Four Chinese young researchers were awarded the renowned "Green Talents" sustainability prize on Thursday in Berlin.

The prize, launched by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2009, is aimed at exceptional young scientists active in the field of sustainable development all over the world.

This year is the third time that the BMBF organized the international competition, which attracted a total of 331 young researchers from 58 different countries. Finally, the jury chose 20 young researchers from 13 countries to award the prize.

Before the award ceremony in Berlin, the Green Talents were invited on a 10-day journey across Germany, visiting internationally important research facilities, universities and companies. Over the coming year, the prize-winners can choose three months to stay in Germany to further their sustainability research.

"We intend to intensify global exchange between young researchers, as achieving sustainability is a global undertaking," said Thomas Rachel, the Parliamentary State Secretary in BMBF at the ceremony.

These winners were "the ambassadors of science in their home countries" and their exchanges would be very helpful and important for Germany and different countries to make cooperation on these issues now and in the future, he said.

He congratulated Chinese young researchers on their success in this year's competitions and hailed the cooperation between China and Germany on the sustainability research.

"The Chinese competitors were very successful. They are working in ecological questions. The questions of climate changes will be confronted by the cities of the future. So they've made very good impression and the jury chose them," Rachel told Xinhua at the sideline of the ceremony.

"The climate question and the sustainability question are challenges that we have all confronted. So it's very good and important to work together, especially between China and Germany," he said.

This award and the journey in Germany also provide a unique opportunity for Chinese young researchers to acquaint with pioneering projects in various areas of technology on their research area and to network with German experts and young scientists.

"I came here to increase cooperation and exchange with German experts on ecological resilience. I hope to improve the theory of ecological resilience with Chinese characteristics, to better serve our coastal area, where the environment has been damaged by fast urbanization, "Li Yangfan, a Green Talent from Nanjing University told Xinhua.

So far, the number of young sustainability researchers in the BMBF's global network has reached 55 award-winners from 19 different countries