On the occasion of the 864th anniversary of the birth of Great Chinggis Khaan and Mongol Pride Day, the President of Mongolia issued a decree awarding the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS), which traces its origins to the Institute of Sutras and Scripts, the State Supreme Decoration of Mongolia, Order of Chinggis Khaan.

The award recognises the Academy's historic contribution to linking Mongolia's long-standing tradition of valuing knowledge and honouring scholars with the modern scientific system; developing national research capacity; studying the Mongol language, history and cultural heritage; promoting them internationally; and contributing to the country's development.

Over the past century, the MAS has played a leading role in preserving the continuity of national scholarship and establishing a modern, multi-disciplinary scientific system.

The Institute of Sutras and Scripts, established in 1921, laid the foundation for the national scientific institutions of Mongolia. It was renamed the Institute of Sciences in 1931, the Institute of Sciences and Higher Education in 1957, and the Academy of Sciences of the Mongolian People's Republic in 1961. Since 1992, it has operated under its current name, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, leading and coordinating the country's scientific research.

The establishment of the MAS helped expand research in history, linguistics, literature, economics and natural sciences, while strengthening research capacity in agriculture and medicine and establishing institutes specialising in natural and technical sciences. It also laid the foundations for subsequent achievements by promoting the integration of basic and applied research, training national researchers, building research teams and conducting regular international collaborative studies.

By regularly organising the International Congress of Mongolists and cooperating with researchers from both Western and Eastern countries, the MAS has helped Mongolia become a key centre of international cooperation in Mongol studies. It plays an important role in providing scientific interpretations of the history, language and cultural heritage of the Mongol people, preserving national historical memory and promoting it internationally.

Research into ancient cities and settlements dating from the Hunnu, Rouran, Uyghur and Turkic Khaganate periods, as well as Avraga, the first capital of Chinggis Khaan, and Kharkhorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire, has also advanced significantly. The Academy has compiled a unified database covering more than 100,000 historical and cultural sites, helped secure the inscription of historical sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and regularly organised exhibitions on Mongolia's history in foreign countries.

Researchers of Mongolia have successfully conducted numerous field studies in cooperation with their international counterparts. In these efforts, MAS researchers have identified, collected and examined rare and valuable geological, palaeontological, geophysical, biological and ancient historical finds. They have proposed significant new findings, hypotheses and interpretations of theoretical and practical importance, produced numerous collaborative and monographic works, and compiled maps and charts, making substantial contributions to the advancement of global science.

Mongolia's membership in the Interkosmos and Intersputnik organisations in the early 1970s laid the foundations for its space research programme. The MAS played a major role in the space exploration efforts, including the historic flight of the first cosmonaut in 1981.

Today, the MAS cooperates with more than 150 academies of sciences and research institutions in 35 countries, connecting national research with the international scientific community. Joint research projects, academic exchanges and publications in international journals have continued to expand knowledge of Mongolia, strengthen the capacity of national researchers and enhance the standing of the country's scientific sector.

Researchers in the natural sciences conduct theoretical and applied studies on Mongolia's flora, fauna, mineral resources and technologies for processing them. They have secured more than 300 national and international intellectual property rights, developed over 500 technological guidelines and feasibility studies, and introduced more than 150 technologies into production.

Their work also covers Mongolia's biodiversity, animal and plant ecosystems, and the biological, ecological and genetic characteristics of microorganisms. Other research focuses on developing scientific foundations for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, identifying the molecular mechanisms and genetic causes of cancer, discovering new biologically active medicinal substances and developing technologies for their production.

The Academy has established a comprehensive database of research on animal taxonomy, ecology, biology and genetics. It has also discovered more than 200 new natural compounds and around 70 previously unidentified plant species, which have been registered in global scientific databases. In addition, it has made valuable contributions to preserving the genetic resources of rare and endangered medicinal plants and increasing their populations.

Furthermore, research into animal and plant remains preserved in Mongolia's ancient marine and lake deposits and continental sedimentary rocks has helped establish their evolutionary relationships and verify findings at the international level. Through studies of ancient climates and environments, the identification of biostratigraphic units, and the development of reference collections of ancient flora and fauna, Mongolia's palaeontological research has earned international recognition.

Some areas of physics research have also reached international standards. In quantum field theory, researchers proposed that the geometric structure of space-time at very small scales, which remain relatively unexplored, has stochastic and quantum properties. Their development of classical and quantum field theories in this area has opened a new direction in physics.

More than 50 Doctors of Science and over 280 PhD holders work at the MAS's 16 research institutes. They have published more than 3,800 papers in leading international journals, which have received over 90,000 citations.

The Order of Chinggis Khaan is awarded to:

Organisations, citizens and legal entities that have made outstanding contributions to strengthening Mongolia's independence, sovereignty and national unity; building and developing a humane and democratic society and advancing social progress; conducting in-depth research into the country's traditions of statehood, history and culture and passing them on to future generations; and promoting them abroad, thereby rendering exceptional service to the state, society and nation.

The award is also conferred on foreign statesmen, public figures and citizens who have made tangible contributions to strengthening unity and prosperity among nations and peace throughout humanity; developing relations and cooperation with foreign countries; promoting Mongolia's reputation internationally; and advancing its economic, social and intellectual development.

Published Date:2026-11-11