Representatives from Ordos pose for a group photo at the awarding ceremony. [Photo/Nuan News]

Two innovation projects from Ordos city have been awarded gold and silver medals at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, one of the world's longest-running and largest platforms for technological innovation.

Both award-winning projects were developed by a research team led by Professor Zhou Min, director of the Zhejiang University–Otog Banner Biopharmaceutical Joint Research Center.

The gold medal went to a nano-spirulina-based "medicine-food homology" project focused on gastrointestinal regulation and treatment, while the silver medal was awarded to a spirulina-based probiotic compound technology designed for next-generation health management.

The dual recognition highlights the growing international acknowledgment of China's innovation capacity in cutting-edge spirulina biopharmaceutical applications, further enhancing the global influence of Chinese scientific research.

Otog Banner, home to the projects, has established the world's largest spirulina production base, with an annual output of 5,200 metric tons of high-quality algal powder.

The production accounts for about 60 percent of China's total and over 40 percent of the global supply, with products exported to more than 20 countries and regions, including Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea.