Academia Sinica President Emeritus Yuan-Tseh Lee has been awarded the "Ordem Nacional do Merito Cientifico" (Grand Cross of the National Order of Scientific Merit) by the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil in October 2013 for his outstanding contribution to the development of Brazil's scientific and technological research and innovation. Due to a busy academic schedule earlier, Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee was not able to attend the awarding ceremony, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil recently delivered the award to him in Taipei.

         The Ordem Nacional do Merito Cientifico was launched in 1993, and is considered Brazil's highest honor and most important award in the area of science and technology. It is an honor bestowed upon Brazilian and foreign personalities for their exceptional scientific and technical contributions to the cause and development of science in Brazil. Recipients are nominated by authoritative scientific and technological organizations in Brazil, such as the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) and the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC). There are two classes of members, Grand Cross and Commander. And the President of Brazil personally chairs the selection board.

         Dr. Lee won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986 and was the President of Academia Sinica from 1994 to 2006. He was elected as the President of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in October 2008, and officially took up the position in September 2011. Under his leadership, ICSU initiated a major ten-year global program in 2012 titled "Future Earth: Research for Global Sustainability". During the critical early stage of Future Earth, several domestic entrepreneurs' donation played an instrumental role for the initiative's successful launch.