Peking University, March 28, 2022: On March 28, BHP, Peking University Education Foundation and Graduate School of Peking University announced that they will jointly establish the Carbon and Climate Wei-Ming Scholars Program for PhD students in Peking University. Full-time PhD students enrolled at Peking University who are conducting research on carbon reduction and climate change related topics will be eligible to apply. A committee of seven internal and external members appointed by the Graduate School of Peking University will select the recipients based upon an approved evaluation process.

Priority will be given by the committee to PhD students with outstanding scientific research ability and creative research work. Those selected as Wei-Ming Scholars will receive scholarships ranging from RMB 50,000 to RMB 200,000. On top of the scholarship, the program will hold annual academic seminar for the awarded students, to promote exchanges in policy, technology, economy and other areas related the topics of carbon reduction and climate change.

BHP has had a long-term relationship with Peking University which continues after nearly two decades. In 2016, BHP signed a donation agreement with Peking University and committed US$7.37 million to support research on the key policy, technical and economic barriers in order to unlock the potential of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) for steel production in China. Building upon this research work, BHP signed a number of partnership agreements with Chinese steel mills in 2021 focused on a range of decarbonization pathways and with an increasing focus on industrial pilots. We have agreed with Peking University to use the remaining funds from the donation to establish BHP-PKU Carbon and Climate Wei-Ming PhD Scholars Program, set to launch in the spring semester of 2022.


BHP has a longstanding commitment to enabling equitable access to quality education and learning around the world, recognizing the importance of helping young people build up the skills and knowledge they need to seize opportunities to enhance their lives and their contribution to communities and societies.

BHP Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “Together with Peking University, one of the world’s leading academic institutions, BHP is proud to fund the Carbon and Climate Wei-Ming Scholars Program to support PhD students to address some of the most pressing challenges of global climate change.

“China is central to the world’s ability to meet climate ambition, and the country has scaled up its nationally determined contributions and aims to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.  This is a clear signal of China’s ambition to address the biggest global challenge of our era and is injecting strong impetus into global climate actions as well as green and low-carbon development.

“At BHP, we recognise that climate change is a global challenge – a challenge that requires a collaborative approach from society, business and government. BHP is committed to playing our part to accelerate the development of pathways to decarbonisation globally. By deepening our strategic partnership with Peking University, we hope to empower PhD students to broaden their career horizons while also delivering cutting-edge research insights that can help facilitate the global path to net zero.”

Li Yuning, secretary-general of Peking University Education Foundation, thanked BHP for its long-term and invaluable support for Peking University’s education and expressed his admiration for BHP's vision of meeting global challenges and supporting higher education. Li Yuning said that with a strong sense of social mission, Peking University is willing to join hands with BHP to help young scholars to make breakthrough contributions to major global issues such as climate change and decarbonization, and jointly create a better future for humankind.

Jiang Guohua, executive vice dean of the Graduate School of Peking University, said that Peking University is pleased to join hands with BHP to establish the Carbon and Climate Wei-Ming Scholars Scholarship Program. He believes that this program will motivate outstanding PhD students with remarkable academic potential to strive for excellence, explore the unknown world, and engage in high-level academic research. In the meantime, he hopes that the annual academic seminar would serve as a platform for academic exchanges in the field of "carbon and climate" and become an industry-leading conference bringing together top experts and scholars in this field.

Source: BHP, Graduate School of Peking University, Peking University Education Foundation