(Yicai Global) Nov. 3 -- Aircraft designer Gu Songfen and nuclear energy scientist Wang Dazhong have won China’s top science and technology award of 2020 for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Gu and Wang were presented with the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award at an annual ceremony held in Beijing today to honor distinguished scientists, engineers, and research achievements.

Born in 1930, Gu graduated from the department of aeronautical engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1951. He set up China’s aircraft aerodynamic design system and developed the country’s first supersonic fighter jet, the J-8. Gu is now senior consultant at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and honorary dean of the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment. He is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Wang was born in 1935 and graduated from the department of engineering physics at Tsinghua University in 1958. He developed advanced nuclear energy systems with inherent safety features. Thanks to his knowledge, China has become a leader in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology. Wang, who is also a CAS member, was president of Tsinghua University between 1994 and 2003 and was the head of its Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology.

Some 264 projects, 10 science and technology experts and one international organization were selected for honors at the 2020 National Science and Technology Award Conference held today. Eight foreign experts and the international organization were given the China International Science and Technology Award.

First presented in 2000, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award can be given to as many as two people in the same year. If there are now eligible candidates, the award can be left vacant. China’s president awards the certificates, medals, and the CNY8 million (USD1.3 million) bonus to the winners in person.

Previous winners include Yuan Longping, China’s father of hybrid rice, and Tu Youyou, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

Editor: Futura Costaglione