(Yicai Global) Nov. 2 -- The World Laureates Forum, which gathers laureates of the Nobel Prize, Wolf Prize, and Turing Award in Shanghai each year, has announced a new CNY10 million (USD1.6 million) award for scientists.

The organizer of the forum that kicked off in the Lingang New Area of the ​​China Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone yesterday revealed the new World Laureates Association Prize which will be granted for the first time next year.

The WLA Prize, presented by the Shanghai WLA Development Foundation, aims to reward outstanding scientists around the world for their work. Initially, the award will be given to scientists in the two fields of mathematic and intelligent sciences, as well as medicine and life sciences. Each of the winners will be given the headline sum, donated by Sequoia Capital China.

"The prize is a good thing," Hu Ji, a professor who is part of the education ministry's Chang Jiang Scholars program, said to Yicai Global. "It will reward scientists who have made excellent contributions to original scientific research, both at home and abroad."

The annual event has found its new home. The Lingang New Area in the eastern city began building the nearly 7-square kilometer International Innovation Synergy Zone yesterday to attract innovative companies and talents worldwide to the district. The zone will also become the forum's permanent location.

The International Innovation Synergy Zone will have 30 first-class research institutions, gathering from 30,000 to 50,000 talents, according to the plan. Some 1,000 new high-tech firms and research and development institutions should be established in the zone.

This year's World Laureates Forum has attracted 131 winners of global top science awards, including 68 Noble Prize laureates, as well as 132 top young scientists worldwide to join, the highest level of participation since the first event in 2018, per the organizer.

The forum will arrange nearly 100 meetings and activities involving chemistry, physics, and life sciences. The topics at hand include carbon neutrality, artificial intelligence, and Big Data.

Editor: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi