On September 28, 2018, the Institute of Rural and Regional Development invited Professor Ning Lutao of the School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London to give a lecture on the theme Externalities of Industrial Agglomeration and Foreign Direct Investment.

Professor Ning Lutao, a graduate of Cambridge University, has been engaged in academic research in the field of econometrics and urban innovation for a long time. Focusing on the research topic of decision-making in the development of urban industrial science and technology in China, Professor Ning provided a comparative analysis on the specialization and diversification in the development of Chinese cities and the positive impact of FDI on the innovation ability of cities. The lecture was lively, vivid and interesting. Before the lecture, President Hu Zhijian met with Professor Ning and exchanged views with him. Researchers from CASTED, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) attended the lecture and joined the discussion.