Article by: Prof. Kaida Xiao, Director of CIE Division 1 – Vision and Colour
The International Frontier Industrial Forum on Color and Vision Science, organised by the Beijing Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University, was held from 25–28 April, 2026 in Beijing, China, with the strategic support of CIE Division 1: Vision and Colour and the China Illuminating Engineering Society (CIES) / CIE National Committee of China.
The forum brought together around 250 experts from 55 universities and research institutions, as well as representatives of 26 leading enterprises. Discussions focused on recent advances in colour and vision science and on how these developments can support industrial application, commercialisation and standardisation. A central focus of the forum was bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial applications. The programme addressed developments in colour-matching functions, colour rendition, HDR and wide-colour-gamut displays, colour perception in VR, AR and XR environments, facial appearance measurement, and reproduction, and Colour, Material and Finish (CMF) design.
These topics are closely aligned with the CIE Research Strategy and with ongoing work in CIE Division 1: Vision and Colour and CIE Division 8: Image Technology. They also relate directly to the activities of several CIE Research Fora, including RF-01 Spectral Imaging; RF-03 Matters Related to Colour Rendition; and RF-04 Lighting in the Usage of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality Devices.
The forum was attended by the full Division 1 management team, as well as by the chairs of several relevant CIE Technical Committees and Joint Technical Committees: TC 1-95 The Validity of the CIE Whiteness and Tint Equations; TC 1-96 Advances in Colour Appearance Models; TC 1-99 Modelling Two-Dimensional Colour Appearance Scales; TC 1-100 To Recommend CAM16-UCS as the CIE Uniform Colour Space; TC 1-102 Method for Calculating CIE Tristimulus Values; TC 1-104 Verification of the Physiologically-Relevant CIE 2006 LMS Cone Fundamental CMFs and Their Linear Transformation to the 2015 XYZ CMFs, JTC 16 Validity of Chromatic Adaptation, and JTC 22 Optimized Colour Matching Functions for Display Colour Consistency. An online presentation introducing the CIE and its technical work was delivered by Mr. Tony Bergen, CIE Vice-President Technical and President-Elect. Prof. Baozhou Zhang, Chief Supervisor of the CIES, attended the meeting in person and delivered a speech on behalf of CIES at the forum's opening ceremony.
For CIE Division 1, the discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring that research in vision and colour responds to rapidly developing technologies and practical industrial needs. The participation of representatives from the International Color Consortium, the China Dyeing and Printing Association and the China Fashion & Color Association also created opportunities to build stronger links with organisations working across colour management, manufacturing, and design. Such engagement provides Division 1 with valuable insight into emerging application needs and helps identify where existing CIE methods remain appropriate, where further validation is required and where new areas of technical work may need to be considered.
As an international scientific and standardising organisation, the CIE’s National Committees act as key points of contact within their respective countries. Local experts are encouraged to engage with their National Committees, whose contact details are available on the CIE website here. Experts interested in contributing to the CIE’s work in this field are also invited to contact CIE Division 1 directly. Prof. Kaida Xiao, Director of CIE Division 1, can be reached at k.xiao1@leeds.ac.uk.