An undated file photo shows a general view of Hong Kong Science Park, in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / VCG)

Eight Chinese mainland scientists on Wednesday became this year’s Future Science Prize laureates, having won the esteemed annual prizes for their outstanding performance and research in life science, physical science, mathematics and computer science.

The prize money of $1 million for each category will be evenly distributed among the winners with the aim of inspiring more young talents to pursue scientific endeavors.

The Future Science Prize is the first privately-funded science prize jointly established by scientists and entrepreneurs in 2016. Its goals are to recognize exceptional scientific achievements on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

In life science, Chai Jijie and Zhou Jianmin were honored for their groundbreaking discovery of resistosomes and their elucidation of the molecular structures and functions involved in plant immune responses against pathogens.

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The physical science award went to Zhao Zhongxian and Chen Xianhui, who were cited for their seminal breakthroughs in the discovery of high-temperature superconducting materials, and systematic advancements in elevating the transition temperature.

The awards for mathematics and computer science were shared by He Kaiming, late scientist Sun Jian, Ren Shaoqing and Zhang Xiangyu for their fundamental contributions to artificial intelligence through the introduction of deep residual learning.

The awards presentation ceremony will be held at Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District on Oct 17 this year – the first time the event will be staged in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Besides the awards ceremony, Hong Kong will hold the 2023 Future Science Prize Week, which will include a two-day science symposium at Hong Kong Science Park on Oct 14 and 15. The symposium will feature keynote speeches by two Nobel laureates in chemistry, followed by dialogues among winners of the Future Science Prize and young participants.

Gregory Winter, who won the 2018 Nobel Prize for chemistry, will deliver a keynote speech on “Antibodies and Antibody Mimics” on the first day of the conference. Chemist Michael Levitt, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2013, and with two other chemists will also be attending. The science week is expected to attract nearly 70 top brains from nine countries and regions.

Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, who won the life science award in the 2016 Future Science Prize for his significant contributions to noninvasive prenatal testing based on the discovery of fetal DNA in maternal blood, said hosting both the awards ceremony and Future Science Prize Week shows that the SAR, as global metropolis, is capable of bringing together top scientific talents, as well as rich scientific resources at home and abroad.

Lo, who will co-chair the program committee for 2023 Future Science Prize Week, said he’s grateful to the SAR government for its support, describing the awards ceremony as a “fusion of culture and science”.  

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The Future Science Prize is the first privately-funded science prize jointly established by scientists and entrepreneurs in 2016. Its goals are to recognize exceptional scientific achievements on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; encourage more private funding for basic scientific research in the country; and promote innovative approaches to scientific development.