Speech by CE at Shaw Prize Award Presentation Ceremony 2025 (English only) (with photos/video)
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Deputy Director Luo Yonggang (Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Acting Commissioner Li Yongsheng (Acting Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Dr Raymond Chan (Chair of the Shaw Prize Foundation), Professor Kenneth Young (Chair of the Shaw Prize Council), Professor Reinhard Genzel (Chair of the Board of Adjudicators of the Shaw Prize Foundation), esteemed laureates, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. I am delighted to be here, with you, on this splendid occasion – the Shaw Prize Award Presentation Ceremony. A celebration of the achievements by our remarkable scientists.
Generations after generations, we stand on the shoulders of giants to gaze upon the future of science, consolidating, building on, and often breaking through the foundations built by them.
As we gather to celebrate new achievements on this journey, we must also pay tribute to trailblazers who came before us. It is in this spirit of reverence, and continuity, that we remember and honour a monumental figure for the Shaw Prize, the scientific community and, indeed, humanity – Professor Chen-ning Yang.
A founding member of the Shaw Prize Council and the Chair of its Board of Adjudicators for over a decade, Professor Yang was instrumental in establishing the very standards of excellence we recognise today. As one of the first Chinese scientists to receive a Nobel Prize in Physics, he reshaped modern physics, and remained devoted to the scientific and educational developments of China, our country.
Professor Yang's spirit of intellectual pursuit, and his unwavering dedication to advancing knowledge for humanity, continue to live on today.
This commitment to excellence brings us here tonight – some 600 strong from around the world – to honour this year's Shaw Laureates. Here to pay tribute to their pioneering advances in three discrete disciplines: astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences.
My congratulations to each of you for your outstanding, and continuing, contributions to science and to civilisation – to a future bright with co-operation, progress and purpose.
That, of course, speaks of the vision Sir Run Run Shaw brought to compelling life – with the help of Professor Yang and other founding members – one that celebrates education and the pursuit of knowledge through science and research.
That vision is central to the priorities and policies of the HKSAR Government. We dedicate significant investments to innovation and technology, and the research and development that drives it.
That same commitment shapes our post-secondary education. I'm proud to say that Hong Kong is home to five of the world's top 100 universities. And, in the 2026 World University Rankings, announced earlier this month, Hong Kong claimed a record six spots in the top 200.
Indeed, this year, for the first time, all eight of our publicly funded universities made the World University Rankings.
And in this year's World Talent Ranking, Hong Kong finished fourth overall, topping the world in the category of "graduates in sciences".
Hong Kong's outstanding institutions nurture our talented and hard-working young generation. They also help to attract some of the world's best academics and professionals to our city. Just this month, we welcomed a Nobel Laureate in Physics to one of our universities. We are thankful to many science laureates, as well as world-class academics and researchers in our city, and I'm confident that they will continue to propel Hong Kong's rise as an international education and I&T hub.
The Hong Kong Government will continue to work closely with the Shaw Prize, our homegrown scientific award of international repute, in realising the potential of science, and in contributing to a world that prizes collaboration, harmony and a future of promise and innovation for all.
My congratulations to all laureates again. I wish you a memorable evening in Hong Kong – Asia's world city. Asia's science city.
Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Issued at HKT 20:00
Issued at HKT 20:00
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