At the 11th Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) award ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, global leaders and experts gathered to recognize groundbreaking contributions to solving water scarcity. The ceremony was attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, as well as other distinguished figures, including the Head of the International Water Prize Council and the Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Among the honored recipients was a team from Zhejiang University Marine Institute, led by HE Zhiguo and Jiao Pengcheng, which won the PSIPW Creativity Prize. This award is one of the five categories of the PSIPW, recognizing cutting-edge innovation in water-related research and technology. It aims to highlight the work of scientists, researchers, and inventors whose breakthroughs offer creative and effective solutions to the global challenge of water scarcity.
The Creativity Prize is among the most sought-after accolades in the field of water research, with past recipients including Nobel laureates, National Academy of Sciences members, and leading scholars from around the world. The Zhejiang University team is the first Chinese research team to win the Creativity Prize.
The 11th edition of the PSIPW saw over 400 scientific teams from across the globe competing for recognition, including teams from China, the U.S., the U.K., and Italy. HE Zhiguo & JIAO Pengcheng’s team received the award for their innovative approach to ocean engineering safety monitoring and disaster prevention. Their research provides new opportunities for exploring underwater environments, addressing the complexities of marine ecosystems, and safeguarding water resources in dynamic, unpredictable conditions.
In their acceptance speeches, HE Zhiguo and JIAO Pengcheng emphasized the importance of innovation, collaboration, and interdisciplinary thinking in overcoming the global water crisis. “The PSIPW Creativity Prize not only recognizes our team’s achievements but also highlights the central role of creativity in science and technology when it comes to solving complex environmental problems,” said HE Zhiguo. “This award enhances the visibility of our research and opens new doors for international cooperation, helping us to apply our findings for the betterment of sustainable development worldwide.”
Ambassador LI Song, the Permanent Representative of China to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, was present at the ceremony and extended warm congratulations to the award-winning teams. The event, which attracted nearly 300 guests, was broadcast live to a global audience via the United Nations network television channel.
The PSIPW, established in honor of the late Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, aims to promote global collaboration in water research and highlight solutions that address water scarcity and environmental challenges. The Creativity Prize, in particular, recognizes transformative research that leads to practical, real-world solutions in the field of water management.
Adapted and translated from the article by the Ocean Colllege, Zhejiang University
Translator: FANG Fumin
Photo: Ocean Colllege, Zhejiang University
Editor: TIAN Minjie
（From ZJU NEWSROOM）