Proposal to exempt tuition fees for students and trainees in basic science majors

According to VNU-HCM, the goal of the program is to make basic scientific research (BSR) the foundation for developing national engineering, technology, and innovation, nurturing scientific talents, and creating a premise for inventions and mastering strategic technologies, contributing to rapid and sustainable development, promoting social progress, enriching the treasure trove of human knowledge and Vietnamese culture. By 2030, the fields of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Economics , Management, and Languages ​​will be in the top 100-150 in the world. The fields of Biology and Earth Sciences will be in the top 200-250 in the world according to the QS rankings.

Scientists discuss solutions to develop basic science fields

To achieve this goal, VNU-HCM has put forward three pillars of implementation. Firstly, developing scientific talents in the fields of basic science and interdisciplinary science: Exempting tuition fees and granting scholarships to students and postgraduates studying basic science. Attracting and sponsoring excellent young scientists and leading scientists to work at VNU-HCM. Innovating training programs in basic science, linked to strategic technologies. Developing MOOC subjects for basic science fields. Improving the teaching capacity of mathematics and science (STEM) for university lecturers and general teachers. Organizing STEM experiential activities for students.

Second, integrating basic research with strategic technologies and innovation: Developing strong research groups in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Marine Science associated with strategic technologies. Developing strong research groups in the social sciences, including philosophy, sociology, psychology, economics, linguistics, anthropology, political science, history, geography, law, and communications. Developing centers of excellence in strategic technologies, including: artificial intelligence, chips - semiconductors, biotechnology - biomedicine, pharmaceutical technology, materials technology, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Establishing innovation centers.

Third, build modern research infrastructure, synchronized with digital transformation: Establish a data center to serve basic scientific training and research and modern laboratories to serve training and research in physics, chemistry, biology and interdisciplinary research experiments.

Many potentials for development of science and technology

Professor Le Van Viet Man, University of Technology - VNU-HCM, said that to conduct basic science research, there must be a team in the fields of engineering, technology, and applied science. Therefore, the development of basic science talent needs to pay more attention to the team outside the basic science fields. At the same time, VNU-HCM should provide specific topics in each basic science field.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Thuan, International University, suggested that basic science does not only include the sub-disciplines of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. All scientific fields have basic research. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the concept of basic science in the program. For pillar 1, it is necessary to supplement and improve the capacity of postgraduate training (master's students, doctoral students) to be equivalent to that of advanced countries in the region and the world.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Hai Quan, Director of VNU-HCM, in recent years, VNU-HCM has achieved many outstanding achievements in research and training in basic sciences and interdisciplinary sciences. In 2024 alone, VNU-HCM had more than 3,000 scientific articles published in prestigious international journals in the ISI/Scopus category, of which more than 45% were in the field of basic sciences. VNU-HCM is also the leading unit in the country in terms of the number of training programs ranked in the world with 18 ranked programs. Of which, 15 programs are ranked in the world's top 500. Among these, many programs are in the field of basic sciences. VNU-HCM has 154 programs that meet international accreditation standards. These outstanding achievements, together with a strong and talented faculty in the field of basic science (10 Professors, 71 Associate Professors and 330 PhDs) and a strongly developed cooperation network with domestic and foreign business and academic partners, are the premise for VNU-HCM to effectively implement the program.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hai Quan, the opinions at the seminar will be received by the drafting team, the Program will be completed and soon submitted to the competent authority for consideration and approval.

Nguyen Dung

Source: https://tienphong.vn/de-xuat-mien-hoc-phi-cho-sinh-vien-hoc-vien-cac-nganh-khoa-hoc-co-ban-post1730480.tpo