On June 24, 2024, the 2023 National Science and Technology Awards Ceremony was grandly held in the Great Hall of the People. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) was honored with eight awards as the primary institution. Among these, two achievements, “Key Technologies and Applications of RF System Design Automation” and the “Innovation Team for Translational Medicine Research of Hematological Diseases at Ruijin Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,” won the first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The project “Asymmetric Catalysis Methodology Research Based on Angle Regulation and Synergistic Promotion Strategy” won the second prize in the National Natural Science Award. The projects “Key Technologies for Low Latency in Cloud Computing Systems” and “Key Technologies and Applications of Efficient Multi-grade Heat Supply by Air Source Heat Pumps” were awarded the second prize in the National Technological Invention Award. The projects “Creation and Promotion of Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment System for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease” were awarded the second prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Professor John Edward Hopcroft was awarded the People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. This marked the first time since the major reform of the national science and technology awards system in 1999 that SJTU received the first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award and the Innovation Team Award. The number of first prizes received by SJTU tied for the first place among universities nationwide, and it won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award again after ten years.
National Science and Technology Progress Award First Prize
Key Technologies and Applications of RF System Design Automation
This project was completed by Academician Mao Junfa and others from the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, winning the first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
RF systems are core components of electronic systems in important fields such as wireless communication, unmanned systems, and aerospace. Due to their characteristics of cross-scale, cross-material, multi-physics, multi-function, and distributed parameter effects, they are highly complex and challenging to design. The project team focused on RF system design automation technology, breaking the traditional "route" thinking, and using "field" analysis as the basis. They integrated quantitative design throughout the entire chain of RF system design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing technologies, breaking through key design technologies and developing the first set and series of RF system design automation software in China, breaking foreign monopolies and achieving basic independent control. They established an independent intellectual property system and used it to independently develop more than 600 RF chips (including IPD), components, and system products. These achievements have been used by over 400 enterprises, supporting independent research and development of advanced domestic semiconductor processes, 5G base station/terminal products, and several major projects, yielding significant economic and social benefits. This project has led the development of RF integration technology and discipline, carving out a path of innovation and independence for RF system design automation technology.
Innovation Team for Translational Medicine Research of Hematological Diseases at Ruijin Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
This project, completed by Academicians Chen Saijuan, Chen Zhu, and Professor Zhao Weili from Ruijin Hospital, won the first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award (Innovation Team).
Led by Academicians Chen Saijuan, Chen Zhu, and Professor Zhao Weili, the team achieved original innovations in the international realization of induced differentiation therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) over the past thirty years. They elucidated the molecular mechanism of APL pathogenesis and developed the revolutionary "Shanghai Protocol" for treatment, turning APL from the most malignant leukemia into the first curable acute myeloid leukemia. They further expanded the collaborative targeted therapy approach, achieving breakthroughs in other hematological malignancies and hereditary diseases such as lymphoma and myeloma. In 2001, the Ministry of Science and Technology approved the establishment of the National Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, which was renamed the National Key Laboratory of Omics and Diseases in 2023. In 2013, the National Development and Reform Commission approved the construction of the National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure for Translational Medicine. The team fully leveraged the platform advantages of the National Key Laboratory and the National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure to create an internationally influential translational medicine research center, leading China's hematological translational medicine research to international advanced levels and contributing to the great goal of Healthy China. This innovation team is also the only team nationwide to receive this honor in 2023.
National Natural Science Award Second Prize
Asymmetric Catalysis Methodology Research Based on Angle Regulation and Synergistic Promotion Strategy
This project, completed by Professor Zhang Wanbin and others from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, won the second prize in the National Natural Science Award.
Asymmetric catalytic synthesis is closely related to chiral substances in pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and pesticides, and is crucial to life sciences. However, issues with selectivity and efficiency severely constrain the development of this field. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the project team focused on fundamental scientific issues such as the precise construction of phosphorus chiral centers and multi-chiral center molecules and improving the efficiency of asymmetric hydrogenation. They proposed new strategies of angle regulation and synergistic promotion, created chiral bicyclic imidazole catalysts and biphenyl and ferrocene-based P,N ligands, and developed the first asymmetric catalytic reaction for constructing phosphorus (V) chirality, dual-metal cooperative catalytic stereodivergent synthesis reactions, and dispersion force-coordinated promotion of asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation reactions. They revealed new mechanisms and important rules for chiral induction and transfer in asymmetric catalysis, and several achievements have been industrialized. The project's outcomes are significant for synthetic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, strongly promoting the development of the organic chemistry discipline.
National Technological Invention Award Second Prize
Key Technologies for Low Latency in Cloud Computing Systems
This project, completed by Professor Guan Haibing and others from the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, won the second prize in the National Technological Invention Award.
The project addresses the need for low latency in cloud computing technology. As the number of businesses and users supported by cloud data centers rapidly grows from tens/hundreds of millions to billions, only increasing the system scale can meet the surge in business and user demands. However, existing technical reserves are inadequate to effectively organize and utilize such vast computing resources and ensure low-latency response for the cloud of everything. Addressing the main technical bottlenecks of latency in cloud computing systems, the project team developed core technologies such as software-hardware collaborative heterogeneous virtualization, single-node low-latency virtualization, and cross-node low-latency virtual resource aggregation. These advancements enhanced the native virtualization capabilities of heterogeneous resources, resolved issues of hierarchical stacking and resource competition in the virtualization software stack within cloud nodes, and reduced latency overhead in cross-node computational collaboration and data migration. The results expanded the types of services supported by cloud computing systems and significantly reduced system latency.
National Science and Technology Progress Award Second Prize
Key Technologies and Applications of Efficient Multi-grade Heat Supply by Air Source Heat Pumps
This project, completed by Professor Wang Ruzhu and others from the School of Mechanical Engineering and Power Engineering, won the second prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
Addressing the bottleneck problems in the development and promotion of air source heat pump heating, the project team pioneered seasonal adaptive wide-flow regulation, achieving an international record performance coefficient of 4.73 for air source heat pump water heaters. They invented low ambient temperature gas-liquid injection air source heat pumps and small temperature difference heat exchange terminal heating technology, realizing the breakthrough of air source heat pump heating from cold to severely cold regions, covering all climate zones in China. They innovatively proposed large temperature lift air source heat pump steam generation technology, with a performance coefficient of 1.85, about half the electricity consumption of electric boilers, and a maximum output temperature of 150°C. Through nearly 20 years of innovative research and development, the project team formed a series of key technologies for efficient multi-grade heat supply by air source heat pumps with wide heat energy grade, high heating efficiency, and broad application range. The developed products have been successfully applied in major projects such as the Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremony venues and extensive civilian heating, yielding significant economic and social benefits. The results have strongly promoted the low-carbon heating transition and provided important support for the national "dual carbon" strategy.
Creation and Promotion of Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment System for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease
This project, completed by Professor Sun Kun and others from Xinhua Hospital affiliated with the School of Medicine, won the second prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and a leading cause of death in newborns and children under five. The project team was the first in China to carry out interventional diagnosis and treatment for pediatric CHD, aiming to "establish a diagnostic and treatment system for pediatric CHD suitable for Chinese children." They innovated non-invasive diagnostic techniques, established a non-invasive diagnostic model for pediatric CHD, and created a series of interventional treatment techniques, establishing a minimally invasive interventional treatment system for pediatric CHD in China. They also created a new diagnostic and treatment paradigm for critical CHD from fetus to newborn and developed a series of original interventional treatment devices, significantly improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes for affected children. From 2002 to 2021, the project group increased the annual interventional diagnosis and treatment volume in China by 35.76 times, with surgical mortality and severe complication rates dropping from 0.09% and 1.8% to 0.01% and 0.12%, respectively. They have continuously hosted the China Pediatric Cardiology Conference and promoted the "China Plan" to Asia and the world as the chairman of the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Cardiology Association.
People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award
John Edward Hopcroft
The awardee's cooperating units are the Zhiyuan College and the School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, and he was awarded the People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.
John Edward Hopcroft is a globally renowned computer scientist who has long been engaged in theoretical computer science research. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has won the Turing Award, the IEEE John von Neumann Medal, and the Simon Ramo Founders Award. He is currently a professor emeritus at Cornell University and a visiting professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Since 2011, invited by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, he has come to China, establishing computer science research centers at SJTU and other institutions. He has personally participated in faculty recruitment and training, cultivating a large number of new talents. He and the Chinese team have collaborated to establish the theoretical system of structured networks, proposed a series of innovative methods, and guided the publication of dozens of top academic papers. For thirteen years, he has personally taught twenty courses to Chinese undergraduates and authored two textbooks for free publication. In 2016, he was awarded the China Government Friendship Award to recognize his long-term contributions to higher education in China.