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By Dai Qi

Nobel Laureate Arthur McDonald told China Fortune Media in an exclusive interview at the World Forum on Scientific and Technological Innovation that fundamental science and technological development are very beneficial partners.

"The success with fundamental science drives new technology, but at the same time, the discoveries made in fundamental science are what enable new technologies to take place", he said.

The Canadian physicist won the Nobel Prize in 2015 for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass.

"In my speech today I used the example of Albert Einstein having been chosen by Time magazine in the United States as the person of the 20th century. Not because he invented the laser, or the computer, or the GPS systems for a location with satellites, but because none of those would work or even have been invented if it were not for the basic physics that Albert Einstein developed at the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, it took, in most cases, over 50 years for the basic understanding of physics to be translated into applications", said McDonald.

He gave many examples here in China where new industries were created in order to accomplish some of the large scale particle physics projects that his friends and colleagues in particle physics are pursuing.

"China has a strong history of making contributions in particle physics. For example, it has the deepest cosmic radioactivity laboratory in the world for studies or dark matter. New companies are built, new companies to fabricate the world largest acrylic structure that has ever been created," he said.

McDonald holds that fundamental science typically is funded by governments whereas technological development to some degree is funded by industry, is sometimes funded by money for fundamental science working with industry.

When he received the call that informed him the prize, he had been retired at home, enjoying his life as a grandfather.

"I have four children, eight grandchildren and we are expecting another granddaughter in October. Family life is very important to me and always has been," he said.

However, the Nobel Prize has changed his life. From then on, he has to travel around the world -- China for the third time. And it is a routine for him to go with his wife, anytime and anyplace.

When talking about his trip to China, he said he thought that the significance lies in not a further understanding of fundamental science, but finding a way to integrate fundamental science with technologies.

He called for collaboration between industries and scientists, which in his view could make unprecedented achievements.