China's Consul General in San Francisco Yuan Nansheng (left) gives the award certificate to Zhao Liang, who is a PHD candidate of electronic engineering study at Stanford University on Wednesday night in the Consulate General. He is among the 20 winners from Bay Area. Chen Jia/China Daily

For 30-year-old Yue Han, driving the two hours from Santa Cruz to San Francisco was not just to pick up a check for $6,000 jointly awarded by the Chinese Consulate General and the China Scholarship Council, but also to start paving anacademic route back to China.

Han and his wife are currently both PhD candidates in earth physics at University of California, Santa Cruz and are planning to apply for postdoctorate positions in the US.

"After completing our post doctorate studies, we believe China would be a good option for us to develop our careers," Han's wife told China Daily in San Francisco.

The Chinese government has made some hefty investments in academic research in recent years, and the 1000 Talents Plan would be a good platform for them to find a university or institute in China to continue their scientific research, she explained.

"Beijing is our ideal destination if we return to China," she added.

As China pushes to cultivate world-class scientists, the 1000 Talents Plan aims to attract top-notch overseas talents who have the potential to become leaders in their fields.

The couple told China Daily there is a special program under the 1000 Talents Plan for young researchers who are under 40 years old, have obtained a doctorate degree in a world-class university and have at least three years of experience working overseas.

Yue is among 20 Chinese in the San Francisco Bay Area who just won a Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students, many of whom would be strong candidates for the 1000 Talents Plan.

A total of 518 Chinese PhD candidates who are under 40 years old and from 29 countries around the world are the latest recipients of the award. The program was started in 2003 and has so far honored 3,396 people.

The 29 countries are: the US, Japan, UK, France, German, Canada, Australia, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Holland, New Zealand, Ireland, Ukraine, South Korea, Finland, South Africa, Denmark, Belgium, Thailand, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Belarus, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel and the Czech Republic.

"Student winners are selected through a rigorous process of evaluation of their academic and research work," said Yang Jun, education counselor atthe Consulate General of China in San Francisco.

"When I got my bachelor's degree at Tsinghua University and came to the US four years ago, I thought a job offer from a big company in Silicon Valley would be perfect," said Zhao Liang, a PhD candidate in electrical engineering at Stanford University, who is among this year's 20 winners from the Bay Area.

"After four years' studying in Silicon Valley, I have fallen in love with the vibrancy of the startup culture but I've noticed that some of the best opportunities are on the Chinese mainland," he said.

Increasing numbers of venture capitalists are showing an interest in approaching the booming market in China by investing in startups, he said.

"Even I began my startup career in Silicon Valley first and one or two years later expanded to China for production," he added.

 

chenjia@chinadailyusa.com