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BEIJING, Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Shanghai, China's commercial hub, has once again attracted the world's top

scientists to its annual science gala – the World Laureates Forum (WLF), as the

city underscores science and technology innovation as a key driving force for

its high-quality development.

The fifth WLF, one of the world's largest sci-tech gatherings held annually in

the metropolitan since 2018, kicked off on Sunday with the theme "Science

forward: Create a bright future."

More than 60 top scientists from over 20 countries and regions, including 27

Nobel Prize laureates, attended the two-day event online and offline.

Two scientists won WLA Prize

At the opening ceremony on Sunday, the inaugural World Laureates Association

(WLA) Prize, an international science prize established in Shanghai in 2021,

was awarded to two scientists.

The 2022 WLA Prize in Life Science or Medicine went to German biochemist Dirk

Gorlich(

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-11-06/Dirk-G-rlich-awarded-1-39m-WLA-Prize-in-Life-Science-or-Medicine-1eKi7PA4ptm/index.html

) for his key discoveries elucidating the mechanism and selectivity of protein

transport between the cytoplasm and nucleus, and the 2022 WLA Prize in Computer

Science or Mathematics was awarded to American researcher Michael I. Jordan(

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-11-06/Michael-I-Jordan-awarded-WLA-Prize-in-Computer-Science-or-Mathematics-1eKgTIo1nRm/index.html

) for his fundamental contributions to the foundations of machine learning and

its application.

Apart from a medal and certificate, each of them also received a monetary award

of 10 million yuan (about $1.39 million).

The WLA Prize, initiated by the WLA and managed by the WLA Foundation, aims to

recognize and support eminent researchers worldwide for their contributions to

science. The laureates of the inaugural WLA Prize were officially announced on

September 29.

Sci-tech for mankind

The WLA was founded with the vision of "science and technology for the common

destiny of mankind" and three missions of promoting basic science, advocating

international cooperation, and supporting the development of younger

generations of scientists, said Roger Kornberg, chairman of the WLA and

laureate of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2006.

The world is changing, and science can help people deal with the challenges and

even completely solve the problems in the future, he noted, adding that the

forum provides a unique opportunity for the attendees to communicate with the

top experts in the world.

Over the past years, the WLF has become an important channel to connect the

world's top scientists and a significant high-level dialogue platform in the

global scientific community.

China emphasized expanding international scientific and technological exchanges

and cooperation at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,

said Wan Gang, president of the China Association for Science and Technology

(CAST).

"China's sci-tech community will stick to the common value of all humanity and

follow the idea of sci-tech for good," he noted.  

Shanghai aims to be global sci-tech innovation center

Chen Jining, the secretary of the Party's Shanghai Municipal Committee, said at

the opening ceremony that the city has already witnessed great improvement in

its sci-tech strength over the past eight years, with sci-tech innovation

serving as an important driving force for its continuous development.

In September 2021, the city released its 14th Five-Year (2021-2025) Plan for

building itself into a science and technology innovation center with global

influence.

According to the plan, Shanghai aims to increase its R&D spending intensity, or

the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of its GDP, to around 4.5 percent by

2025. Among it, the proportion of funding to basic research will reach 12

percent.

The city also aims to increase the added value of strategic emerging industries

to 20 percent of its GDP by 2025, three percentage points higher than the

country's overall target.

By 2025, the city eyes to have over 26,000 high-tech enterprises and 560

foreign-funded R&D centers.

"Cooperation and openness are an unstoppable trend," Chen said, adding that

Shanghai will build an innovation platform of better quality, provide

convenient services for scientists from around the world, and create a

first-class business environment.  

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-11-07/Shanghai-eyes-sci-tech-innovation-as-key-driving-force-for-development-1eLkHdc1WOA/index.html

SOURCE  CGTN