BASF awards young Chinese scientists for chemical research excellence
- Four scientists from Peking University and Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry receive “Innovation Prize” for outstanding research findings
- 36 young Chinese scientists recognized since 2001
- BASF reaffirms long-term partnership with Chinese Chemical Society
Shanghai, China – May 7, 2018 – BASF presented the 9th CCS-BASF Youth Innovation Prize to four Chinese scientists at the 31st Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) Annual Congress in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, acknowledging their outstanding achievements through new discoveries in chemistry. At the congress, BASF also reaffirmed its commitment to fund more outstanding young Chinese scientists through its partnership with CCS.
“Chemistry-based innovations drive solutions for the world’s biggest challenges, which largely count on dedicated, high-caliber scientists,” said Dr. Harald Lauke, President of Advanced Materials and Systems Research and Research Representative for Asia Pacific at BASF. “We have been deeply impressed by increasingly stronger capabilities of the Chinese scientists. The CCS-BASF Youth Innovation Prize is one of our initiatives to recognize and support these talents to achieve academic excellence.”
Four awardees including Jiao Ning and Lei Xiaoguang from Peking University, Liu Guosheng and You Shuli from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have made significant contributions in their respective fields.
- Jiao Ning is dedicated to discovering efficient and green synthetic methodologies. He developed new reagents and new reactions directed at the modification of bio-active drug molecules.
- Lei Xiaoguang focused on the synthesis of functional natural products, and has developed new strategies and methods for the total synthesis of natural products.
- Liu Guosheng developed a series of new reactions and concepts based on transition metal catalysis that addressed two challenging scientific topics in organofluoride chemistry and radical chemistry.
- You Shuli pioneered catalytic asymmetric de-aromatization reactions and made significant contributions in the development of stereoselective C-H functionalization processes.
Since its inception in 2001, BASF has funded 36 scientists through this biennial award in many areas of chemical research such as petrochemicals, polymer materials, fine chemicals, surface and colloid chemistry and bio-engineering.
In addition to the CCS-BASF Youth Innovation Prize, the company has long been committed to promoting open innovation through close collaboration with academic and industry partners around the world. BASF maintains a global network of around 600 partners from universities, institutes and companies, forming a key pillar of BASF’s global Know-How Verbund.
In Asia Pacific, BASF has established a Network for Asian Open Research (NAO), a joint platform directed by BASF and ten leading universities and institutes in the region since 2014, seven of which are from China. BASF and its partners under the NAO framework have completed 23 joint research projects, covering topics such as new monomers and polymers, surfaces and interfaces, hybrid materials, and coatings.
In China, BASF and Peking University jointly launched “Fascinating Chemistry”, an educational program designed for freshmen from non-chemical backgrounds. Since its roll-out in 2003, thousands of students have participated in the program. This learning program creates interest and improves understanding in chemistry.
About BASF in Greater China
BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. With investments in Shanghai, Nanjing and Chongqing, BASF is a major foreign investor in China’s chemical industry, and maintains the Innovation Campus Shanghai as a global and regional research and development hub. BASF posted sales of €7.3 billion in 2017 to customers in Greater China, and employed 8,982 people as of the end of that year. For further information, please visit www.basf.com/cn.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.
