The 2026 Chinese Government Friendship Award ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People on September 30.

State Councilor Shen Yiqin presented the awards and delivered remarks, while Wang Xiaoping, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, announced the award decision. A total of 50 foreign experts have received the Chinese Government Friendship Award for 2026.

Paolo Samorì, an honorary professor at Jilin University, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and Director of the Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) at the University of Strasbourg, was among this year’s recipients. He also spoke on behalf of the award recipients at the ceremony.

In his remarks, Prof. Paolo Samorì recalled the long-standing academic ties with Jilin University and the University of Strasbourg, which date back to the late 1980s. He highlighted the contributions of Jilin University Academicians Shen Jiacong and Zhang Xi, together with Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, a Nobel laureate in Chemistry and professor at the University of Strasbourg, in building this partnership.

Over the years, the two universities have maintained close cooperation in education, scientific research, and talent development through academic conferences and exchanges, between scholars. Their collaboration has helped advance research at the forefront of supramolecular chemistry.

Looking ahead, Samori expressed his hope that the two universities would create more opportunities for young researchers from China and Europe to exchange ideas, deepen high-level collaboration, and nurture the next generation of leading scientists, thereby making greater contributions to sustainable development.

Following the ceremony, Prof. Paolo Samorì attended the reception celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, as a representative of the foreign experts.

Established in 1991, the Chinese Government Friendship Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Chinese Government on foreign experts in recognition of their outstanding contributions to China’s modernization and Sino-foreign exchange endeavors. To date, a total of 19 foreign experts recommended by Jilin University have received the Chinese Government Friendship Award.

Prof. Paolo Samorì is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, , Academia Europaea, German National Academy of Science and Engineering, and the National Academy of Technologies of France. He is also a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts.

His research focuses on nanochemistry, supramolecular science, and materials chemistry. His honors include the CNRS Silver Medal, the Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science from the European Academy of Sciences, the Grand Pierre Süe awarded by the French Chemical Society, the IUMRS-ICEM Mid-career Researcher Award, the Luigi Tartufari Prize from the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Amedeo Avogadro Medal, and the China-France Chemistry Lectureship Award.

Prof. Samori also serves as Associate Editor of ACS Nano, a leading journal in nanoscience, and sits on the advisory boards of more than 20 international academic journals.

Prof. Samorì has long been committed to promoting scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe. He has actively participated in academic exchanges and played an important role in facilitating institutionalized research collaboration and joint talent development programs between the University of Strasbourg and Jilin University, playing an active role in strengthening China-France cooperation in science and education and supporting the development of young scholars.