A free science and technology exhibition hall will be set up in the city this year to spread information about science, the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology announced on Monday.

The association also plans to set up 150 new large public TV screens to broadcast short science documentaries across the city.

"Hopefully, it will become easier for locals to get popular science knowledge," Zhao Weijian, head of the association's popular science department, said on Monday.

The science exhibition hall, which is currently under construction on Nanchang Road, will focus on major scientific breakthroughs by domestic researchers, particularly in biology, space technology and new materials.

The 150 TV screens will mainly be set up along major downtown streets. Currently, there are about 350 such screens around the city.

Zhao said the new screens could cost as much as 100 million yuan (US$12 million), which will be covered by the government and private sources.

Additionally, the association also plans to update local popular science Websites and work with mobile communication operators to send out short messages about scientific news.

Officials said most local science Websites are not frequently updated so that they don't contain knowledge about timely topics, such as bird flu.

Over the past decade, local scientists have played a major role in China's scientific advancement, including the discovery of genetic codes and work in the country's manned space program.

A recent survey conducted by the association suggests that less than 10 percent of all the residents of Shanghai are scientifically literate.

(Shanghai Daily March 1, 2006)