On May 18, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding took first place at the Sichuan Provincial Science and TechnoIogy Awards conference. The research project entitled “‘Research and Application of Giant Panda Breeding Biology and Conservation Genetics” was awarded top prize for the Sichuan Provincial Scientific and Technological Progress category. Dr. Zhang Zhihe attended the conference and accepted the award on behalf of the project participants.

Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award was the highest honor set up by the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government for scientific and technical workers with outstanding contributions. This was the first time the Chengdu Panda Base received the award for a project completed entirely by an independent team organization. The Chengdu Panda Base is the only institution that has been awarded the prize for ex-situ conservation of giant panda in Sichuan province.