The 2024 Tianjin Science and Technology Award was recently announced. 26 achievements of Nankai University (NKU) were awarded. Notably, the university served as the first affiliation for 17 of these awards - a historic high - including one grand prize, five first prizes, and eleven second prizes. This outstanding achievement underscores NKU’s robust research capabilities in both fundamental research and technological innovation.

NKU’s research teams have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in fundamental research. Professor Li Landong’s research team won the Natural Science Grand Prize for their project “Confined Adsorption and Catalysis in Molecular Sieves”. Their study elucidated reaction pathways and mechanisms of acid catalysis within molecular sieve confinement, designed stable single-site catalytic systems, and revealed host-guest interaction mechanisms in confined spaces, thereby providing a critical theoretical foundation for the rational design of high-performance molecular sieve materials. The projects of  Professor Liu Yu’s team, “Supramolecular Spatial Confinement Assembly and Functions”, Professor Liu Zunfeng’s team, “High-Efficiency Energy Conversion in Twisted-Thermoelastic Cooling Materials via Nonlinear Stress Induction”, and Professor Chen Shuqi’s team, “Physics and Applications of Few-Layer Artificial Microstructure Optical Field Manipulation”, were awarded the Natural Science First Prizes respectively. These studies showcase NKU’s leadership in cutting-edge disciplines, including supramolecular chemistry, energy conversion technologies, and optical control systems.

In technological innovation, Professor Kong Deling’s team, “Development and Application of Key Anti-Thrombogenic and Pro-Regenerative Technologies for Vascular Implants and Interventional Devices”, and Professor Duan Feng’s team, “Key Technologies and Clinical Applications of Time-Critical Brain-Computer Interface Intervention Device and Intelligent Rehabilitation” were awarded the First Prize in Technological Invention. With these achievements successfully translated into clinical practice, NKU has contributed effective health solutions to global healthcare advancement.

NKU has consistently positioned innovation as the central engine of high-quality development. Moving forward, NKU will further enhance the institutional framework for sci-tech innovation, deepen industry-academia-research integration, and strive to achieve the goal of 100 landmark research achievements by 2035, making greater contributions to China’s scientific and technological self-reliance and regional economic development.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)