Tencent Chairman joins as founding sponsor of Breakthrough Prize

The Breakthrough Prize announced Saturday that Ma Huateng, aslo known as Pony Ma, founder and chairman of Tencent will join as one of its distinguished founding sponsors.

Tencent, founded in November. 1998, is a leading provider of Internet value added services in China and one of the biggest gaming and entertainment company in the world.

Pony Ma Huateng, Chairman of Tencent Holdings Ltd., attends a press conference for the 2016 Fourth Quarter and Annual Results Announcement of Tencent Holdings Limited in Hong Kong on March 22, 2017. [Photo: IC]

The Breakthrough Prize, which is the largest individual monetary prize in science, recognizes top achievements in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. Ma will join co-sponsors Sergey Brin (Google), Yuri Milner (DST Global) and Julia Milner, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Priscilla Chan (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative), and Anne Wojcicki (23andMe) to show appreciation and support for the world's leading scientists in these fields.

"Fundamental science is the bedrock of technological advancement. I believe the Breakthrough Prize can reinforce the bridge within the global community of researchers and mathematicians, facilitating mutual sharing between the East and West." said Ma.

"Since its inception just five years ago, the Breakthrough Prize has seen considerable growth, said Breakthrough Prize co-founder Yuri Milner. "Now with Pony Ma joining us as a sponsor, we have the opportunity to take that growth to the next level. With this support, we would hope to see more nominations from Chinese scientists in the years ahead, along with greater visibility for the Breakthrough Prize among Chinese scientists at all stages of their careers."

Recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize will be announced at a gala ceremony in Silicon Valley of San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday, December 3.

Awarded annually since 2012 and dubbed "the Oscars of Science," the Breakthrough Prize is the most generous science prize. Each prize is 3 million U.S. dollars and awarded in the fields of Life Sciences (up to five prizes per year), Fundamental Physics (one prize per year) and Mathematics (one prize per year).

In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics and up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes are awarded annually to early-career researchers. Laureates attend a star-studded, televised awards ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements, popularize scientific discoveries and inspire the next generation of scientists.

Since 2012, the Breakthrough Prize has awarded close to 200 U.S. dollars million to honor paradigm-shifting research.