Liu Yongtan Photo: Xinhua

Liu Yongtan, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, will donate the 8 million yuan from his 2018 National Highest Science and Technology Award to set up a fund to nurture talents for the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT).

"As an ordinary teacher and scientific and technological worker, the highest national science and technology award belongs not only to me, but also to my team, and belongs to all intellectuals who are patriotic and dedicated in this great era," said Liu, who is also a professor of HIT. 

The HIT was included in the Entity List by the US Department of Commerce in May, and has been banned from using MATLAB due to US sanctions. MATLAB is a high-performance language for technical computing, which is widely used by students majoring in science and engineering.

According to Liu, the Yongrui Fund will focus on nurturing talents in the fields of defense, electronics and engineering.

The HIT has produced some outstanding alumni, including Chinese aerospace engineer Sun Jiadong, who is an expert in carrier rocket and satellite technology; Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar exploration project and Luan Enjie, the former director of the China National Space Administration. 

Since the 1980s, Liu has focused on domestic maritime radars, and helped create full monitoring of the country's seas. Liu won the 2018 National Highest Science and Technology Award in January 2019.

Liu said his personal growth is inseparable from his long years of training and education from the Party and the country, and the help and support of the school.

"The moment I won the award, I had the idea of donating all the prize money to repay the country and the school. I got unanimous support from my family," Liu said.