Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung today congratulated Hong Kong researchers who have won three second-class awards in the 2020 State Natural Science Awards (SNSAs).

The winners were announced by the National Office for Science & Technology Awards in Beijing.

Mr Yeung said: “The awards received by the Hong Kong researchers again highlight our excellent strength in basic and applied research, and bring great motivation to their fellow researchers.

“We congratulate the awardees on their achievements and hope they will continue to scale new heights in their research, and foster more talented young people in the future.”

The SNSAs are one of five categories of awards under the State Science & Technology Awards organised by the State Council.

Two of the three projects were nominated by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Prof Yu Jun of the Chinese University of Hong Kong was awarded for her research project on Integrative Research on Natural History, Mechanism, Potential Diagnostic & Therapeutic Targets for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease & its related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Prof Charles Ng of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology was awarded for his research project on State-dependent Constitutive Framework for Unsaturated Soils & its Applications.

Meanwhile, the project on the Emeishan Large Igneous Province & its Mantle Plume Origin, in which Wang Yan of the University of Hong Kong participated in, also won a second-class award. It was nominated by institutions in the Mainland.

The nominations from the Hong Kong SAR Government were co-ordinated by the Education Bureau with the assistance of the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre.