Our History
The Qiu Shi Science & Technologies Foundation was established by Dr. Cha Chi Ming (1914-2007) and his family in Hong Kong in 1994.
Initial Scientific Advisory Board in 1995
Back row (left to right): Yuan T. Lee (李远哲) , Zhou Guangzhao (周光召), Yuet Wai Kan (简悦威)
Front row (left to right): Cha Chi Ming (查济民), Shiing-Shen Chern (陈省身), Chen Ning Yang (杨振宁)
Founding Story
In the early 1990s, Hong Kong industrialist Cha Chi Ming saw the great potential of advancing science and technology. He resolved to establish a foundation with its roots in China and its vision for global impact. By recognizing and supporting top scientists from mainland China, he wanted to do what he called “sending coal in a snowstorm” — a Chinese expression for providing timely, practical help, and thereby propel the development of science and technology in China and around the world.
In 1992 and 1993, Cha Chi Ming invited noted mathematics professor Shiing-Shen Chern and president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (and later a vice chair of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress) Zhou Guangzhao to become scientific advisers to what would become the Qiu Shi Science & Technologies Foundation. Cha Chi Ming and Johnson M.D. Cha then visited Chern at his home in Berkeley, California, to discuss inviting several other gifted scientists to join the project. At Chern’s suggestion, they invited Chen Ning Yang, a physics professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and Yuan T. Lee, a chemistry professor at the University of California, Berkeley Johnson M.D. Cha and Yuan T. Lee then approached Yuet Wai Kan, a professor and hematologist at the University of California, San Francisco. These leading scientists were authoritative voices in their fields and had insight into developments in China and globally.
Led by Cha Chi Ming and supported by the advisers, the Qiu Shi Science & Technologies Foundation, named for “seeking truth” (qiushi), was established in 1994. That year, the Foundation granted the first Qiu Shi Awards to 10 top scientists. Each scientist received 1 million RMB, an astounding sum for the scientific community in China at the time.
Evolving with Time
The Qiu Shi Foundation has not necessarily given the same awards every year; instead, it has continuously shifted its area of key emphasis and established awards that reflect the current needs and accomplishments of Chinese scientists inside and outside China.
This desire to offer timely help has taken different forms as times change. In the early 1990s, Chinese scientists remained undervalued in society, facing straitened circumstances in both their personal and professional lives. The launch of the Qiu Shi Awards helped foster a climate of respect for science and scientists.
Scientists who returned to China often faced significant pay gaps in the mid- to late 1990s. Recognizing the risk of losing this talent, the Foundation added the Outstanding Young Scholar Award in 1995 to reward remarkable young scholars working on fundamental research in mainland China.
Because those working in applied fields seldom win major science prizes, the Foundation established the Qiu Shi Outstanding Scientific Team Award in 1995 to recognize groups of researchers who benefited society through fundamental science.
Having achieved its mission for that period, and in honor of the new century, the Foundation shifted its focus in 2001 to natural sciences, engineering and technology.
In 2012, as the scientific ecosystem began to mature, the Foundation launched the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize long-standing leaders for their remarkable achievements, scientific spirit and interest in the humanities.
The Foundation celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2024. Continuing to be supported by the Cha family and guided by the spirit of “sending coal in a snowstorm” — providing timely support where it is needed most, the Foundation has broadened the reach of Qiu Shi Awards beyond mainland China to include recognition of ethnic Chinese scientists working internationally. Sustainability science emerged as a new disciplinary category supported by the Foundation, and new areas such as Women in STEM, translational research and physician-scientist development were identified for targeted future programming.
Time Line
1994 First Qiu Shi Awards granted to 10 Outstanding Scientists
1995 First Outstanding Scientific Team Awards and Outstanding Young Scholar Awards
1996 Ms. Tu Youyou (2015 Nobel Laureate) received Outstanding Scientific Team Award
2012 First Lifetime Achievement Award
2021 Paused due to the Covid-19 Pandemic
2024 Qiu Shi Award selection to formally include overseas Chinese scientists