Recognised for his outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social development, Prof Peter Lobie, Senior Principal Investigator at CSI Singapore and Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, NUS, has been awarded China’s Friendship Award, the nation’s highest honour for foreign experts. The award was presented by Vice-Premier Ma Kai at the historic Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on 29 September 2014. The ceremony was followed by a meeting with Premier Li Keqiang and awardees were invited to attend the National Day Banquet, where President Xi Jinping gave his national day speech.

Prof Lobie’s award comes from more than 7 years of sustained collaborations in cancer research with various academic and research institutes across the country. They include Wuhan University, the University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing), Sun Yet Sun and Jinan Universities (Guangzhou), Nankai University (Tianjin) and Fudan University (Shanghai), among others. His collaborative work with Chinese scientists have created a strong impact on biomedical translation – particularly in cancer biology – on key disease areas such as breast, endometrial and liver cancer.

Prior to this award, Prof Lobie also received the Huanghe Friendship Award from the Mayor of Wuhan for extensive scientific and translational contributions in the city. He currently serves as non-executive director at Wuhan Long Ke Ltd, a translational company developing new cancer therapeutics at Wuhan Biolake, within the East Lake High-Tech Development Zone.

Established in 1991, the annual Friendship Award aims to honour foreigners instrumental in facilitating China’s development. These include exceptional achievements in teaching, academic research, and contributions towards the overall growth and progress of the nation.

This year, 100 foreign experts across 25 countries were awarded the honour in recognition of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.