Jan-Christer Janson (front left) and Okimura Kazuki were two of the scientists who received the 2015 state science and technology awards in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. (Photo : China Daily)
Last year's State Science and Technology Awards honoring the contributions of 295 research projects and seven foreign experts were given during a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Jan. 8. However, the highest award remained vacant.
The State Science and Technology Awards had five award categories, with the Preeminent Science and Technology Award being the highest. The topmost prize has in the past been given to 25 scientists, including Yuan Longping (father of hybrid rice), since its inception in 2000. Each year had one or two winners except in 2004 when there was no recipient.
According to China Daily, an identified official from the National Office for Science and Technology Awards was quoted saying, "We can only express regret over the vacancy this year."
The official pointed out that Tu Youyou, the first Nobel Laureate in medicine and won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine in October, was not chosen for this year's prize. The nominations, submitted by over 130 government organizations, research centers and individual scientists were taken from early November to mid-Dec. 2014.
The same publication revealed that other award areas this year saw a trend whereby the aggregate age of principal winners of the State Natural Sciences Award was just 47.6. For instance, the 45-year-old Pan Jianwei, a quantum scientist at the University of Science and Technology of China, took the top prize in the State Natural Sciences Award category.
Pan developed the quantum communications equipment used to ensure communication security in the 18th Party Congress in 2012. Similarly, the equipment was used at the parade in September to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945).
Large-scale scientific projects like the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway won awards as well. However, experts indicated that it becomes very hard to honor some individuals given that China is putting in place more mega-projects.
"More than 60 researchers had contributed to the program. But according to the restricted number, we can only have six apply for the award," said the State Technology Invention Award top winner, Jiang Fengyi.
According to Chen Yanjing, a professor of geology at Peking University who received the National Award for Technological Invention, the prize should identify innovative ideas as opposed to researchers' individual work.
