Vietnamese scientists: VinFuture is on par with other science awards.

Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper, recipients of the VinFuture 2022 Special Prize, have just been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on an AI model that predicts protein structure.

Experts believe that by bringing together many renowned scientific minds from around the world to participate in the Award Council, and having a set of evaluation criteria that are accurate, scientific, and effective, VinFuture has affirmed its international prestige and appeal to gather many high-quality nominations of great value to humanity, on par with long-standing prestigious science and technology awards around the world, such as the Nobel Prize.

To honor monumental works of great significance to humanity.

On the afternoon of October 9, 2023 (Vietnam time), Dr. Demis Hassabis (UK) and Dr. John Jumper (USA) – co-recipients of the VinFuture 2022 Special Prize for scientists researching new fields – were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating an AI model that predicts protein structure. Sharing the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is Professor David Baker (USA) for his protein design algorithm.

Prior to Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper, the two winners of the first VinFuture Main Prize, Dr. Katalin Karikó and Professor Drew Weissman, were also honored with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

In 2020, Dr. Hassabis and Dr. Jumper published an AI model called AlphaFold2. With the help of this model, scientists have been able to predict the structure of nearly 200 million proteins previously identified by scientists. To date, AlphaFold2 has been accessed and used by more than half a million researchers from 190 countries to accelerate progress in solving critical real -world problems, from plastic pollution to antibiotic resistance…

For over 60 years, scientists have been grappling with the monumental problem of understanding protein structure. Therefore, the advent of AlphaFold2 – an artificial intelligence system that predicts protein structure in 3D with unprecedented speed and accuracy – is considered a groundbreaking achievement.

In 2022, when awarding the Special Prize for Scientists researching new fields to Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper, the VinFuture Award Council recognized their work as a pioneering revolution in protein structure modeling, driving advances in biomedicine, healthcare, and agriculture.

The VinFuture Awards are recognized for their contribution to promoting research in the field of science and technology globally, while also enhancing Vietnam's standing in the world.

This is not the first time VinFuture Award winners have been honored with prestigious international awards for inventions that have had a tremendous positive impact on humanity. Last year, the two winners of the first VinFuture Main Prize, Dr. Katalin Karikó and Professor Drew Weissman, were also honored with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research on nucleoside modifications, which helped develop mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

VinFuture's vision, pioneering spirit, and leading international values.

The fact that these scientists were honored at the VinFuture Awards – the first global science and technology award initiated by Vietnamese people – and later recognized by the Nobel Prize, fills the domestic scientific community with immense pride.

Dr. Nghiem Vu Khai, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, believes that the coincidence is not accidental but rather proof of the comparable caliber of VinFuture and Nobel. The awarded works are of significant scale and importance to the world, contributing to solving pressing global problems.

As the VinFuture Awards prepare to enter its 4th season, the number of scientific nominations for each season is increasing exponentially.

“The fact that VinFuture and Nobel jointly honored these works confirms that the vision, mission, and evaluation criteria of the Award from Vietnam are very relevant, timely, and practical for today's era. VinFuture's orientation and mission are humane, global, and correct,” the former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology assessed.

Professor Le Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, also expressed his joy and pride that the VinFuture recipients have once again been honored with the Nobel Prize. He emphasized that this demonstrates the vision and pioneering spirit of the VinFuture Award on a global scale, reflecting the award's leading international value in science, technology, and practice.

“The VinFuture Award has been organized in a scientific, precise, and prestigious manner, bringing together many renowned scientists from around the world to participate in the Award Council; it has a set of evaluation criteria that are appropriate, scientific, and effective; and it is attractive enough to gather many award nominations with high scientific content and practical value,” Professor Le Anh Tuan assessed.

Sharing the same view, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Fisheries Association (VINAFIS) and Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Ocean Forum (GOF), assessed the above results as a measure of the foresight and vision of the VinFuture International Award. Despite being a latecomer, with its accurate and forward-thinking vision, along with a competent Award Council and effective and practical evaluation criteria, VinFuture has reaped the rewards. VinFuture has also demonstrated its pioneering and superior nature, on par with long-standing and prestigious science and technology awards worldwide.

“Bold thinking, a sound vision, careful action, and a systematic and fundamental organizational approach have helped VinFuture quickly establish its position and gain the trust not only of Vietnamese people but also to affirm its prestige on the international stage. Today and in the future, VinFuture is and will be an inseparable link, an entity that ‘connects, cooperates, and shares’ in the global science and technology award ecosystem,” Associate Professor Chu Hoi commented .

Meanwhile, after four years serving as Chairman of the VinFuture Awards Council, Professor Sir. Richard Henry Friend affirmed that VinFuture has attracted strong interest from the global scientific community. This is evidenced by the exponential increase in scientific nominations each season.

Specifically, in its fourth season, VinFuture has seen the number of international scientists becoming nominated partners reach 9,101, an increase of nearly eight times, and the number of nominations reach 1,469, a 2.5-fold increase compared to the first season. These impressive figures demonstrate the scale, reach, and international prestige of VinFuture. The award has contributed to promoting research in the field of science and technology globally, while simultaneously enhancing Vietnam's position in the world.

"That's truly inspiring, proving that Vietnam is also gradually becoming one of the top destinations for scientific talent in the world," Professor Friend emphasized.

PV

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nha-khoa-hoc-viet-vinfuture-sanh-ngang-cac-giai-thuong-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-uy-tin-lau-nam-tren-the-gioi-post1681048.tpo