On January 10, 2020, the 2019 National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Researcher ZHU Jiaojun, senior engineer YU Lizhong and their colleagues from the (Shenyang) Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences won the second prize of the 2019 National Science and Technology Progress Award for their project on developing "technology for forest conservation and efficient use of under-canopy resources in mountainous areas of eastern northeast China."

The IAE is the leading institute of the project.