Scientists from Peking University and Tsinghua University awarded with Bayer Endowed Chair and Bayer Investigator
So far, more than 230 Chinese scientists have won relevant awards and grants
Beijing, April 22nd, 2026 – Bayer, in collaboration with Peking University and Tsinghua University, today announced the Bayer China Academic Collaboration Award 2025, including Bayer Endowed Chair, Bayer Investigator, Bayer Microfunding and Bayer Postdoc. As part of Bayer’s long-term strategic collaboration with prestigious Chinese universities, this award aims to recognize and fund outstanding scholars who have made significant contributions in life sciences, clinical medicine as well as drug research and development, consistently fostering exchange and collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and academia, accelerating the translation of fundamental research outcomes into novel therapeutics, thus ensuring breakthrough innovations benefit patients as early as possible.
This year, Professor Cun-Yu Wang from the Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine at Peking University, and Professor Li Yu from School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University were honored as Bayer Endowed Chair. In addition, a total of nine scientists from Peking University and Tsinghua University were awarded as Bayer Investigator through the selection of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) composed of Bayer experts and senior scholars from the top two universities in China. Associate Research Professor Huiqin Liu from School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Associate Professor Deng Pan from School of Basic Medical Sciences, Assistant Professor Qiang Wang from School of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University were awarded funding support from the Bayer Microfunding program on their scientific research projects. Furthermore, three outstanding young researchers from Peking University grew into Bayer Postdoc.
“I sincerely congratulate all recipients of the Bayer China Academic Collaboration Award 2025. Your unwavering dedication to discovery and remarkable achievements are not just advancing the frontiers of science — they're fueling China’s research and innovation to new heights! Your contributions are infusing vital momentum into the global pharmaceutical landscape, inspiring us all to push boundaries and drive transformative progress,” said Dr. Anastasia Hager, a member of the JSC for Bayer Academic Collaborations in China, Senior Vice President of Research and Development and Head of Drug Discovery Sciences of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division. “At Bayer, we believe in the transformative power of science to reshape healthcare. Our strong partnerships with Peking University and Tsinghua University go beyond knowledge sharing; they represent a shared commitment to a better future. As we move forward, we will deepen these collaborations and expand our efforts, accelerating the translation of groundbreaking discoveries into innovative therapies that make a real difference in patients' lives worldwide. Together, we're not just envisioning the future—we're building it.”
As an integral part of its long-term commitment in China, Bayer attaches great importance to and continues to pay attention to local scientific collaboration, and strongly supports China’s original innovation and new drug research and development. The company has established long-term strategic partnership with Tsinghua University and Peking University since 2009 and 2014 respectively. The partnerships not only pioneer scientific research collaborations between multinational pharmaceutical companies and local academic institutions in the country but also set examples of the synergetic development and collaborations between industry and academia on advancing drug innovation.
“On behalf of Tsinghua University, I extend heartfelt congratulations to the award-winning scholars and express my respect for Bayer and researchers in the biopharmaceutical field. This honor is a high recognition of the scholars’ long-term dedication and remarkable achievements in biopharmaceutical innovation“, said Professor Song-Hai Shi, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, a member of the Bayer-Tsinghua University JSC and recipient of the Bayer Endowed Chair 2022, “Talent is the primary resource for innovation and the fundamental support for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. Bayer’s collaboration award and funding programs have continuously supported academic leaders and young scientific talents in their pursuit of excellence, playing a crucial role in fostering talent and original innovation in the life sciences field. As long-term strategic partners, Tsinghua University and Bayer have collaborated fruitfully in talent cultivation, scientific research innovation, and the transformation of research outcomes. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on the frontiers of life sciences, support top innovative talents, tackle major challenges in healthcare, and deliver high-quality innovative outcomes to serve people’s health and advance the cause of human scientific progress.”
“Over the past decade, Peking University and Bayer have built a strong and enduring partnership, achieving remarkable progress in talent development, academic exchange, and scientific innovation. Our joint efforts continue to focus on frontier areas of biomedical research, including novel drug target discovery, structural biology, radiopharmaceuticals, and advanced therapeutic modalities. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across multiple schools at Peking University, and close engagement with Bayer scientists, we are making steady progress in addressing critical scientific questions and advancing translational research. Equally important is our shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders. Programs such as the Bayer Endowed Chair, Investigator, and Postdoctoral Fellowships have become key pillars of our collaboration, fostering a vibrant and innovative research community,” said Professor Xuemei Chen, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, a member of the Bayer-Peking University JSC and recipient of the Bayer Endowed Chair 2022. “Looking ahead, we will continue to deepen our partnership in key areas such as new targets, disease understanding, novel modalities, artificial intelligence applications. Together, we are committed to advancing scientific discovery and translating innovation into meaningful improvements in human health.”
As of now, more than 230 Chinese eminent scientists and young scholars have won Bayer Endowed Chair and Bayer Investigator awards. In addition to establishing the awards, Bayer’s scientific research collaboration with the two research institutions has also achieved fruitful results. So far, Bayer and these two academic partners have carried out more than 110 research collaboration projects, including discovery and structural analysis of novel targets, pathogenesis and drug mechanism of action research, drug screening, efficacy evaluation as well as exploration on new modalities, new synthetic methods and innovative formulations, covering multiple therapeutic areas, such as, oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2025, the Group employed around 88,000 people and had sales of 45.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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The full list of the Bayer China Academic Partnership Award 2025 winners
