VinFuture Prize 2023 Honours Four Scientific Works in "Global Collaboration"

DNHN - On December 20, the VinFuture Foundation officially announced the four scientific works honoured in 2023. The "Invention of Manufacturing Green Energy with Solar Cells and Storing with Lithium-ion Batteries" received the USD 3 million main prize.

The following three works were given Special Prizes: "Discovering the Role of GLP-1, the Foundation for Diabetes and Obesity Treatment," "Inventing and Popularising Disease-resistant Rice Varieties," and "Discovering the Mechanism Causing Ozone Depletion in the Antarctic."

The VinFuture Prize Ceremony 2023 was broadcast live on VTV1 - Vietnam National Television. President of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong attended and delivered a speech, along with leaders of ministries, sectors, and central agencies of Vietnam, representatives of embassies, international organisations, and outstanding scientists from around the world.

The four winning pieces have defeated around 1,400 outstanding nominations from 90 different nations and territories. All of these innovative projects have a significant impact on both the present and the future of humanity. They fall into key categories, such as green and sustainable energy, climate change response, sustainable agriculture and food security, and healthcare and medicine, which increasingly have an impact on the lives of billions of people worldwide.

The cross-border inheritance and combination between developed and developing countries, based on the ground-breaking innovation platforms of many projects, is a notable common trait shared by all the works. This has resulted in all-encompassing technologies that have an impact on the world, supporting cooperative efforts to create a sustainable future for humanity.

"With a global vision, the 'global collaboration' approach encourages and honours scientists with outstanding research works, breakthrough technologies, and high applicability, aiming for a better life for many people, and fostering a broad connection with the global scientific community," stated President Vo Van Thuong in his speech at the Award Ceremony. From the inaugural ceremony to now, the 'Science for Humanity' mission has been to pursue four fundamental values: Equality, Globalisation, Sustainability, and Pioneering.' As a result, the Award has consistently grown in terms of quality, quantity, and diversity, indicating its growing global appeal, influence, and prestige."

The President added, "The founder's earnest and committed efforts have yielded a well-deserved outcome in the success of the VinFuture Award. I would like to congratulate and show my gratitude to the founders of this award."

Four scientists were given the VinFuture 2023 Grand Prize: Prof. Martin Andrew Green (Australia), Prof. Stanley Whittingham (USA), Prof. Rachid Yazami (Morocco), and Prof. Akira Yoshino (Japan). Their ground-breaking invention, which used lithium-ion batteries for storage and solar cells for manufacturing, created a sustainable foundation for green energy.

These are groundbreaking works that have jointly created a revolution in sustainable green energy for the world today. Prof. Martin Green and his research group, with the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar cell technology, have developed and boosted energy conversion efficiency from 15% to 25% while achieving efficiency even in areas with unfavourable light conditions. Since its mass production in 2012, the PERC solar cell has accounted for 60% of the global solar cell market share.

Lithium-ion battery storage, on the other hand, has increased the amount of energy used in all locations at all times, giving people from all walks of life access to sustainable and green energy. The core element that powers more than 15 billion mobile devices and 26 million electric cars globally is the lithium-ion battery. Prominent scientists including Prof. Stanley Whittingham, Prof. Rachid Yazami, Prof. Akira Yoshino, and the late Prof. John Goodenough conducted the research and refined the work. The award ceremony honoured the late Professor Goodenough, a trailblazing scientist whose innovation revolutionised the field of resource efficiency and conservation by making lithium-ion batteries rechargeable for the first time.

Through the use of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage and PERC solar cells for converting solar energy into electricity, the two technical revolutions have worked in concert to promote, expand, and assist the widespread use of clean energy in daily life.

Three Special Prizes, each worth 500,000 USD, were given out by VinFuture 2023 in addition to the Grand Prize to scientists working in new sectors, women scientists, and scientists from developing nations.

Prof. Daniel Joshua Drucker (Canada), Prof. Joel Francis Habener (USA), Prof. Jens Juul Holst (Denmark), and Associate Prof. Svetlana Mojsov (USA) were the recipients of the VinFuture 2023 Special Prize for Scientists Researching New Fields for their groundbreaking work in identifying the function of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), laying the groundwork for successful treatments for diabetes and obesity, and advancing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

The research established the groundwork and provided fresh hope for the treatment of more than 400 million type 2 diabetics, one billion obese individuals, and three million short bowel syndrome sufferers. Globally, over 20 million doses of GLP-1 medications were used in 2023, representing an astounding 6.7% growth rate. Furthermore, since neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are the world's leading causes of death, research into the creation of novel treatments for these conditions has been aided by the understanding of peptides' mechanisms of action.

Professors Gurdev Singh Khush (an Indian-American) and Vo Tong Xuan (a Vietnamese) were given the VinFuture 2023 Special Prize for Scientists from Developing Countries in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the development and dissemination of disease-resistant rice varieties as well as their support of food security.

The development of rice cultivars like IR36 and IR64, which have quick growth cycles, high yields, and resistance to numerous pests, was spearheaded by Prof. Gurdev Singh Khush. Among these, IR64 and its offspring are grown extensively in many nations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India... Meanwhile, IR36 is well-liked in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, where it is regularly attacked by pests, mostly due to the significant efforts of Prof. Vo Tong Xuan. The most widely grown rice types in tropical Asia at the moment are IR36 and IR64, which lower production costs, boost output, minimise pesticide use, and support global agricultural sustainability.

Prof. Susan Solomon (USA) received the VinFuture 2023 Special Prize for Female Scientists for her important work "Discovering the Mechanism Causing Ozone Depletion in the Antarctic," which helped advance the Montreal Protocol, a major initiative to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.

Prof. Solomon collected reliable evidence of an exceptionally large ozone hole caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), creating the foundation for and leading to the establishment of the Montreal Protocol. This is one of the most successful international agreements in addressing a global environmental issue, achieving worldwide consensus to phase out ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs. By 2016, the results showed that the ozone hole had shrunk by more than 4 million square kilometres compared to its peak in 2000 and would fully recover in the coming decades. Together with other climate change treaties, the Montreal Protocol has made significant contributions and is expected to prevent an additional 100-200 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2050, reducing the global temperature rise from 2-5°C to 0.5°C by 2100.

Prof. Richard Friend, Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council, shared the results of the 2023 VinFuture Award, saying: "Every invention that has been awarded has genuinely made great strides in science and innovation, leaving a global impact." As the globe works to slow down global warming, the Grand Prize celebrates the innovators in vital technologies that mankind urgently needs to produce clean, emission-free energy. The extent to which science may advance humanity is reflected in the works in the Special Prize category. It can be confirmed that this year's winning works embody the objective outlined by the VinFuture Prize Founders, which honours the potential influence of scientific discoveries and technologies to bring about real advantages to human existence."

The VinFuture Global Annual Science and Technology Award is in its third successful season and is still regarded as a prestigious award in the world of science because of its fair, inclusive, and comprehensive criteria, as well as its expert evaluation process and compelling findings. The VinFuture Foundation is honoured to carry out its purpose of promoting innovation in Vietnamese science and technology and serving humanity to create a prosperous, just, and sustainable future for all people on the planet.

Regarding the VinFuture Award: The VinFuture Prize is the main initiative of the VinFuture Foundation, a non-profit organisation that was co-founded by Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong, the first Vietnamese billionaire, and his wife, Ms. Pham Thu Huong, on December 20, 2020, International Human Solidarity Day. The Prize seeks to honour transformative scientific research and technological innovations that significantly improve the quality of life for millions of people by recognising exceptional innovators and researchers from international universities, research institutes, laboratories, and technology corporations.

Officially launching the VinFuture Prize - 2024 Season

Following the conclusion of the VinFuture Award Ceremony in 2023, the fourth cycle of the VinFuture Prize has commenced. Official nominations for the VinFuture Prize will be accepted from 2:00 PM on January 9, 2024, to 2:00 PM on April 17, 2023, Hanoi time (GMT+7).

The Prize will recognise scientific and technological breakthroughs that support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, including the eradication of poverty, the abolition of hunger, the enhancement of health and quality of life, the creation of learning opportunities in progressive education, the provision of clean water and renewable energy, the reduction of inequality, and the response to climate change. Nomination partners are asked to use the online nomination portal at https://online.vinfutureprize.org/nomination to provide details on works they would want to have considered.

H.T