Opportunity to narrow the gap between Vietnamese and world science

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The VinFuture Prize opens up opportunities for international exchange and cooperation, narrowing the gap between Vietnamese science and technology and the world. Photo: VinFuture

The VinFuture 2024 Awards Ceremony honored outstanding minds in core areas of global concern, including Computer Science, Public Health and Global Health, Materials Science and Regenerative Medicine. In addition, a series of seminars and talks throughout the VinFuture Science and Technology Week attracted more than 1,000 domestic and international scientists and researchers. For Associate Professor, Dr. Le Chi Cong - Nha Trang University, this is a rare opportunity.

“Through this series of activities, many excellent professors in the world have come here to share empirical research, models, and analytical frameworks related to sustainable development and the application of technology, especially innovation. This knowledge will help Vietnamese scientists apply it in different contexts and fields,” said Associate Professor Dr. Le Chi Cong.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Nga - Director of the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, also highly appreciated the role of international cooperation in science and technology. Throughout the VinFuture 2024 activities, Associate Professor. Nga had many opportunities to meet and exchange expertise with many outstanding scientists from all over the world.

“Contacting and working with leading minds will help us shorten the gap between Vietnamese science and the world. We have had very lively and useful discussions to keep up with the world and quickly come up with solutions for Vietnam,” Associate Professor Nga shared.

In particular, according to experts, the important value that VinFuture brings to Vietnam is to create a deep network of connections between scientists around the world, thereby opening up handshakes to solve each country's problems as well as global challenges.

“By joining this global network, we will get to know leading scientists in fields such as stroke, and invite them to join the advisory board of the national stroke prevention and control program that can be implemented in Vietnam in the future,” Associate Professor, Dr. Mai Duy Ton, Director of the Stroke Center, Bach Mai Hospital, shared.

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Associate Professor, Dr. Mai Duy Ton at the seminar "Innovations in Cardiovascular Health Care and Stroke Treatment" organized by VinFuture Foundation. Photo: VinFuture

Great motivation for female scientists

According to Vietnamese scientists, VinFuture also creates its own mark and value by dedicating a category to honor female scientists. Notably, out of the 4 awards of VinFuture 2024, there are 2 awards honoring female scientists.

Not to mention, out of nearly 1,500 nominations from more than 80 countries and territories of VinFuture this year, nearly 30% of the works belong to female scientists. This shows that the presence and role of women are increasingly promoted in all fields, especially science and technology.

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Professor Kristi S. Anseth thanked her husband and daughter for their support on stage at the VinFuture 2024 awards ceremony. Photo: VinFuture

Prof. Kristi S. Anseth - Winner of the VinFuture 2024 Special Prize for Female Scientists, shared that her 17-year-old daughter is also pursuing a career in science and engineering. This makes her very excited and happy for the future generation.

“There are many problems in the world that need to be solved and will require the presence of female scientists. Therefore, I think the VinFuture Prize's attention to and promotion of the role of female scientists is a great vision,” said Prof. Anseth.

Meanwhile, Dr. Firdausi Qadri considers herself a lucky person to know science and work in this field. The female winner of the Special Prize for Scientists from Developing Countries believes that the scientific research process takes a lot of time, and women often hesitate when they have a family. However, she herself has 3 children but can still do science and still achieve certain successes.

“Therefore, I hope to be a role model to inspire and encourage women to pursue this challenging field,” said Bangladeshi scientist Qadri.

The admirable achievements of the world's leading names have also strongly inspired women pursuing scientific research careers in Vietnam.

“That is a great source of motivation for female scientists, not only in Vietnam but also globally,” Associate Professor Nga affirmed.

Associate Professor Nga also shared that previously, Vietnam only had one award for outstanding female scientists, the Kovalevskaia Award. However, it was not until the VinFuture Global Award was established and dedicated a category to honor the outstanding contributions and achievements of female scientists around the world that the role of women in this field was recognized at a commensurate level.

“VinFuture has opened up a great opportunity for female scientists to participate and contribute more, which is a great opportunity for the development of science with the participation of female scientists,” Associate Professor Nga commented.

The Dinh