Hong Kong researchers grabbed six of the 2020 State Science and Technology Awards, including three second-class prizes in the State Natural Science Awards.

Other awards include one first-class award and two second-class awards in the National Science and Technology Progress Awards, the national office for the awards announced on Wednesday in Beijing.

Organized by the State Council, the State Science and Technology Awards represent the nation's highest honor in science and technology, and aim to recognize individuals and organizations who have made remarkable contributions in these areas.

Delivering his congratulations, the city's secretary for education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said that the awards received by the Hong Kong researchers highlight the city's strength in basic and applied research, and bring great inspiration to their fellow researchers.

"We congratulate the awardees on their achievements and hope they will continue to scale new heights in their research, and foster more talented young people in the future," said Yeung.

For the State Natural Science Awards, Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Yu Jun and her team were awarded for their 18-year-long research project on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The study advanced research into the prevention, noninvasive early diagnosis, assessment and treatment of the disease.

Professor of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Charles Ng Wang-wai and his team were awarded for a research project on unsaturated soils.

The research provided a theoretical basis for the scientific design and safe construction of slopes, landfill covers and pavement, and has helped society deal with challenges such as climate change.

Meanwhile, a project on the structure of the earth's surface, in which Wang Yan of the University of Hong Kong participated, also won a second-class award. It was nominated by Chinese mainland institutions.

In addition, a research project on electronic packaging technology won a first-class honor in the National Science and Technology Progress Awards, while other two projects on the immunodiagnosis and treatment of diabetes, and a new methodology system for traditional Chinese medicine received second-class awards.

Hong Kong researchers have actively applied for the State Science and Technology Awards in the past decades and achieved good results.

In 2017, a research team led by HKUST professor Tang Benzhong received a first-class honor in the State Natural Science Awards for their studies in aggregation-induced emissions.

In the same year, a research project on the prevention and treatment of emerging infectious diseases from the University of Hong Kong also won a special-class honor in the National Science and Technology Progress Awards.