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The Novo Nordisk-Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Fund 10th Year Anniversary Symposium

(November 1, 2017, Beijing, China)

Congratulating remarks by Professor Zhu Chen

Vice Chairman, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China

 
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning. I am delighted to be invited to participate in today’s symposium to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the “Novo Nordisk–Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Fund”. Due to the official business, I could not attend in person. However, I’d like to use this video to express my warm congratulations to the convention and pay highly tribute to Novo Nordisk who has been supporting the Chinese Academy of Sciences for long. I remember vividly that in March 2007, originated from the collaboration between Novo Nordisk and Professor Wang Ming Wei from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS on GLP-1 receptor agonist, CAS and Novo Nordisk decided to establish this “Novo Nordisk–Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Fund” to support projects of interest to both CAS and Novo Nordisk in the fields of diabetes and biopharmaceuticals. At that time, I was working in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and I was honored to sign the agreement with Novo Nordisk’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, and appointed as the inaugurating board chair of the fund. Novo Nordisk donated 2 million US dollars at the initial period for three years.

I am glad to see that, due to the great joint efforts by both sides, we get continuous support from Novo Nordisk and the fund has run successfully till now from the initial three years period. Novo Nordisk has donated 5.8 million US dollars in total. In June 2007, Novo Nordisk donated another 1 million US dollars to set up “Novo Nordisk-CAS Great Wall Professorship” in support of the rising scientists in the field of bioscience in China.

The past 10 years is the time when China developed tremendously with GDP rising from 21.9 trillion yuan to 74.4 trillion yuan, and R&D expenditure increasing from 300 billion yuan to 1.56 trillion yuan, from1.42% of GDP to over 2.11% of GDP, with main innovation indicators leaping into the front ranks of the world.

Novo Nordisk has also grown fast during the past 10 years, and maintained its leadership in diabetes care. During the 10 years, the fund has supported 71 projects, including 53 research projects, 10 symposiums, 4 Ph.D. fellowships and 4 postdoctoral fellowships, and achieved fruitful results. The fund promoted scientific discovery and innovation. A preliminary survey suggests that the support from the fund was acknowledged in close to 150 research publications. The fund has also promoted exchanges among scientists between China and Denmark, as well as among Chinese scientists themselves and with scientists from other countries. For instance, the fund supported the Annual Queenstown Molecular Biology Meetings in Shanghai in recent years and provided a broad platform for communication.

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues and friends: looking back to 10 years, we started this fund based on the collaboration on GLP-1. In the past 10 years, GLP-1 portfolio has become Novo Nordisk and other global pharmaceutical companies’ most important and promising new drugs to treat diabetes and obesity after insulin; Professor Wang Ming Wei has continued his pursuit in GLP-1 receptor research, including the collaboration with Novo Nordisk through this fund, and their exciting findings in this area resulted in three papers published in Nature. They will present their work today. Clearly, this is a testimony of the success of this fund. In today’s meeting, prominent scientists from CAS and other research institutes as well as from Novo Nordisk will present their exciting research and breakthroughs in diabetes and obesity. I hope it will elicit new ideas and collaborations among the participants, to find new way to treat diabetes and obesity, which have become serious health-care and social challenges in China and in the world.  

Today’s symposium is held in the Sino-Danish Center for Research and Education. Similar to “NN-CAS Research Fund”, this unique building is another example of Sino-Danish science and technology cooperation. I truly hope that collaborations between our two countries will be more profound and interactive, to make greater contributions to human civilization and progress. At last, I wish a great success of the symposium.

Thank you.