The 2025 Marine Engineering Science and Technology Award recognized 44 projects, comprising 15 first prizes and 29 second prizes. Among these, the project "Key Technologies and Applications for Green Development of Open Tidal Flat Spatial Resources," led by Professor Xu Min, received a first prize. Established in 2011 with approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Office for Science and Technology Awards, the Marine Engineering Science and Technology Award is the sole national scientific accolade in China's marine engineering field, administered by the China Association of Marine Engineering Consultants. It aims to promote technological innovation in marine engineering and to honor scientists, engineers, and institutions that have made outstanding contributions in areas including basic research, technology development, and practical applications.

"The Key Technologies and Applications for Green Development of Open Tidal Flat Spatial Resources" is a collaborative achievement led by Professor Xu Min from the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Nanjing Normal University, in partnership with the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (under the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Transport, and National Energy Administration), Jiangsu Coastal Development (Dongtai) Co., Ltd., and China Three Gorges Corporation Jiangsu Energy Investment Co., Ltd., among other institutions.
Backed by key national R&D initiatives, public welfare projects in marine sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Jiangsu Province's marine science and technology innovation programs, the research concentrated on the Jiangsu coastal zone. It tackled critical technical challenges including difficulties in data collection for open tidal flats, limitations of conventional development and conservation approaches, and gaps in disaster prevention.

A comprehensive tidal flat monitoring framework was developed, integrating aerospace remote sensing, field observations, and multi-source data analysis. The team pioneered a suite of green development technologies, covering deep-water port construction on tidal flats, sustainable lifecycle management of reclamation projects, and integrated models such as "offshore wind power plus" innovation. Furthermore, strategies were proposed for tidal flat spatial resource protection and disaster risk mitigation.
Notable outcomes of the project include six authorized national invention patents, five software copyrights, four monographs, over 60 publications in journals including Nature sister journals, four government-approved planning documents, and one policy directive endorsed by provincial leadership. The findings have been extensively applied in nationwide surveys of open silty-muddy coastlines, as well as in port construction, new energy development, and disaster prevention initiatives across China.
This accomplishment has greatly accelerated the shift in China's approach to the conservation and utilization of open silty-muddy coasts, moving from conventional practices toward eco-friendly and innovative methods. It plays a crucial role in ensuring the ecological safety of coastal areas and advancing the high-quality growth of the marine economy. Moreover, it offers substantial support for achieving the national strategy of maritime development and long-term sustainability objectives.