Applications for the 2026 Shanghai Science and Technology "35 Under 35" Award are now open. The program will select 35 winners aged 35 or younger across four strategic directions.

Detailed application information is provided below.

I. Basic requirements

1. Applicants must uphold the spirit of scientific inquiry, adhere to research integrity, and must not have violated national laws, endangered national interests, or caused significant harm to the public interest.

2. Applicants must be no older than 35 as of Jan 1, 2026 (born on or after Jan 1, 1991). Age is determined by the date of birth on the applicant's ID card or passport.

3. The scientific research or technological inventions led by applicants must be forward-looking, disruptive, or public-interest-oriented, and must primarily originate in Shanghai or the Yangtze River Delta Eco-Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone.

4. The academic achievements or innovative products must be proposed and primarily completed by the applicants themselves.

 

II. Fields for application

1. Global Frontiers of Science and Technology

Explore uncharted, pioneering, and challenging fields, and constantly push the limits of human cognition.

2. National Economic Development

Promote the deep integration of technological innovation with economic and social development, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into productive forces.

3. Major Needs of the Country

Make breakthroughs in key and core technologies, gain the initiative in scientific and technological innovation, and secure a decisive edge in international competition.

4. People's Life and Health

Put life first and use science and technology to advance high-quality development in healthcare.

III. How to apply

Eligible applicants can log in to the official website (https://www.35u35.cn) to submit the required materials.

Deadline: 11 pm, Sept 24, 2026

 

IV. Application materials

Applicants must complete the application forms and ensure all descriptions are truthful, accurate, and complete. Materials include:

1. Personal information

- A copy of the applicant's ID card or passport must be attached.

2. Personal innovation statement

- Core reasons for application (no more than 100 characters).

- Main content of innovative achievements, key innovations, scientific and industrial value, and impact on related fields (no more than 2,000 characters).

3. Recommendation

- A nomination letter from a previous awardee or an expert in the relevant field, including recommendation comments and a signature (no more than 500 characters), along with the recommending expert's basic information.

Note: Experts with conflicts of interest must recuse themselves. Each expert may nominate no more than two applicants in 2026.

4. Supporting materials, including but not limited to:

- Core achievement papers and patents;

- Evaluations and proof of academic standing from renowned academic journals and conferences in the same field;

- Proof of commercialization and application of scientific and technological achievements; and

- Research and development contracts and industry cooperation agreements.

V. Selection process

Reviews and evaluations will be conducted based on the four application fields according to their respective features.

The selection process consists of the following stages:

1. Application: Applicants submit an online application. Formal review is conducted during the same period.

2. Preliminary review and public announcement: Sept 24 to the end of October 2026.

Applicants will be grouped by technical field, with five to seven members per group.

Based on peer review by experts in the same field, 100 final-round candidates will be selected, and the list of candidates will be publicly announced.

3. Final evaluation: November 2026.

Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, university presidents, senior professors, CEOs of well-known enterprises, CTOs, and other experts will be invited to serve as judges based on the application fields of the 100 final-round candidates. They will conduct a final round of face-to-face evaluation and select 35 final winners and 15 nominated winners.

4. Approval and public announcement: December 2026.

The selection results will be submitted for approval, and the proposed award list will be publicly announced.

5. Awards ceremony: December 2026.

The final list of winners will be announced, and awards will be presented to recipients.

 

VI. Application acceptance

- Applications are accepted online; no paper materials are required.

- The review office is responsible for conducting formal reviews of application materials.

- For incomplete materials, applicants must complete or correct them within a specified period.

- Failure to do so within the deadline or failure to meet the requirements after correction will be deemed a waiver of eligibility for further review.

 

VII. Consultation

- Contact person: Liu Jiepei

- Phone: 021-2419-7688

- Email: sat35u35@stcsm.sh.gov.cn

- Address: Secretariat of the Shanghai Association of Young Talents in Science & Technology, Room 1002, No 1525 West Zhongshan Road, Xuhui district, Shanghai

 

Sources: Official website of the 2026 Shanghai Science and Technology 35 Under 35; official WeChat account of the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government (ID: "shanghaifabu")