Best and brightest: Teachers who inspire the nation

Retired professor donates $11.82m to university

Wang Zelin, a 78-year-old retired professor from Henan Agricultural University, has donated all the royalties from his scientific achievements - 82.08 million yuan ($11.82 million) – to the university.

He hoped the money would be used to build a biosafety level 3 laboratory, or P3 laboratory, enabling the university to research and produce vaccines independently.

"I'm 78 and my wife is 71. We can't take the money with us when we leave the world, right?" said Wang. "It should be spent on what scientific research needs most. Our income is enough for us to live comfortably. But scientific research is badly in need of money for advancement."

Wang came to work at the university's department of animal science and veterinary medicine in 1984, and later became head of the poultry disease research institute.

Among his many scientific achievements, Wang gained three patents and 12 new drug certifications, established a research and development platform for concentrated inactivated combination vaccines and overcame problems in anti-epidemic work against a number of major poultry diseases, including infectious bursal disease and Newcastle disease.