The national science and technology award conference, the general assemblies of members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology were held in Beijing on July 8, where the winners of the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards were announced.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) received three awards as the first completing institution, recognizing its achievements in deep-sea engineering, high-performance computing and international scientific cooperation.

A project led by Professor Liu Yinshui's team from the School of Mechanical Science and Engineering on key technologies and applications for deep-sea immersed seawater hydraulic components won the Second Prize of the State Technological Invention Award.

Professor Liao Xiaofei's team from the School of Computer Science and Technology received the Second Prize of the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award for its project on key technologies and applications for high-performance heterogeneous memory systems.

Honorary Professor Martin Green received the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.

In addition, HUST participated in projects that received one Special Prize and three Second Prize awards under the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award.

Professor Liu Yinshui's team spent nearly two decades developing immersed seawater hydraulic components capable of operating under extreme deep-sea conditions. The project addressed major technical challenges involving ultra-high-pressure resistance, high-pressure sealing and abrasion resistance, creating a new category of core hydraulic components for deep-sea equipment. The technologies have been applied to all of China's manned submersibles as well as major unmanned equipment and national scientific infrastructure.

Professor Liao Xiaofei's team focused on overcoming key challenges in heterogeneous memory systems for high-performance data processing. Through more than a decade of collaborative research, the team developed technologies covering memory architecture, data management and programming environments, enabling systematic innovation from theoretical research to equipment development and industrial applications. The technologies have been widely adopted by leading server manufacturers and deployed in cloud computing, big data processing and artificial intelligence.

Martin Green, a globally renowned photovoltaic expert, has devoted more than four decades to advancing China-Australia cooperation in photovoltaic research.

Since beginning research collaboration with HUST in 1984, he has worked closely with the university on high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cell technologies, including the development of PERC technology, now a mainstream route for high-efficiency solar cells.

He has also supported the establishment of multiple photovoltaic research centers at HUST, helped cultivate generations of Chinese photovoltaic researchers and contributed to the development of China's renewable energy industry and carbon reduction goals.

The National Science and Technology Awards are China's highest honors in science and technology. The 2025 awards recognized two recipients of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, 51 State Natural Science Award projects, 58 State Technological Invention Award projects, 149 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award projects and nine recipients of the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.

Source: Research Development Office, HUST