Former CAS and TWAS President Bai Chunli played a central role in creating the award, currently funded for five years.
The recipients receive USD10,000 sponsored by Lenovo, a global leader in consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology that is the largest PC company in the world.
The subject rotates among various fields of science. The 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 awards recognized achievements respectively in the physical sciences; astronomy and cosmology; earth sciences; and mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The DECIMALS fund has been set up to provide grants to small research teams in developing countries, allowing them to analyze the impacts that SRM might have in their regions. It was launched in response to a common concern voiced at SRMGI’s engagement workshops, where local participants often proposed and widely supported the idea that scientists in developing countries should undertake research on the potential local impacts of SRM, noting that there is typically very little funding available to support research in this area.
Main objectives of the research grant:
Introduction
The award reflects the Chinese Academy of Sciences' strong support to TWAS and, more generally, seeks to build scientific capacity in the developing world. Bai Chunli, president of both the Chinese Academy and TWAS, played a central role in the creation of the TWAS-Siwei Cheng Award.