Bayer China Research Collaboration Awards 2025 Announced: Leading Scientists from Peking University and Tsinghua University Honored

Today, Bayer, together with Peking University and Tsinghua University, announced the recipients of the 2025 Bayer China Research Collaboration Awards. The awards include several prestigious categories such as the “Bayer Chair Professor,” “Bayer Fellow,” “Bayer Research Translation Fund,” and “Bayer Postdoctoral Fellowship.” As a key component of Bayer’s long-term strategic partnership with leading Chinese universities, the awards aim to recognize and support outstanding scholars who have made significant contributions in the fields of life sciences, clinical medicine, and drug development. The initiative seeks to continuously foster exchange and collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and academia, accelerate the translation of basic research findings into new drug development, and ensure that innovative achievements benefit patients at the earliest possible stage.

This year, Professor Wang Cunyu from the Advanced Institute for Clinical Medicine at Peking University and Professor Yu Li from the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University were awarded the title of “Bayer Chair Professor.” Meanwhile, nine scientists from Peking University and Tsinghua University were selected as “Bayer Fellows” by a joint steering committee composed of Bayer experts and senior scholars from these two prestigious Chinese universities. Associate Researcher Liu Huiqin from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Associate Professor Pan Deng from the School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Assistant Professor Wang Qiang from the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University received funding from the “Bayer Research Translation Fund” to carry out their research projects. In addition, three outstanding young scholars from Peking University were awarded “Bayer Postdoctoral Fellowships.”

Wang Wei, Vice President of Bayer’s Prescription Drug Division and Head of Medical Affairs China, and Professor Chen Xuemei, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, presented Professor Wang Cunyu of the Peking University Institute for Advanced Clinical Medicine with the 2025 “Bayer Chair Professor” award.

As a member of the Joint Steering Committee, Dr. Anastasia Hager, Senior Vice President of Global R&D and Head of Drug Discovery Sciences at Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division, stated: “Heartfelt congratulations to all scientists honored with the 2025 Bayer China Scientific Collaboration Award. Your relentless exploration and outstanding achievements not only continue to expand the boundaries of science but also elevate China’s scientific research and innovation capabilities to new heights! Your contributions have injected critical momentum into the global pharmaceutical industry, inspiring us to continuously break through barriers and drive transformative progress. At Bayer, we believe in the transformative power of science to reshape the future of healthcare. Our long-standing collaborations with Peking University and Tsinghua University represent not only the sharing of knowledge but also a commitment to jointly creating a better future. We look forward to further deepening our cooperation, expanding the dimensions of our partnership, and accelerating the translation of breakthrough innovations into novel therapies, thereby bringing greater health benefits to patients worldwide. As we look to the future, we are also co-creating it.”

Li Qi, Vice President of Bayer’s Prescription Drugs Division, Head of the International R&D Beijing Center, and Head of Regulatory Science and Registration Affairs in China, together with Professor Shi Songhai, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, presented Professor Yu Li of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University with the 2025 “Bayer Chair Professor” award.

As a key component of its long-term commitment in China, Bayer places high importance on and continuously focuses on local scientific research collaborations, vigorously supporting source innovation and the translation of new drug R&D in China. In 2009 and 2014, respectively, Bayer established long-term strategic scientific research partnerships with Tsinghua University and Peking University. These initiatives not only pioneered scientific collaboration between multinational pharmaceutical companies and Chinese academic institutions but also set a benchmark for the synergistic development and collaborative innovation of “industry, academia, and research.”

Professor Shi Songhai, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, member of the Bayer-Tsinghua Joint Steering Committee (JSC), and recipient of the 2022 “Bayer Chair Professor” award, stated: “On behalf of Tsinghua University, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the awarded scholars and express my respect to Bayer Group and researchers in the biomedical field. This honor is a high recognition of the scholars’ long-term dedication and outstanding achievements in biomedical innovation. Talent is the primary resource for innovation and the fundamental support for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. The research collaboration awards and funding platforms established by Bayer have continuously supported academic leaders and young core researchers in their devoted exploration and pursuit of excellence, providing significant impetus for talent development and original innovation in the life sciences. As long-term strategic partners, Tsinghua University and Bayer have achieved efficient synergy and fruitful results in talent cultivation, scientific innovation, and technology transfer. Looking ahead, both parties will continue to focus on the frontiers of life and health, support top-tier innovative talents, tackle major challenges in life sciences, and serve public health and contribute to the advancement of human science through high-quality innovative outcomes.”

Professor Chen Xuemei, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, a member of the Bayer-Peking University Joint Steering Committee, and the recipient of the 2022 “Bayer Chair Professor” award, stated: “Over the past decade, Peking University and Bayer have advanced hand in hand, achieving remarkable results in talent development, academic exchange, and scientific research innovation. The two parties have maintained in-depth cooperation in frontier areas of biomedicine, covering new drug target discovery, structural biology, radiopharmaceuticals, and novel therapeutic technologies. Leveraging the collaborative participation of multiple schools related to life sciences at Peking University and working closely with Bayer’s research teams, we have made continuous progress in addressing key scientific questions and advancing translational research. Meanwhile, both sides place high importance on talent development, establishing programs such as the ‘Bayer Chair Professor,’ ‘Bayer Fellow,’ and ‘Bayer Postdoctoral Fellow,’ which have become integral components of our partnership and have effectively promoted the growth of young talents and the construction of an academic innovation ecosystem. Looking ahead, both parties will further deepen cooperation in key areas including new target discovery, disease mechanism research, novel therapeutic molecular formats, and artificial intelligence applications, continuously advancing frontier technological innovation, promoting the translation of scientific achievements, and making greater contributions to improving human health.”

Dr. Danjie Huang, Vice President of Bayer’s Prescription Drug Division and Head of the China Collaboration Innovation Center, and Professor Songhai Shi, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, presented the 2025 “Bayer Research Translation Fund”

To date, more than 230 leading Chinese scientists and young scholars have been honored with awards such as the “Bayer Chair Professor” and “Bayer Fellow.” In addition to establishing the China Research Collaboration Award, Bayer’s scientific collaborations with the aforementioned two research institutions have yielded fruitful results. To date, more than 110 research projects have been conducted, including the discovery and structural elucidation of new targets, studies on disease pathogenesis and mechanisms of drug action, drug screening, efficacy evaluation, and exploration of novel molecular entities, new chemical synthesis methods, and innovative dosage forms. These efforts span multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology and cardiovascular diseases.