A two-day forum on innovation and development in Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park opened today at the city's China National Convention Center.

The forum focuses on the challenges of technological progress and other heatedly debated topics that loom in the development of the Zhongguancun Science Park and its companies.

It aims to provide for dialog among world-renowned companies from China and abroad in technology, economy, finance and other related fields.

The theme of this year's forum is Technological Innovation and Global Cooperation.

Like previous ones, the 2012 forum is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the State Intellectual Property Office and the Beijing Municipal Government.

More than 60 top names in their fields will be present and make keynote speeches at the forum. Featured speakers include Liu Chuanzhi, CEO of Legend Holdings Ltd, Hu Xiaolian, vice-president of the People's Bank of China, and Scott Cutler, executive vice president of the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to the usual hot topics like cultural innovation, technology finance and the impact technology has on everyday life, the 2012 forum will also pay close attention to Zhongguancun's strategic emerging industries and new models for doing business.

Two branch forums will be held simultaneously. One will focus on international technology transfer and regional innovation, while the other puts a spotlight on new models for business incubation.

For the first time since it was first compiled in 2004, the Zhongguancun Index will be released to the public during this year's forum.

Jointly released by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences and two other research bodies, the index reveals the characteristics of companies in the Zhongguancun Science Park while tracking broader trends in innovation.

It includes six sub-indexes, such as innovative capability, business environment and internationalization. The index also lists the top 300 companies in the Zhongguancun Science Park.

Along with the release of the index, a roundtable meeting will be the other main highlight of the 2012 forum.

The roundtable meeting will deal with companies' roles and responsibilities in international innovative cooperation as well as how to achieve mutually beneficial results.