Scientists from Türkiye and other countries were recognized for their work with awards delivered by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) and the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) on Wednesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted the awards ceremony at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara where reputed figures of the scientific community and up-and-coming talent were awarded in a wide range of fields.
TÜBA International Awards were bestowed to professors Joseph Wang, Amnon Cohen, and Joseph Jao Yiu Sung. Wang, of the University of California, San Diego, who is also an inventor specializing in nanomachines, biosensors, and wearable devices, was awarded in the Science and Engineering field. Amnon Cohen, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whose work concentrates on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, was recognized in the Social Sciences Category. Joseph Jao Yiu Sung, dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, was awarded for his work in the Medical and Life Sciences category.
Professor Wang was awarded for "pushing the boundaries of development in health care systems with his work and contributing to the education of young Turkish scientists," organizers said.
At the awards ceremony, Erdoğan congratulated the 57 scientists who were recipients of the awards. "Every accomplishment is a harbinger of new accomplishment. This is what the awards under the patronage of the Presidency aimed at," Erdoğan said. "Regardless of awards, we know that all our scientists work day and night for a prosperous future for our country. Awards are only a means for motivation and an incentive for our scientists," Erdoğan said.
Our national technology initiative guides our target toward being in the world's top ten economies. Political independence is possible through technological independence. Science and technology is the most important, efficient instrument for Türkiye to achieve its goals. Value-added production, strong growth, and sustainable welfare through a lively science ecosystem. TÜBITAK and TÜBA are two institutions contributing to our technology and science infrastructure through their extraordinary efforts," he said.
The president said the government granted more than TL 1.5 billion to 3,734 research and development projects in the past year through TÜBITAK, which involved about 22,000 people, from researchers to students benefiting from scholarships.
Erdoğan also gave the example of China, whose success is attributed to what he called the "contribution of young people who studied abroad to the country with the experience they gained abroad." "We are taking similar steps through TÜBITAK and work both to help our youth to accumulate experience abroad and make Türkiye a center of attraction for Turkish scientists abroad, to reverse the brain drain through our incentive programs," he said.