The move brought the total number of winners of the award, which was launched by the CAS in 2007 to honor foreign scientists for their contributions to Sino-foreign research cooperation, to 14.

The award winners for 2011 are Flemming Besenbacher with Aarhus University of Denmark, Lonnie Thompson with Ohio State University of the United States, and Shin-ichi Kurokawa with Japan's High Energy Accelerator Research Organization.

Besenbacher, a world-famous scientist in the fields of physics and nanotechnology, has made great contributions to boosting China-Denmark cooperation in postgraduate cultivation and nanotechnological research, according to a CAS statement.

Thompson, a distinguished scientist in glacial environmental research, has conducted nearly 30 years of research cooperation with the CAS, the CAS said.

It added that Kurokawa, a famed expert in accelerator physics, has helped to promote Sino-Japan cooperation in accelerator research and made great contributions to the construction of the CAS's large science facilities.

Founded in Beijing in November 1949, the CAS is the country's top academic and research institution in the natural sciences. 

(Source: Xinhua)