Five foreign experts were awarded the annual international scientific and
technological cooperation award of China on Friday for their outstanding
contributions to China's scientific progress.
They are Wolf-Dieter Dudenhausen from Germany, Evert Jacobsen from the
Netherlands, Mu-ming Poo and Neville Agnew from the United States and David
Evans from the United Kingdom.
Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua said at the
award-giving ceremony, "They have made outstanding contributions to China in
scientific advancement over the past decade."
"As a developing country, China should enhance its innovation ability, while
learning from outstanding scientific achievements and experience of other
countries and encouraging more substantive academic exchanges and research
cooperation with developed countries," Xu said.
On behalf of all the recipients, Dudenhausen said they would make further
contributions to worldwide cooperation in science and technology and to
friendship among all countries.
Dudenhausen has vigorously advanced the German-China scientific and
technological cooperation since 1980s.
Jacobsen initiated the project of Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium and
invited the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to be the first
international partner of the consortium.
As the first foreign director in charge of the Institute of Neuroscience
under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Poo insists on originality and uniqueness
in scientific research. He has encouraged and mobilized fellow investigators to
aim their research toward key scientific frontiers.
Agnew was among the first group of foreign scientists to work for Chinese
heritage protection. He works to solve the problem of preserving wall paintings
in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.
Evans cooperated with his Chinese partners to industrialize new chemical
materials, with a total value of 300 million yuan (37.5 million U.S. dollars).
China established the award in 1994. A total of 45 foreign scientists,
technology and management experts have won the award.