Since China joined the IAEA 40 years ago, it has been cooperating with the IAEA in nuclear technology research and development and technical assistance in the field of water resources. The Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology took the lead in coordinating national-level work in this field initially. Subsequently, IGGCAS has assumed these tasks in the past decade. Since 2014, with the strong support of the IAEA, the China Atomic Energy Authority, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, isotope hydrology at IGGCAS has made significant progress, gradually transforming from a mainly assisted state to a role focused on technology exportation.

IGGCAS has achieved significant progress in isotope hydrology laboratory construction, academic paper and book publication, technical invention patent production, and professional talent training. In several key directions of applying nuclear technology to groundwater resource management, academic and technological advantages have been formed, and emerging industries have been initiated in related fields. These include: 

1. Development of stable isotope tracer technology for groundwater; completing the systematization of isotopes such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen; and developing relevant hydrological application models.
2. Development of radioactive isotope dating technology for groundwater; completing the technical optimization and improvement of isotopes such as tritium and carbon-14; increasing testing technologies for radioactive isotopes such as krypton 81/85 and argon 39; and developing corresponding hydrological application models.
3. Development of technical methods for evaluating groundwater renewal capacity, determining baseline water quality for groundwater pollution, tracing sources, and evaluating the vulnerability of aquifer pollution.
4. Development of isotope imaging measurement methods for the structure of mesoscale groundwater circulation systems in arid regions, revealing the controlling factors that influence the formation and distribution of groundwater quality.

The above technical achievements have been reported in international journals and have been effectively applied in typical regions such as China's northwest inland basins, the Loess Plateau, the North China Plain, etc., playing a leading and demonstration role in technology. The National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment have issued corresponding national standards and technical guidelines. 

These technical achievements have been shared with IAEA member states through testing services, seminars, and training courses, especially with partners involved in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation. In the future, it can further strengthen cooperation with the IAEA and its member states in coping with the impact of climate change on water resources, developing low-carbon geothermal energy utilization, and conducting CO₂ geological sequestration. 

 Final project meeting of the IAEA regional cooperation project on groundwater management (RAS 7035), led by IGGCAS. 

 Ranking of all laboratories with cumulative deviation relative to the IAEA reference value; the laboratory number of IGGCAS was 42, ranking 5th in 74 labs. 

Prof. PANG Zhonghe from IGGCAS introduced the application of isotopes in water resources management in China in the IAEA official publication. 

China Isotope Hydrology Forum hosted by the China Commission on Tracers, Chinese National Commission for the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (CCT-CNC-IAHS); Prof. PANG Zhonghe is the president, and Prof. HUANG Tianming is the secretary-general of CCT-CNC-IAHS.