The third theme forum of the Shanghai World Expo opened Sunday in Wuxi, east China' s Jiangsu Province, with renowned scholars and officials discussing how science and technology innovations will aid cities in the future.

The two-day forum was co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Executive Committee of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the government of Wuxi.

Participants to the forum include Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, Nobel Laureate in Physics 1957 and Columbia University professor Lee Tsung-Dao, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2005 and clinical professor from the University of Western Australia Barry J. Marshall and China' s agricultural scientist, widely known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice," Yuan Longping.

Under the theme "science & technology innovation and urban future" , the panel will discuss topics including how science and technology innovation can ensure the safety of cities, tackling urban problems such as traffic jams and epidemic outbreaks and improving urban life through science and technology.

The first theme forum focused on "information and communication technology (ICT) and urban development" in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on May 15 and 16. The second theme forum discussed "cultural heritage and urban regeneration" in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province on June 12 and 13.

A total of 189 countries have sponsored pavilions at the six-month Shanghai World Expo, whose theme is "Better City, Better Life".