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 (US$37.5 million).

 

China established the award in 1994. A total of 45 foreign scientists, technology and management experts have won the award.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2006)