The 12th International Conference on Inorganic Scintillators and their Applications (SCINT 2013), which was sponsored by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society / IEEE and supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy Sciences, and Shanghai Ceramic Society, etc., was held from April 15th to 19th in Shanghai. More than 180 representatives from 19 foreign countries attended this biennial professional conference. Over 80 representatives presented their reports and also many poster papers demonstrated at the conference. Total of 7 companies from China, United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France participated in the exhibition of the conference. A short opening ceremony was held on April15th. Mr. Zhao Jingtai, who is the chairman of this conference and research fellow of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics Chinese Academy of Sciences, presided over the conference. Mr. Chen Li-dong, who is the deputy director of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics CAS and Chairman of SCS, and Mr. Christophe Dujardin, who is the chairman of organizing committee of SCINT 2013, made addresses, respectively. After the opening ceremony invited lectures were taken place. The researchers and technologists at the conference communicated about preparation of novel inorganic scintillators, scintillation detector, progress of fundamental research of scintillarors and applications of novel scintillators in high energy physics and to medical diagnostic equipment. A warm academic atmosphere was created in the conference.