On June 24th, 2023 National Science and Technology Award was announced in Beijing, and “Key Technology and Application of Beach Protection and Restoration in Complex Coastal Environments”, which was completed by Prof. Zheng Jinhai (ranked second) and Prof. Zhang Chi (ranked fifth) of the team, won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award.

Aiming at the complex hydrodynamic environment of China’s coastal protection and restoration projects, the project broke through the bottleneck of the basic theory of beach dynamics and geomorphology, innovated the simulation method of the beach evolution process, invented the key technology of beach protection and restoration, constructed a beach protection and restoration technology system suitable for China’s coastal conditions, and realized a major innovation of sandy coastal protection, restoration and management, which has greatly enhanced the scientific and standardized level of China’s beach protection and restoration. The research results have been successfully applied to more than 120 beaches in China. The research results have been successfully popularized and applied in more than 120 beach protection and restoration projects nationwide, achieving significant social, economic and ecological benefits, and generating a wide range of international impacts.

In 2023, 49 National Natural Science Awards, 62 National Technological Invention Awards, and 139 National Science and Technology Progress Awards were presented.