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Academia Sinica (AS) announced the inaugural awardees of the Academia Sinica Scholar Award today (April 1): Professor Li-Wei Kuo, Department of Earth Sciences, National Central University; Professor Kuo-Chang Chen, Department of Mathematics, National Tsing Hua University; Professor Ao-Lin Hsu, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; and Professor Chen-Ying Huang, Department of Economics, National Taiwan University. Established by Academia Sinica last year, the Academia Sinica Scholar Award recognizes outstanding mid-career, Associate Professors and above from universities in Taiwan and equivalent ranks in Academia Sinica. Each awardee may receive annual research funding of up to 8 million NTD per year for five years. During the project period, external awardees will be jointly appointed under the title of “Academia Sinica Scholar” to promote AS-University collaboration.

As climate change pressures intensify around the world, mountain regions, rich in biodiversity, are facing unprecedented environmental challenges. A new study, published in Nature, opens a new chapter on this crucial issue, revealing the immense pressure mountain ecosystems are under due to global warming.

Academia Sinica signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Marine Energy Technology Development and Application with CSBC today (March 25th). Academia Sinica President James C. Liao announced that the institute is developing and manufacturing a 100 kW ocean current turbine generator, with plans to test it offshore near Taitung in southern Taiwan this year. The collaboration will combine the marine energy research capabilities of Academia Sinica with the maritime engineering strengths of CSBC, speeding up the offshore testing and deployment of Kuroshio Power Generation Technology.

The 2050 Net Zero City Expo kicks off today (March 19th) and will run for four days at the Nangang Exhibition Center. Academia Sinica will present its research on five net-zero technologies at the Net Zero Advanced Technology Pavilion using models, videos, and virtual reality to make zero-carbon technology visible and tangible, providing the public with a rich exhibition experience. Academia Sinica President James C. Liao stated that new technology will play a crucial role in net-zero strategies. If humanity maintains the current level of technology, attaining the 2050 net-zero vision will not be feasible. Therefore, Academia Sinica, in collaboration with other academic and research teams, is prioritizing the development of new technologies in five areas: Methane Pyrolysis to Power (MPTP), High-Efficiency Solar Cells, Marine Energy, Geothermal Energy, and Biomass Carbon Sinks, to achieve the net-zero target.

Sulfated Disaccharide Reduces Neuronal Degeneration. A New Approach to Treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia

What kind of spark will be ignited when the "Guqin," one of the world's oldest musical instruments, meets artificial intelligence? How do scholars classify and label, using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to deduce the diverse forms of butterflies and moths? The 2024 Taipei International Book Exhibition kicked off on February 20th with great fanfare. Academia Sinica has unveiled its special exhibition, “The Age of AI Has Begun? Now Loading…” to showcase its recent research accomplishments on AI. During the six-day exhibition, from February 20th to 25th, nearly 4,000 academic publications are on sale, with 17 talks and 5 major AI academic displays. This event leads the public into an awe-inspiring journey of innovative knowledge exploration.

Attended by President Ing-wen Tsai, Academia Sinica launched Taiwan's first self-developed 5-qubit superconducting full-stack quantum computer at its quantum computer progress presentation today. During the event, AS President James Liao presented the research team’s self-developed 4-inch quantum wafer to President Tsai. The event was also attended by Chia-Lung Lin, Secretary­General to the President; Tsung-Tsong Wu, Chairman of the National Science and Technology Council and Chuan-Neng Lin, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs. It marks an important milestone in the development of Taiwan's quantum technology.

With computation potential far beyond current supercomputers, quantum computers are the subject of enthusiastic research and development worldwide. In 2023, Academia Sinica successfully overcame various bottlenecks in the fabrication, control, and measurement of quantum chips. In October, the creation of a 5-qubit superconducting quantum computer developed in Taiwan marked a significant milestone. Starting this week, it will be made available online to project collaborators.

The global economy experienced a slowdown in 2023, mainly due to weak goods demand and inventory reduction. In Taiwan, despite stable private consumption, trade and investment plummeted: the year-on-year real GDP growth rate was 0.11% in the first three quarters, and the forecast of the economic growth rate for 2023 is revised down to 1.34%. Looking ahead, global inflation is expected to ease further, and central banks worldwide are expected to reach the end of the interest rate hike cycle in 2024. The global economic rebound, however, may be modest next year. The demand for electronic products is expected to recover, to a large extent driven by emerging technologies such as high-speed computing and artificial intelligence. As a result, Taiwan's trade and investment is expected to improve in 2024. Private consumption is expected to further expand, with the real economic growth rate forecasted to be 3.02% for 2024.

The Awards Ceremony for the 12th Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences was held on December 11 on the first floor of the Tsai Yuan-Pei Memorial Hall (Faculty Club), Academia Sinica. This year, five books were selected for the award: two in Mandarin and three in English, covering topics such as anthropology, history, literature, and philosophy. It was our great pleasure to recognize this year’s award winners, whose thought-provoking books explored a vast range of ideas and challenged preexisting theoretical frameworks.

The names of awardees for the 2023 Academia Sinica Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award have been announced, and the Awards Ceremony was held on December 5 (Tuesday), with AS President James C. Liao presiding and presenting medals and prizes to the awardees.

Academician Fan-sen Wang has been awarded the 2023 Humboldt Research Award by Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, in recognition of his achievements and impact on historical scholarship. He is the first Taiwanese scholar in the field of humanities to receive this honor.