A report excessive variety of private-sector executives and chief scientists have been shortlisted this yr to compete for academicianship in China’s top institute for engineering science and know-how.
Nineteen are included on the newly launched candidate listing for the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), together with Hu Guoping, 48, principal researcher and co-founder of AI specialist iFlyTek; Wu Kai, 57, chief scientist and co-president of battery producer CATL; Lian Yubo, 61, chief scientist of carmaker BYD; Jia Zhenhua of Yiling Pharmaceutical; and Xu Xun, chief researcher at genomics firm BGI Group.
The different 14 are scattered throughout cutting-edge fields reminiscent of synthetic intelligence, new vitality, and biopharmaceuticals, the newly unveiled listing reveals.
“The move demonstrates the country’s high recognition of the scientific and technological innovative capabilities of private enterprises,” the CAE stated in its 2025 tips for choosing new academicians.
The CAE, which performs a job just like that of the National Academy of Engineering in the United States, selects new members each two years, with the overwhelming majority coming from universities, state-backed institutes and state-owned enterprises.
This yr, about 600 have been nominated to compete for no more than 100 new seats.
The institute stated earlier this yr that eight seats could be reserved for main personal know-how firms.