Up to 25 million per person, Shao Feng, Chen Lingling and other 58 scientists became the first "new cornerstone researchers"

As one of the most funded basic scientific research projects in China, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program" announced the first funding list today (January 13), and 58 outstanding scientists from the two fields of mathematics and material science, biological and medical science, became the first batch of new cornerstone researchers
.

The "New Cornerstone Researcher Program" is a new type of basic research funding program
that focuses on original innovation, encourages free exploration, and is public welfare.
Under the guidance of the China Association for Science and Technology, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program" is led by scientists, and in 2022, Tencent announced that it will invest 10 billion yuan within 10 years to establish the New Cornerstone Science Foundation, which will operate independently and stably support a group of outstanding scientists to concentrate on basic research and achieve original innovation
from "0 to 1" for a long time.

The funding categories of "New Cornerstone Fellows" are divided into two categories: no more than 5 million yuan per person per year for experimental and 3 million yuan per person per year for theoretical categories, and funded for 5 consecutive years
.

Every leap in primitive innovation will bring great progress
to human civilization.
New cornerstone researchers will pursue truth at the forefront of scientific cognition, promote continuous breakthroughs in basic research fields, and benefit all mankind
.
"The New Cornerstone Fellows Program is a new venture in basic research, where we want to support the smartest, most accomplished, and most daring people to explore
freely.
I believe that among the new cornerstone researchers, there will be world-class master scientists in the future," said
Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, president of Westlake University and chairman of the scientific committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program".

01

The first phase of the funding list was officially released, and 58 people won the award

On January 13, 2023, Shi Yigong, President of Westlake University and Chairman of the First Scientific Committee of the "New Cornerstone Researcher Program", and others announced the first funding list, which attracted a total of 991 scholars to apply, and finally 58 people won the award
.

The fields of funding are divided into mathematics, physics, chemistry and biomedicine, and the list of scholars who have been funded this time is as follows:

First funding list in the field of mathematics: 7

First funding list in the field of physics: 13

Initial funding list in the field of chemistry: 10

First funding list in the field of biological and medical sciences: 28

The "New Cornerstone Researcher Program" is a new type of basic research funding program
that focuses on original innovation, encourages free exploration, and is public welfare.
Since its establishment in April last year, the New Cornerstone Fellowship Program has attracted much attention, and the following is an overview of
the first project application.

02

What are the features of the New Cornerstone Fellows Program?

According to the data, in the next 10 years, Tencent will invest 10 billion yuan in the new cornerstone researcher program to support a group of outstanding scientists to concentrate on basic research and realize the original innovation
of "from 0 to 1" for a long time.

The project sets up two major fields: Mathematics and Physical Sciences and Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and encourages interdisciplinary research
.

The amount of funding shall not exceed 5 million yuan/person/year for experimental and 3 million yuan/person/year for theoretical categories, and it will be funded for 5 consecutive years.

The "New Cornerstone Researcher Program" focuses on "selecting people rather than projects", supporting creative scientists to carry out exploratory and risky basic research, and expecting scientists to raise important scientific questions, open up the frontier of disciplines, and promote original breakthroughs
.

03

We desperately need original innovation, and the New Cornerstone Fellows Program has come at this time

At present, from the VC circle to government departments and scientific research circles, a consensus has been formed: China's basic science is still weak and imminent
.
That's why we need to invest more in
original innovation.

The development of basic research is the cornerstone of original innovation and the source
of scientific breakthroughs.

Shi Yigong once said, "The next 10-20 years will be a critical period
for China's scientific and technological development from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap.
" Basic research is the foundation of science, which requires more breakthroughs
in basic research to take the lead.
It is expected that the scientists supported by this project can propose and solve major scientific problems, promote theoretical innovation, lead the frontier of disciplines, open up new research directions and fields, and become new academic leaders in the scientific community
.
”

The New Cornerstone Researcher Program is a program that focuses on original innovation and encourages scientists to explore
freely.
Its philosophy is very similar to HHMI's, "People, Not Projects"
.

HHMI has a good reputation in the field of life sciences, it is the world's largest private non-profit medical research foundation, providing about $1 million per year to top biologists in the United States, which can be funded for 5-7 consecutive years, and has been or is being supported by the HHMI Investigator Program, including more than 30 Nobel laureates and 180 members
of the National Academy of Sciences.

Therefore, the "New Cornerstone Researcher Project" is considered to be the "Chinese version" of HHMI as soon as it appears, and it is hoped that with the support of this project, China's original innovation in mathematics, physics, life sciences and other fields will make breakthroughs
in the future.

Resources

1.
New Cornerstone Fellows Program official website | New Cornerstone Investigator Program

2.
More than 30 Nobel Prize winners have emerged from HHMI, and this world-famous medical institute was founded by a pilot.
Dig deep into science.

The first batch of grantees is profiled as follows:

Mathematics and material sciences

Mathematics & Physical Sciences

Mathematics

He Xuhua

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Lie theory is one of the cornerstones of
modern mathematics.
Based on his unique understanding of combinatorics, algebra and geometric symmetry, He Xuhua will explore the structure and representation theory of p-entry groups and the theory of total positivity, the core problems of Lie theory, and strive to play a major role in promoting the research of representation theory, arithmetic geometry and number theory
.

Lin Huazhen

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Machine learning based on deep neural networks still has the bottleneck
of requiring big data and not explaining.
Lin Huazhen intends to break through this bottleneck and develop interpretable deep learning based on limited data, which is universal and basic, and gives statistical inferences
of generalization error upper bounds, explainable measures and explainable parameters.

LIU Gang

East China Normal University

Complex geometry is one of the core research directions of mathematics and is closely related to
several branches of mathematics.
Liu Gang will focus on the interrelationship between curvature, topology, complex structure, algebraic structure, etc.
in complex geometry, and strive to make new breakthroughs
in the in-depth and extension of the unitary conjecture, the study of Keller manifold limit regularity, and the study of geometrically related holomorphic functions.

Liu Ruochuan

Peking university

Arithmetic geometry and algebraic number theory are the core branches of pure mathematics, and noncommutative p-into Hodge theory, p-p-p-pending self-preserving forms and topological cyclic homology are its important research directions
.
Liu Ruochuan will continue to focus on these three deeply related directions, condense forward-looking problems, establish new mathematical theories in arithmetic geometry, etc.
, and form systematic contributions
to related fields.

Shen Weixiao

Fudan University

The low-dimensional mapping of dynamical systems comprehensively reflects the depth and complexity
of chaotic phenomena.
Shen Weixiao plans to study the iteration of two-dimensional oblique product maps from the perspective of iteration of non-self-made one-dimensional maps, to study the Paris conjecture under the Cr topology for the family of oblique product systems driven by circumferential expansion maps, and to study the non-existence of
wandering domains for polynomial oblique systems.

Sun Binyong

Zhejiang University

The formal Lie group is an important generalization of
Lie groups and Lie algebras.
Sun Bin Yong will continue to promote the establishment of the concept and basic theory of formal Lie groups and their representations, as well as the theory of infinite-dimensional representations of formal Lie groups and their cohomology theory, and looks forward to applying this theory to make breakthroughs
in the study of the arithmetic properties of L-functions, the central research object of the Langlands Program.

ZHANG Xu

Sichuan University

Infinite dimensional analysis has been widely used
in cybernetics, probability theory, quantum field theory and other directions.
Zhang Xu intends to establish a more general new framework for infinite dimensional analysis against the background of cybernetics, propose a precise method for infinite dimensional complex analysis, and study the challenging problems
such as functional spaces and differential equations involving an infinite number of independent variables in cybernetics.

Physics

Cao Jun

Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Understanding the origin of neutrinos' mass is key
to finding new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.
Cao Jun will study reactor neutrino physics, solve problems such as neutrino mass sequence, energy spectrum anomalies, and develop new neutrino detection technologies
.

Ding Hong

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Majorana zero-energy modes can be used to implement topological quantum computing
.
Ding Hong will prove the exact existence of Majorana zero-energy modes in iron-based superconductors based on the iron-based superconducting Majorana platform, and prepare topological qubits
.

Duan Luming

Tsinghua University

The number of qubits has a decisive influence
on the performance of a quantum computer.
Duan Luming will explore the path
of large-scale ion quantum computing through the stable confinement of high-dimensional ion arrays, unique quantum logic gate design, addressing method, and noise immunity scheme.

Feng Donglai

University of Science and Technology of China

Various imaging techniques are powerful tools
for understanding complex material systems at the microscopic scale.
Feng Donglai will develop coherent diffraction imaging methods for quantum materials to realize in situ, high-resolution, stereoscopic imaging and dynamic measurement
of the microstate of materials and prototype devices.

Hu Jiangping

Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Superconductivity is the magical state
of a material at a specific temperature.
Hu Jiangping will explore the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, topological quantum computing carriers, and new superconducting electronic components based on original concepts and theories such as high-temperature superconducting genes, intrinsic topology of iron-based superconductivity, and superconducting diode effect
.

Liu Jifeng

National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How do compact objects such as black holes form and evolve? Liu Jifeng will develop advanced measurement methods and observation networks to answer this question, and then explore the basic physical laws
such as the space-time properties under strong gravitational fields and the equation of matter under supernuclear density.

Liu Renbao

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Traditional lasers come from stimulated radiation
from independent incoherent sources.
Liu Renbao will explore the stimulated radiation of coherent quantum many-body systems, and the resulting quantum many-body laser will be a novel class of quantum matter, and it is expected to give rise to new quantum technologies
.

Lu Chaoyang

University of Science and Technology of China

The natural interaction between single photons is extremely weak and currently relies mainly on linear optical quantum manipulation
.
Lu Chaoyang will explore large-scale quantum control technology of strongly interacting photons and optical tweezer atoms, experiment to answer the debate between Einstein and Bohr about the uncertainty of quantum mechanics, and strive to realize the way
to build nonlinear optical quantum computing.

Tong Limin

Zhejiang University

What happens when light is confined to a small space? In order to answer this question, Tong Limin will work to confine a beam of light to the size of an atom, and precisely manipulate atomic molecules in the miniature world, thus revealing the mystery
of light itself that no one else knows.

Wang Yayu

Tsinghua University

The microscopic mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity of copper oxide is one of the
core physical problems that have been unsolved for a long time.
Wang Yayu will use a variety of atomic-scale experimental methods to probe the microscopic electronic structure of copper oxides and reveal the mystery
of high-temperature superconductivity from the perspective of doped Mott insulators.

Wu Congjun

Westlake University

In order to reveal novel quantum states in condensed matter and cold atomic systems, Wu Congjun will look for novel symmetry and topological properties in them, and seek physical realizations in dynamic crystals, cold atoms, and topological systems in order to pursue the unity
of mathematical beauty and physical reality.

Zhang Shuang

University of Hong Kong

Light field properties can be regulated
by artificial design of metamaterials.
Zhang Shuang will explore the topological phenomena of high-dimensional photonic systems, photonic strong topological insulators, and the influence of vacuum fluctuations on the electronic transport of two-dimensional materials through metamaterials, and realize new electromagnetic media
such as Tellegen.

Zhang Yuanbo

Fudan University

The precise quantization of the Hall effect reveals the beautiful and profound topology of quantum systems
.
Zhang Yuanbo will be committed to breaking through the bottleneck of two-dimensional material research, realizing the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect, and exploring new physics
in the long-range correlation quantum many-body ground state.

Chemistry

Chen Peng

Peking university

Is there a "molecular law" for tumor immune recognition? Chen Peng will develop immune decoding technology based on "live cell ligation sequencing", crack the "recognition code" of T cell receptors and antigen peptides, and realize the accurate design
of cancer vaccines.

FAN Chunhai

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Facing the key challenges of live cell analysis and diagnosis and treatment, Fan Chunhai will build a nucleic acid molecular machine with biomimetic intelligence, regulate matter and energy by reprogramming the signaling pathway in living cells, and hope to develop new methods
for in vivo diagnosis and treatment.

Li Shuhua

Nanjing University

The development of quantum chemistry methods for strongly correlated systems such as transition metal compounds and free radicals is a challenging problem
in theoretical chemistry.
Li Shuhua will focus on creating polymorphic coupling cluster theory based on block electronic states, and hopes to develop a new generation of quantum chemical computing methods
for strongly correlated systems.

Li Jinghong

Tsinghua University

In view of the challenges of high-sensitivity, high-throughput biological single-molecule analysis, Li Jinghong will study new methods for single-base resolution nucleic acid detection, laying the foundation of chemical measurement for
basic research on nucleic acid single-base variation, disease diagnosis, drug screening and gene therapy.

Martin

Peking university

Facing the optimal utilization of resources and sustainable development, Martin will focus on the development of a new catalytic system of "carbon-hydrogen cycle" and explore new ways
to produce high value-added chemicals by converting carbon resources and hydrogen.

Wang Bing

University of Science and Technology of China

How can spin polarization be achieved efficiently in carbon-based materials? Wang Bing will explore new effects of carbon-based nanospintronics, analyze complex spin interaction mechanisms, and open up a new path
for the development of carbon-based nanomaterial spin quantum devices.

Wu Lizhu

Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Drawing on natural photosynthesis and enzymatic reactions, Wu Lizhu will strive to break through the bottleneck of multi-electron and multiproton chemical conversion in the interaction between light and matter, greatly improve the efficiency and stability of artificial photosynthesis, and promote the innovation
of future photochemical concepts and applications.

Yang Huanghao

Fuzhou University

The energy conversion efficiency of the scintillator determines the sensitivity and resolution
of the X-ray imaging equipment.
Yang Huanghao will focus on the research of new theoretical mechanisms to improve the X-ray luminescence efficiency of nanoscintillators and develop new technologies
for ultra-sensitive and rapid X-ray imaging.

Shuli

Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Breaking through the limitations of traditional substitution reactions of aromatic compounds, You Shuli will develop the dearomatization reaction of benzene derivatives, innovate the catalytic conversion mode, and provide a transformative pathway
for the synthesis of important organic functional molecules.

Yu Shuhong

University of Science and Technology of China

To analyze and translate the principles and mechanisms of multi-level structure design of natural materials, Yu Shuhong will be committed to establishing a new method for macro preparation and biomimetic hierarchical assembly of biomass-based structural primitives, and provide a new way
to prepare non-fossil resource materials.

In the field of biological and medical sciences

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Cao Bin

Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College

Are respiratory viral infections common to mechanisms? Cao Bin will study the pathogenic mechanism of "respiratory viral infection poisoning", explore the mechanism of viremia-induced coagulation dysfunction and multi-system inflammation, and find effective intervention strategies to reduce the mortality rate
of severe viral pneumonia.

Chen Lingling

Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How do noncoding RNAs in mammals participate in the regulation of life processes? Chen Lingling will carry out real-time dynamic and in situ ultra-high-resolution RNA molecular tracking, reveal the molecular and functional characteristics and modes of action of RNA in the life process, expand new fields of nucleic acid research and provide new diagnosis and treatment basis
for related diseases.

Dong Chen

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

How do immune cells play a regulatory role in inflammation and tumors? Dong Chen's research on the function and disease mechanism of T cells and ILC cell subsets will have a profound impact
on the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of the immune regulatory mechanisms of inflammatory and tumor diseases.

Fu Xiangdong

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How to synergistically improve the efficiency of carbon and nitrogen use is a major issue
to achieve sustainable agricultural development.
Fu Xiangdong will carry out research on the sensing and transduction mechanism of carbon dioxide and nitrogen signals in rice, reveal the synergistic mechanism of high yield and efficient use of carbon and nitrogen, break through the bottleneck of breeding, and help a new round of green revolution
by regulating plant growth-metabolism balance.

Guo Hongwei

Southern University of Science and Technology

How do plants sense environmental factors and adjust their gene expression accordingly? Guo Hongwei will explore more root pH and osmotic stress receptor genes to provide a theoretical basis for solving the challenge of soil salinization.
At the same time, efficient and durable gene silencing systems were developed and applied to agriculture
.

Hu Hailan

Zhejiang University

How does the brain regulate emotions and social behavior? Hu will conduct research on the brain mechanisms of emotions and social behavior, and expand the deep connections
between brain science and brain medicine and psychology and sociology at the molecular cell and circuit level.

Huang Zhiwei

Harbin Institute of Technology

How do immune cells recognize antigens and activate immune signaling pathways? Zhiwei Huang will analyze antigen-mediated immune cell receptor (TCR, BCR) signaling and its regulatory mechanism, reveal the basic scientific laws of adaptive immune response, and provide new theories and technologies
for immunotherapy.

Lai Cheng

Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases pose a great threat
to human health.
Lai Cheng will explore the relevant disease mechanism based on the biomolecular complex interaction network and develop innovative antithrombotic drugs
with low bleeding risk.

Li Dong

Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How to analyze the fine structure of cells and completely reveal the dynamic changes of subcellular structure under high spatiotemporal accuracy is the main bottleneck
in the study of cell function.
Li Dong will be committed to the innovation of microscopic imaging technology, break through the scale and dimension of super-resolution in vivo microscopy to obtain biological information, and explore microscopic imaging technology methods based on new physical effects
.

Li Yulong

Peking university

Neurotransmitter probes combined with optical imaging have become a powerful tool
in neuroscience research.
Li Yulong will break through the bottleneck of neurotransmitter detection, realize the leap from "visible" to "accurate" - "see deeply" - "see together", and provide powerful tools
for the accurate analysis of complex neural circuits and the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.

Liu Ying

Peking university

Aging is an irreversible process, how do aging and cellular stress interact? Ying Liu will explore the relationship and regulatory mechanism between aging and cellular stress, in order to deeply understand the reasons for the decline of cellular stress during aging, and explore whether regulating cellular stress can delay aging
.

Lu Bo Shen

Fudan University

Is cell death irreversible? Lu Bocheng will study whether nerve cells can be "resurrected" after entering the death procedure, that is, escape the death process and regain life functions, and explore its molecular mechanism on this basis, providing clues
for intervening in neurodeath-related diseases and clarifying the nature of the boundary between life and death.

Luo Minmin

Beijing Brain Science and Brain-like Research Center

Antidepressants
with a safe safety and efficacy profile are still lacking.
Minmin Luo will explore new targets of antidepressants, molecular signal transduction pathways, cellular and neural circuit mechanisms, and look for new antidepressants and transgenic therapies
with better efficacy and fewer side effects.

Species

Tsinghua University

How do immune cells produce antibodies and obtain high-quality, lasting immune memory? Qi Hai will study the mechanism of the production, maintenance and activation of memory B cells, and deeply explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms of memory regulation of B cells discovered by him, so as to provide a theoretical basis
for long-term broad-spectrum vaccines and the prevention of infectious diseases.

Qu Lijia

Peking university

Creating new species and cultivating new varieties through distant hybridization of plants is the goal
that mankind constantly pursues.
Qu Lijia will use the "molecular key" to accurately break the hybridization barrier of plant sexual reproduction, expand the scope of distant hybridization of plants between different species, create new plant species and new varieties, and provide new germplasm resources
for crop and horticultural plant breeding.

Shao Feng

Beijing Institute of Biological Sciences

What are the key physiopathological roles of cytopyrosis? How to activate tumor immunity and exert anti-tumor effects? Shao Feng studied the biological function and molecular regulation mechanism of cell pyroptosis, explored and discovered new natural immune recognition patterns, filled the cognitive gap of lytic cell death to activate tumor immunity, and promoted the establishment of a new understanding
of the concept of cell death.

Shi Songhai

Tsinghua University

The brain, especially the neocortex, is the structural basis of
higher cognitive functions in higher animals.
Shi Songhai will establish advanced experimental animal models, use multi-level and cross-species systems to deeply study the development, assembly and functional operation mechanism of mammalian brains under normal and pathological conditions, and inspire the research
and development of new brain disease diagnosis and treatment technologies and brain-like systems.

Wang Ertao

Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How to efficiently use plant symbiotic bacteria to fix nitrogen and reduce the harm of excessive use of chemical fertilizers to the ecological environment? Wang Ertao will study the mechanism of symbiotic nitrogen fixation and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis formation and evolution, reveal the molecular mechanism of plants to identify "friend and foe" microorganisms, explore the symbiotic nitrogen fixation of grasses, and provide new theories
for sustainable agricultural development.

Wang Wen

Northwestern Polytechnical University

Deer have antlers, the only organ of mammals that can be fully regenerated, and have extremely low cancer rates and high resistance to infection
.
Wang Wen will study the genetic mechanism of the evolution of special traits in deer and open up new directions
in biomedicine.

Wang Xiaoqun

Beijing Normal University

Focusing on the scientific issue of the neural origin and evolution mechanism of advanced cognition, Wang Xiaoqun will use unique brain development models and in vitro organoid culture technology to analyze the neural circuit development basis of human brain neurogenesis and brain advanced cognitive function, and provide theoretical support
for the treatment of brain diseases.

Jie Wei

Tsinghua University

How to activate the life clock precisely after the sperm-egg combination? Jie Wei will analyze the molecular machinery initiated by the first life gene program, explore the possibility of reversing the life clock of cells, and provide new ways
to understand and intervene in the mechanism of aging and disease.

Xu Yanhui

Fudan University

Transcription is the most critical step
in the regulation of gene expression in life activities.
Yanhui Xu will establish an in vitro reconstructed transcription system and use biochemical and structural biology methods to study the molecular mechanism of transcription initiation process and solve core scientific problems
in the field of molecular biology.

Yu Hongtao

Westlake University

The genome stores genetic information and carries the blueprint of life, and its instability leads to tumorigenesis and development
.
Yu Hongtao will elaborate the molecular mechanism of genome shaping and inheritance, reveal the root causes and weaknesses of tumor genomic aneuploidy, and find new ways
to target tumor aneuploidy.

Zeng Yi

Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How to obtain transplantable functional islet cells has always been a great challenge
in the field of diabetes treatment.
Zeng Yi will explore the molecular mechanism of islet stem cells and provide new means
to promote islet in situ regeneration and prevent and treat diabetes.

Zhang Hong

Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Cells process and recover cytosolic components encapsulated by autophagosomes through autophagy
.
Zhang Hong will study the generation, decoding and regulation of autophagy initiation signals, elucidate the mechanism of autophagy in the occurrence and development of various diseases, and provide new strategies
for the treatment of related diseases caused by abnormal autophagy.

ZHOU Bin

Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

How do cell-cell interactions affect organ development and tissue regeneration? Zhou Bin will establish a genetic analysis technique to study cell-cell interactions in vivo, explore the law and regulatory mechanism of in situ stem cell interaction with microenvironment cells, and provide an important theoretical basis and new methods
for organ repair and regeneration and in vitro expansion of stem cells.

Zhu Bing

Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Heterochromatin is an important part of chromosomes, and its quality gradually deteriorates
during aging.
Bing Zhu will study the formation mechanism of heterochromatin and the causes of degeneration in the aging process, and explore ways
to intervene in heterochromatin degeneration.

Zhu Listen

Westlake University

The nucleic acids and proteins known to life on Earth use only one
of two chiral configurations with mirror relationships.
Zhu Lian is committed to constructing a "mirror biological system"
that is opposite to the chirality of natural biomolecules from the central law.
This system is expected to be the evolutionary starting point for a new life form and lead to a series of applications and discoveries
that are difficult to achieve with natural systems.