The ceremony was hosted by Professor Shao Yiming, chief expert for HIV and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China and Professor Gao Fu, Director of the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Science.
The award, created by Fondation Mérieux and the Virology Division of the Chinese Society of Microbiology, is in remebrance to the outstanding contributions of Dr Christophe Mérieux to Sino-French infectious disease cooperation, as well as to encourage young Chinese virologists to explore the scientific frontiers and contribute to better human health.
The award is given every two years by the Chinese Society for Microbiology. The prize was awarded for the first time in the 2007 to 6 young researchers, one first prize winner, two second prize winners, and three third prize winners.
Winners 2011
First Prize
- Chen Pan, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing
Second Prize
- Lu Guangwen, Microbiology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science
- Qi Nan, National Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan University
Third Prize
- Zhu Ping, Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Science
- Zheng Xuehai, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science
- Gao Chen, Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (China)