On Jun.14, 2011, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council held 2010 annual National Science and Technology Award Conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The State leaders, including Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, etc. attended the conference. Prof. Albert Hermann Gerhard Boerner, the internationally known astrophysicist from Germany, was recommended by Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and was awarded the National International Collaboration Awards.

Albert Hermann Gerhard Boerner is a pioneer in promoting cooperation between China and Germany in astrophysics. Since 1979, Professor Boerner has been making strong impetus in the development of modern astronomy and cultivated a large number of talents for China by holding lectures and bilateral seminar series, accepting Chinese scholars to the Germany for researching works. He creatively suggested establishing Young Partner Groups of the Max Planck Institute in CAS. Presently, more than 20 partner groups have been established in the major basic research area such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology between China and Germnay. This project introduced outstanding talents and new academic subjects to CAS.

As a head of the German side, he successfully established the first Young Partner Group in Astrophysics between MPA and SHAO of CAS in 2000, which has beomce an internationally known research team in the field of Cosmology and Galaxy Formation. Followed by this first group, two successive Partner Groups are established during the past years in SHAO, which have been playing important role in the astrophysical research at SHAO.