On 16 March 2017, Prof. Xinhe Bao, iChEM Chief Scientist from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China, has been awarded the Alwin Mittasch Prize for his contribution to the development of novel catalysis concepts for methane and syngas conversion. The award ceremony took place during the 50th Annual Meeting of German Catalysis Scientists in Weimar and Prof. Xinhe Bao gave a plenary talk entitled "New Horizons of C1 Chemistry" after the awarding ceremony.

The Alwin Mittasch Prize is awarded for distinguished work that has not only extended the fundamentals of catalysis, but also found exemplary application in industry. The Prize is conferred by the German Catalysis Society (GeCatS) and DECHEMA e.V. (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology). The Alwin Mittasch Prize is generally awarded every two years and goes to one or two scientists. Since it was founded in 1990, there are 15 scientists awarded the Alwin Mittasch Prize. Prof. Xinhe Bao is the first Chinese awardee until now. Prof. David Cole-Hamilton from University of St. Andrews of UK shared equally this prestigious award with Prof. Xinhe Bao.