Recently, the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions announced its award results. The "Freeze-Thaw Disaster Prevention and Control Technology for Major Infrastructure in Permafrost Regions," led by the research team of Professors Li Guoyu and Ma Wei at the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, won the Gold Medal.

The achievement was completed with the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences as the first completing institution, in collaboration with MCC Huatian Nanjing Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., Qinghai University, Gansu Wuhuan Highway Engineering Co., Ltd., and other units. Team members also include Assistant Researcher Cao Yapeng, Associate Researcher Chen Dun, and others.

Founded in 1972, the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions is one of the world's largest and most influential professional exhibitions in the fields of invention, innovation, and intellectual property, and has long been supported by the Swiss Federal Government, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and other institutions. This year's exhibition was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 11 to 15, 2026, attracting more than 1,040 inventions from 40 countries and regions. Following comprehensive evaluation by the international jury, the Chinese delegation won a total of 90 gold medals, 95 silver medals, and 52 bronze medals.

The award-winning achievement focuses on engineering defects in major infrastructure construction in high-latitude and high-altitude permafrost regions. Addressing challenges such as frost jacking of pile foundations, thaw settlement of pipelines, and structural failure, the team carried out sustained research over many years, conducting scientific experiments in extreme environments such as severe cold and oxygen deficiency. They developed key technologies including flexible frost-jacking prevention devices, W-shaped ventilation pipes, and inverted T-shaped block-stone embankment structures, building a green, efficient, and cost-controllable freeze-thaw disaster prevention and control technology system.

At present, the related technologies have formed systematic solutions for transportation, energy, and major engineering construction in cold regions. They have obtained 24 authorized patents and published 120 papers, and have been promoted and applied in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Northeast China, and other regions, achieving significant economic and social benefits. They provide a replicable "Chinese Solution" for tackling the global challenge of engineering defects in permafrost regions.

The research team stated that winning the Gold Medal at the international invention exhibition not only reflects the originality and engineering application value of the achievement, but also demonstrates the international competitiveness of China's cold-region engineering disaster prevention and control technologies. In the future, the team will continue to focus on the needs of resilient infrastructure construction and green, low-carbon engineering in cold regions, strengthen research on key core technologies, promote scientific research results to serve national major engineering construction and the safe operation of global cold-region infrastructure, and contribute important scientific and technological strength to global sustainable development.

(Source: China Daily Gansu)