientific and technological exchanges and communication", he said.

In a sense, it has become an engine of innovation for the city, he added.