Today (16th), the Chinese Academy of Sciences honored the scientists and scientific research achievements who won the 2024 Chinese Academy of Sciences Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement Award in Beijing.

Academician Chen Liquan from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Academician Chen Xianhui from the University of Science and Technology of China received individual achievement awards.

Four achievements, including "Early Formation and Evolution of the Milky Way", won the Basic Research Award, and five achievements, including "New Technology and Application of Large-Scale Compressed Air Energy Storage", won the Technological Invention Award.

Five achievements including "Key Technologies for Preventing and Controlling Land Degradation and Improving Soil Fertility in Black Soil Regions" won scientific and technological research awards.

It is understood that Academician Chen Liquan, who won the Individual Achievement Award, has been engaged in and adhered to lithium battery research since 1976. He was the first in my country to carry out basic research and technical research on lithium batteries, and made a foundational contribution to the development of lithium batteries in my country from scratch and from "following" to "leading". Another winner of the Individual Achievement Award, Academician Chen Xianhui, has been engaged in research in the field of quantum materials for a long time, and has continued to make leading work in cutting-edge fields such as cage superconductors, interface superconductors, and magnetic topological insulators.

In 2024, in order to implement the spirit of the national science and technology award reform, the Chinese Academy of Sciences revised the "Regulations on the Awards for Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievements of the Chinese Academy of Sciences", strengthened the award orientation, and established four awards for classified evaluation. The Personal Achievement Award mainly rewards outstanding scientists who have been active in the forefront of science and technology for a long time, have made major innovative achievements, and have made outstanding contributions to the development of related disciplines; the Basic Research Award aims to encourage major scientific discoveries and original innovative results in basic research and applied basic research; the Technological Invention Award aims to encourage the acquisition of high-value intellectual property rights in applied research and technological development, and to achieve significant economic, social or ecological benefits through promotion and application; the Science and Technology Research Award aims to encourage breakthroughs in key core technologies in major national science and technology research tasks, and play a key role in solving major national strategic needs or ensuring national security.