According to the Liaoning Provincial Government, the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, wins 3 Provincial Science and Technology Awards of the year 2020. Among them, Prof. Cao Wei, researcher from the Biodiversity Group of IAE, won the second prize of the Natural Science Award of Liaoning Province for his study on plants in Northeast China. Gu Jian, associate researcher from the Agricultural Water and Soil Engineering Group of IAE, won the third prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award because of his research project "Integrated Application of the Green and Efficient Drip Irrigation and Water-saving Technology in Semi-arid Corn Growing Areas in Western Liaoning." Prof. Ewald Schnug, nominated by IAE, won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of Liaoning Province. 

An introduction to the winning projects: 

Cao Wei, who won the second prize of the 2020 Natural Science Award of Liaoning Province, had conducted research on flora in Northeast China for decades. He published monographs on Flora of Daxinganling and Changbai Mountains, the ninth volume of Herbs of Northeast China, and the first database of Plant Type Specimens of Northeast China. He also established species evaluation systems for rare and endangered plants, alien invasive plants, and early spring plants. All these researches are the scientific basis for vegetation restoration and ecological construction in Northeast China, and they are essential for formulating the national resource strategic planning and the regional development decision-making. 

Gu Jian won the third prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award of Liaoning Province due to the research project "Integrated Application of the Green and Efficient Drip Irrigation and Water-saving Technology in Semi-arid Corn Growing Areas in Western Liaoning." His project has significantly improved water and fertilizer use efficiency, effectively reduced "white pollution" caused by agricultural plastic film, and promoted green and efficient farming. The core technology of his project has been used in Fuxin and Chaoyang, and has achieved significant economic, ecological and social benefits. 

Prof. Ewald Schnug, who won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of Liaoning Province, is one of the world's top scientists in soil and soil fertilizer. He is currently the director of the Institute of Crop and Soil Science of the German Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants. In the past 20 years, he worked closely with IAE scientists, and made outstanding contributions to IAE in the research of plant sulfur metabolism and regulation, fertilizer and environment, as well as precision agriculture and remote sensing. He trained a large number of academic backbones and technological innovation talents for China. Now he is actively involved in the Green and Beautiful China Initiative. Due to his advocacy and support, China has twice hosted the World Fertilizer Conference. The "International Fertilizer Science Center" has been transferred from Germany to China with his support, and a Chinese scientist was recommended to serve as the current chairman of the center.