The nameplate unveiling ceremony of the Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, CAS, was held in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), CAS, on February, 2, 2010. Liu Weiping, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee, and XUE Qunji, director of the academic committee of the LICP and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering unveiled the nameplate together.

　　 LIU Weiping said that the Laboratory should enhance the building of research platforms and talents to establish it into a state key laboratory in the not-too-distant future. He hoped the Laboratory could strengthen research on astragalus and other green plant drink, Chinese medicinal granule and medicinal components and healthy ingredients in plant resources, such as sweetening chrysanthemum, pot marigold, walnut, olive and tomato, to tackle key technologies and form core competitive ability; speed up reform, innovation and achievements transformation to increase the value of S&T achievements; extend the development of western plant resources to build a large-scale industry chain to make more contributions to the economic structure adjustment and social development of Gansu province.

　　 Basing on the disciplines of analytical chemistry, natural medicinal chemistry and chemical biology, the Laboratory will carry out research on the basic theory and key technologies in the development, protection and sustainable utilization of northwestern characteristic plant resources, invention of new drugs and industrialization of high value products. The special emphasis will be given to research on the finding, characterization, forming and functions of chemical components of plant resources and their sustainable utilization. The main research topics are the research on the new materials and new methods in the separation and analysis of plant composition, research on the finding and characterization of chemical components of northwestern characteristic plant resources and research on the application of northwestern characteristic plants in medicine and health care and protection of the resources.