On July 20, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) issued the document (No. [2012] 102) to honor the winners for the awards of cooperation with CAS and local governments as well as enterprises in 2012. Prof. Peng Zhang won the 1st prize of the award for advanced individual (Category: Science &Technology). The award is founded by CAS and managed by the Bureau of Academy-Locality Cooperation. The winners represent the contributors who made outstanding contributions for national and regional socio-economic development, transfer and transformation of the outcome and scale industrialization, including the work of advanced collectives and individuals.

SCCB has established intensive collaboration with Tai’an Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) in traditional and molecular breeding of sweet potato and new cultivar delivery. By closely working with local governments, SCCB and TAAS established a demonstration plantation entitled "Plantation for breeding bioenergy-type sweet potato and extending new varieties". After the release of new sweet potato variety "Thaizhong 9" which was approved by the authority of Shandong province (No. 2010041), the cultivar has cultivated more than 1.64 million Mu in total. During the project period, the team encouraged the interactions of research and application, which has had a significant economic and social benefit. Cooperation and academic exchanges have also intensified among local institutes and universities that research on sweet potato, establishing an effective modality of cooperation with local institutions.