The first preparatory meeting of the "Third Forum of Materials Genome Engineering" was held in Kunming on March 22, 2019. The meeting was presided over by Xie Jianxin (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of University of Science and Technology Beijing). More than 30 leaders and experts attended the meeting, including Xu Jin (Deputy Director of the First Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), Li Jinzhong (Deputy Director of the Industrial Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), Hou Shuqian (President of the YAST) and Zhu Shaowu (Chairman of Precious Metals Group).

Before the meeting, Xie Jianxin and other experts held discussions with Dong Baotong (Director General of Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department), Hou Shuqian and Zhu Shaowu. Academician Xie introduced the background and development of material genome engineering, as well as the significance and influence of holding a high-level forum of material genome engineering. Director-General Dong Baotong said that the holding of the Forum in Kunming is of great significance to the development of Yunnan Province, and Yunnan Province will fully support it. The provincial government of Yunnan Province attaches great importance to the genome engineering of rare and precious metal materials in Yunnan. In the 2018 Provincial Government Work Report, Governor Ruan Chengfa clearly pointed out that "implementing major scientific and technological projects such as genome engineering of rare and precious metal materials". Our province should give key support to major scientific and technological projects of genome engineering of rare and precious metal materials.

At the meeting, Deputy Director Xu Jin of the Academy of Engineering, Vice Director Li Jinzhong of the Industrial Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and President Hou Shuqian of the YAST delivered speeches respectively. Professor Su Yanjing introduced the holding of previous forums. Representatives of the YAST reported on the preparations for the third  forum, which discussed issues related to the holding of the third high-level forum and deployed the preparatory work.

It was decided that the third Forum on material genome engineering would be held in Kunming on November 22 to 25, 2019. The experts at the meeting agreed that as the "International High-end Forum of Engineering Science and Technology" of the Chinese Academy of Engineering should be prepared in accordance with the standards of the international high-end forum and further expand the international influence of the forum. More than 30 well-known overseas experts, as well as about 1000 domestic universities and research institutes, business persons and graduate students will be invited. The third Forum will together with Engineering (a journal of the Chinese Academy of Engineering) publish a special journal on material genome engineering in 2020, to promote the promotion and application of the idea and concept of material genome engineering.