A project led by Xiamen University Professor Xue Xiongzhi has won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, a new category in the 2025 Xiamen Science and Technology Awards.
Xue, dean of the Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans (Xiamen University) and a leading scientist at the Fujian Ocean Innovation Center, led the project, which applied advanced technologies to coastal management in Xiamen.
The project team worked with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), IPB University in Indonesia, and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). It turned three decades of Xiamen's experience in integrated coastal management, including the restoration of Yundang Lake and Wuyuan Bay, into technologies and practices that can be adapted to other coastal areas.
For six consecutive years, the institute has published the Capacity Index of Sustainable Coastal Development for Countries Along the Maritime Silk Road, assessing coastal development capacity in 51 countries across seven themes. Its research has also been published in Ocean & Coastal Management.
The institute established the International Collaboration Network for Sustainable Coastal Development (SCD Network), which now comprises 12 institutions across seven countries. It has held 14 international training programs for more than 500 government officials and scholars from 20 countries and provided scholarships to 15 ASEAN students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in Xiamen between 2019 and 2026.
