The winners of the 2025 Franco-Taiwanese Scientific Grand Prize were honored Nov. 27 in Paris for their groundbreaking research on yeast evolution and genetic variation.
According to the National Science and Technology Council, the award went to Isheng Jason Tsai, a research fellow at Taipei City-based Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center, and Gianni Liti, a senior researcher and head of the Population Genomics and Complex Traits group at Nice-based Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging.
The award was presented by NSTC Deputy Minister Chen Bing-yu, and Francis-André Wollman, deputy head of international collaboration of the French Academy of Sciences, at a ceremony held at the Fondation Simone et Cino Del Duca.
In his opening remarks, Chen said France is among the European countries that have close scientific and technological cooperation with Taiwan, with both enjoying over three decades of ties based on their complementary strengths and shared values of freedom and democracy.
The deputy minister also anticipated enhanced partnerships in sectors such as artificial intelligence, green energy, marine study, medicine, network security, quantum technology, semiconductor and space technology.
According to the NSTC, through years of cross-border collaboration, the researchers established one of the largest genome databases of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using whole-genome sequencing technology, the biologists reconstructed the ecology and evolution of pre-domesticated lineages of the model yeast, the agency said, expecting their findings to inspire more studies on ecological genomics, sustainable biotechnology and other related disciplines.
The annual award was launched by the NSTC and the FAS in 1999 to recognize those from the two countries who have made outstanding contributions to advancing bilateral cooperation and exchanges in the realm of science, the NSTC said. (SFC-E)
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