Dr. Allen Dang, Harvard Medical School (Harvard University - USA) is proud to mention the name VinFuture. Previously, when she introduced herself as a Vietnamese, international students and scientists simply mentioned a country in Asia, bordering China, with many wars... and they had no other impression.
In the past two decades, when all information about geopolitics , achievements, and status of countries has become borderless, the world has known more about Vietnam. Among them, the echo of the VinFuture Prize, although very young, is contributing to helping Vietnam affirm its increasingly stronger mark on the international arena.
Dr. Allen Dang said that medical students in the US are very interested in innovations and academic research related to the health field. In a class in early October 2023, when the class was studying issues related to vaccines and epidemics, students were very excited to discuss Dr. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman - the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research on mRNA technology, paving the way to create effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19.
Not only the Nobel Prize, the students also mentioned VinFuture - the first global award initiated by Vietnamese people, which has honored these scientists before, also for this work. "I am really happy when students mention Vietnam in general and a young award like VinFuture in particular" , the female doctor shared.
With 21 years of experience in teaching and researching at the university level, she hopes that Vietnam’s science and technology will not only be a part of the world but will also integrate into the flow of research and invention of humanity. That will soon become a reality with outstanding contributions from VinFuture.
Highly appreciating the VinFuture Prize after 2 years of organization, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Chien, President of the Vietnam Materials Science Association, Vice President of the Vietnam Physics Association, said that the prize has, is and will create great motivation in research as well as gradually remove barriers to help Vietnamese scientists reach international level.
According to Professor Chien, in the past, the scientific community always looked forward to the annual event “Meeting Vietnam” organized by Professor Tran Thanh Van and his wife, inviting Nobel Prize-winning professors to give lectures and share experiences with young scientists in the country. However, this meeting did not have a high impact.
Recently, Vietnamese science has also approached and integrated internationally through the National Fund for Science and Technology Development (Nafosted). However, due to dependence on the budget, resources are still limited, and not many scientists have access, especially young scientists.
VinFuture was born, solving the two difficult problems above at the same time. VinFuture Foundation helps the world know more about Vietnam in the field of science and technology. The clearest proof is that the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine was honored by VinFuture 2 years earlier, right when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging strongly around the world.
He also frankly said that up to now, very few Vietnamese science and technology organizations have the ability to connect and invite many global speakers and experts to share and discuss academics like VinFuture.
“When international scientists come to Vietnam, they not only share knowledge but also seek and connect opportunities for academic cooperation and expand research… From there, Vietnamese scientists will narrow the gap with international scientists,” Professor Chien emphasized.
The President of the Vietnam Materials Science Association also said that in the past, only a few fields of Vietnam received the world's attention, we were still in the lowlands of global science and technology, not too prominent.
The VinFuture Prize has somewhat changed the world's view of Vietnam, showing that we pay great attention to science and technology. When international partners see that the country pays great attention to science and technology, they will be willing to cooperate and invest, which in the long run will be good for Vietnam.
The number of nominations for the third season of the VinFuture Prize tripled compared to the first season. This is an impressive number, not only because of its great value but also because of its attractive goal: science serving humanity. “It is hard to find any other prize with so many applicants and the reputation of VinFuture has been huge, spreading everywhere,” he commented.
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hoang Luong, former Vice President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, is looking forward to the gathering of great scientists in Vietnam to share and discuss global research issues. This is an opportunity to share the research results of great scientists for the Vietnamese scientific community to understand.
He called the sharing of scientists from developed countries "added value" from VinFuture, when bringing scientific knowledge and lessons learned in research and application in Vietnamese conditions.
Associate Professor Luong highly appreciated VinFuture for inviting many experts in fields of interest such as agriculture, energy, health... towards sustainable development. "Accessing other world scientists will help the Vietnamese community learn more about new discoveries in science, especially in the field of energy, which is a good guide for Vietnam," Associate Professor Luong said.
VinFuture is not only a global award that domestic and foreign researchers look forward to every year-end, this annual event has become a bridge between Vietnamese and international scientists through discussions and exchanges. Through these events, Vietnamese scientists can easily meet and exchange with many of the world's leading professors and experts.
Associate Professor Luong also frankly stated that if it weren't for the VinFuture event, it would probably take a very, very long time for Vietnamese scientists, especially the young generation, to be able to access these experts, the true elite of humanity.
Looking forward to the 3rd season of VinFuture Science and Technology Week this year, Dr. Le Xuan Luc, Department of Nano IT Design Fusion, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, shared that the far-reaching effects and positive impacts of the award on modern science and technology can be easily seen.
According to Dr. Luc, inviting big names in the Award Council and international inventors to share their scientific contributions and achievements contributes to promoting human progress.
"These things have created a big echo in the world's science and technology as well as in Vietnam," said Dr. Luc, adding that the award is considered "highly prestigious in the academic world". This is a great opportunity for Vietnamese scientists to approach, learn and develop, while promoting a deep connection between domestic and international science.
"It is necessary to spread and encourage domestic scientists to boldly participate, learn and create connections between domestic and international science," said Dr. Luc.
The representative of the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also commented that, through two seasons, VinFuture is contributing to positioning Vietnam as a new destination for world science and technology. At the same time, the award also creates opportunities for connection and direct, multi-dimensional cooperation between international and Vietnamese scientists.
According to him, most countries in the world focus on developing science and technology, especially highly applicable science and technology. Vietnam is no exception. We consider the development of science and technology as a top national policy to develop the economy and society, and develop rapidly and sustainably.
At the same time, promoting science, technology and innovation is also a major policy demonstrating Vietnam's responsibility to the international community in the context of deep integration, the representative said, adding that he looked forward to this year's pinnacle science party at VinFuture.
Associate Professor Dr. Chu Hoang Ha, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, said that the annual organization of the VinFuture Prize has opened up opportunities for Vietnamese researchers to regularly access cutting-edge science. This is clearly an unprecedented opportunity, bringing opportunities for cooperation and development for Vietnamese scientists, thereby contributing to creating breakthroughs in domestic science and technology.
"The award is a bridge to bring scientists in particular and Vietnamese science in general closer to the world's top science," he said.
In science, most researchers want to reach the absolute, that is, the pinnacle of research. Vietnam does not lack talented people, but due to conditions such as investment resources, scientific development methods, and social perceptions, they do not have many large-scale projects.
“The VinFuture Prize has created a push to change perceptions so that everyone can see how scientists are deservedly honored and how science can contribute to the world. From there, we can move towards a society that honors science and technology, honors knowledge, and serves the interests of the Vietnamese people and humanity,” said Mr. Ha.
After 2 seasons of organization, many world-class scientists will know about Vietnam, they will come here and create "bridges" connecting science around the world. For Vietnam, Mr. Ha believes that VinFuture is a place for Vietnamese scientists to be inspired, strive to truly create worthy works.
At the VinFuture Prize 2022 award ceremony, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue emphasized that the VinFuture Prize has initially affirmed its prestige and position with the international scientific community despite its young age.
"Not only is VinFuture a strong bond connecting Vietnamese and international scientists, it is also a bridge for researchers and inventors around the world to realize their great scientific aspirations to serve humanity. That is exactly what Dr. Katalin Kariko, one of the winners of the first VinFuture Main Prize, said: 'From VinFuture, world scientists have a better understanding of a Vietnam that is strongly reaching out to the world," National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue reiterated.
At the same time, the head of the National Assembly also highly appreciated the initiative and efforts of the VinFuture Foundation and its founder, Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong and Mrs. Pham Thu Huong - Mr. Vuong's wife, in contributing to honoring the value of science and technology, thereby bringing a better future for everyone.
VinFuture Foundation was launched on December 20, 2020, on the occasion of International Human Solidarity Day - a non-profit fund co-founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife, Ms. Pham Thu Huong.
The prize system includes the Main Prize worth 3 million USD, one of the largest annual prizes ever in the world; three Special Prizes, each worth 500,000 USD, for female scientists, scientists from developing countries and scientists researching new fields.
The third season recorded 1,389 nominations for the award, and one-fifth of the nomination partners were authors in the Top 2% of the most cited researchers in the world.
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