CAS iMAPS Summer School 2026
Qingdao
Platform Training
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Beijing / Xiong'an
Field Exploration
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Shanghai
Biomedical Interface
From platform training to field exploration and biomedical interface applications, this 10-day programme
introduces the MIAPS platform through lectures, instrument workshops, field visits and scientific forums.
Explore Summer School ↗
What is iMAPS?
Having thrived on Earth for 3.8 billion years, microbes are the invisible architects of life — the unsung heroes that sustain the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. They hold the keys to solving society's greatest challenges, such as global warming, antimicrobial resistance, environmental pollutions, malnutrition and hunger. However, less than 1% of the microbes in nature has been explored or utilized, due to the inability to monitor their in-situ metabolic functions or to mine live microbes of target function anytime and anywhere.
To tackle these long-standing challenges, we have established the iMAPS (in-situ Metabolic Atlas Projects @ Single-cell) Consortium, a global team of universities, research institutions, companies, and government agencies, to establish a distributed network of iMAPS facilities. In the iMAPS Network, each node serves as a "metabolic sensor, functional-strain miner, and ecological remediator" of microbiomes for a particular scientific field or geographic area, so as to together understand, preserve and sustainably explore the power of microbiomes on Earth.
By integrating metaramanomics technologies, Al-powered data systems, and a decentralized international network of local resources, iMAPS will enable real-time, label-free profiling, mining, and deployment of metabolic activities from microbiomes across human, animal, plant, and environmental ecosystems. From discovery to deployment, iMAPS aims to accelerate the translation of microbiome science into locally deployable yet globally coordinated solutions for global warming, health, agriculture, biomanufacturing, and ecosystem restoration.
Global Network
10+ Countries 100+ Institutions 5 Research Areas
★★★★★
University of California San Diego (UC San Diego)
Partner
Environment
University of Hawaiʻi (UH)
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU)
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Anhui University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Bengbu Medical University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Academy of Military Sciences, PLA
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Beijing University of Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
China Agricultural University
Partner
Agriculture
China University of Geosciences (Beijing)
Partner
Environment
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC)
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
COFCO Nutrition and Health Research Institute
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Antarctic Zhongshan Station
Partner
Environment
Minzu University of China
Partner
Environment
National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
National Institute of Biological Science, Beijing
Partner
Nutrition & Health
National Institute of Metrology, China
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Environment
Sinopec Group
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
The Procter & Gamble Company
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Environment
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources
Partner
Environment
Xiamen University
Partner
Environment
BGI Group
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Bioisland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)
Partner
Nutrition & Health
National Biomanufacturing Industry Innovation Center
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Shenzhen University
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
South China University of Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou)
Partner
Environment
Southern Medical University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Southern University of Science and Technology
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Sun Yat-sen University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Kweichow Moutai Group
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Hainan University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Hebei University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Shijiazhuang People's Hospital
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Xiong'an Institute of Innovation
Partner
Agriculture
Daqing Institute of Applied Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Heilongjiang University
Partner
Environment
The University of Hong Kong
Partner
Nutrition & Health
CABIO Biotech (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Huazhong Agricultural University
Partner
Agriculture
Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Environment
Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
South-Central Minzu University
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Wuhan Institute of Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Zymomics Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
Inner Mongolia Agricultural University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command of PLA
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Jiangnan University
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Nanjing Institute for Food and Drug Control
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Nanjing Normal University
Partner
Environment
Nanjing University
Partner
Environment
Jilin Normal University
Partner
Environment
Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Agriculture
University of Macau
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Northwest A&F University
Partner
Agriculture
Ocean University of China
Partner
Environment
Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao)
Partner
Environment
Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Qingdao Municipal Hospital (Group)
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Shandong Academy of Chinese Medicine
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Shandong Normal University
Partner
Environment
Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd.
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Partner
Nutrition & Health
East China University of Science and Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Fudan University
Partner
Nutrition & Health
Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Partner
Environment
Chengdu Pidu District Shudu Rural Revitalization Investment and Development Co., Ltd.
Partner
Agriculture
West China Hospital / Hospital of Stomatology Sichuan University
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Nankai University
Partner
Environment
Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Tianjin University
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Tianjin University of Science and Technology
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Shihezi University
Partner
Agriculture
Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Partner
Public Health & Medicine
Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University
Partner
Agriculture
Westlake University
Partner
Environment
Zhejiang University
Partner
Environment
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Partner
Nutrition & Health
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Partner
Environment
CEA Cadarache Centre (CEA)
Partner
Biomanufacturing / SynBio
Cordeliers Research Center (CRC)
Partner
Nutrition & Health
French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE)
Partner
Agriculture
Gustave Roussy (GR)
Partner
Nutrition & Health
The Metaramanome Platform
News & Events
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Three Cities, One Global Vision: Ramanomics Takes Center Stage at CAS iMAPS Summer School 2026
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Global young scientists gather in Qingdao for CAS iMAPS Summer School, powered by ramanomics
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Seeing the Metabolic State of a Single Cell: How Many Steps Does It Take?
