On October 24, Hangzhou Normal University hosted the unveiling ceremony of the Zhejiang-Belgium Joint Laboratory for Disorders of Consciousness and the 13th China-Belgium Conference on Consciousness and Disorders of Consciousness. Professor Steven Dirk Laureys, President of the International Association for Consciousness Studies, Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the Royal Belgian Academy of Medicine unveiled the laboratory.

As a pioneer in the international fields of consciousness and disorders of consciousness and the key person responsible for formulating the European clinical guidelines for disorders of consciousness, Professor Steven Dirk Laureys joined Hangzhou Normal University in January this year. This move represents not only a new chapter in his academic career but also a vivid practice of the university's talent strategy, its efforts to build a high-level faculty, and its drive to promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent.

The newly established Zhejiang-Belgium Joint Laboratory for Disorders of Consciousness will take disorders of consciousness as its core, focusing on two major directions: precise diagnosis and intervention. It is committed to conducting multi-level research spanning "molecular - system - behavioral" aspects, striving to build an open, collaborative, and sustainable international cooperation network.

At the 13th China-Belgium Conference on Consciousness and Disorders of Consciousness held in the afternoon, experts and scholars from home and abroad shared the latest progress in the assessment, intervention, and mechanism research of disorders of consciousness, showcasing the international cutting-edge trends in this field.

Facing future, Hangzhou Normal University will take the research direction of disorders of consciousness as an important carrier for promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and as an important platform for deep disciplinary integration. The university will fully promote the construction of the International Center for Consciousness and Cognition Research, providing strong support for basic research and original innovation capabilities.