The government of Central China's Hubei province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on July 16 signed an agreement to build CAS's East Lake science center at East Lake High-tech Development Zone -- also known as Optics Valley of China, located in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province -- according to local officials.

Under the agreement, the two sides will jointly build a number of major parks and platforms. Among them, the CAS East Lake science center will be constructed in the Science Island of Optics Valley.

The center will include research facilities for crop phenotypic omics.

It will also include the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology of the CAS and the CAS innovation research institute for underground space engineering sciences.

Officials said it will also include innovation platforms of the Center for Research and Development of Antiviral Vaccine Drugs under Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS and a research simulator for lake complex ecology.

According to local officials, the two sides plan to apply to the relevant national departments for the development of the center as a Wuhan comprehensive national science center.

Furthermore, the partners also decided to organize strategic research and scientific and technological decision-making consultations.

Officials said this will achieve common development in terms of accelerating the transfer and commercialization of CAS's scientific and technological achievements in Hubei province, jointly organizing key technical research -- as well as boosting talents recruitment, training and cooperation and exchanges.