VinFuture creates great momentum for scientific development in Vietnam

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine was the topic mentioned by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tran Thuat (Deputy Director of the Center for Nano and Energy, University of Science , VNU Hanoi) when opening the story about VinFuture.

The two international awards, which seem unrelated, actually have something in common when they both honor a scientific work, which is mRNA vaccine technology to prevent COVID-19. The difference is that VinFuture awarded the prize to the owner of the groundbreaking research, which contributed to helping humanity overcome the pandemic, 2 years before Nobel.

“ I thought there would come a time when the two of them (Dr. Katalin Karikó and Prof. Drew Weissman) would receive the Nobel Prize, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. This is an honor for Vietnam because it was able to award the prize to a deserving scientist two years ago ,” Associate Professor Nguyen Tran Thuat expressed.

Dr. Katalin Kariko speaks at the Science and Life discussion event within the framework of VinFuture Awards Week Season 1. (Photo: VFP)

The semiconductor and solar cell expert said that in the past, people often compared VinFuture with international awards in terms of total monetary value. But now, this honor shows that on an international level, the VinFuture Prize has a scale, quality, value and prestige equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Chien (Institute of Technical Physics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology; President of Vietnam Materials Science Association; Vice President of Vietnam Physics Association) took a different perspective to evaluate the prestige and international influence of the first global science and technology award initiated by Vietnamese people.

Professor Drew Weissman speaks at the Science and Life discussion event within the framework of VinFuture Awards Week season 1. (Photo: VFP)

Accordingly, entering the third season, VinFuture recorded a surge in both the number of nominating partners as well as the number of participating projects. Specifically, this year, VinFuture received a total of 1,389 applications from more than 90 countries and territories, 3 times higher than the first season.

The number of nominating partners for VinFuture this year also increased more than 4 times, from nearly 1,200 in the first season to more than 5,260. Notably, 1/5 of the nominating partners are authors in the Top 2% of the most cited leading researchers in the world .

“ These are very impressive numbers. Not only is the prize worth three times more than the Nobel Prize, VinFuture also has a very attractive mission, which is 'Science serving humanity', so it has great appeal to the research community. There are few awards in the world that receive as many nominations as this. VinFuture's reputation has been huge, spreading everywhere. It is worth mentioning that this global award has only entered its third season ,” Professor Chien assessed.

“New wind, precious opportunity” for Vietnamese science

According to Professor Nguyen Duc Chien, the establishment of VinFuture has helped strongly connect domestic scientists with the world's leading scientists, while also providing integration opportunities for young scientists.

For young researchers, having access to the world's brilliant minds in different fields is very beneficial because when international scientists come to Vietnam, they not only update the latest and most promising research trends, share valuable experiences but also seek and connect opportunities for academic cooperation, expand research... In the long term, this interaction and cooperation will help to narrow the gap between domestic and international scientists.

Professor Drew Weissman, Dr. Karikó and Professor Pieter R. Cullis were awarded the VinFuture Season 1 Main Prize for their work developing mRNA vaccine technology. (Photo: VFP)

“ VinFuture helps the world know more about Vietnam in the field of science and technology. Currently, very few domestic science and technology organizations have the ability to connect and invite many leading speakers from around the world with diverse fields to Vietnam like VinFuture. For scientists, this is a great encouragement and motivation, ” Professor Chien analyzed.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Nguyen Tran Thuat said that VinFuture has created a new habit for the science and technology community both domestically and internationally to look towards Vietnam and eagerly look forward to the project being honored with the highest award. More importantly, VinFuture has brought to the Vietnamese scientific community a breath of fresh air, a precious opportunity to meet the world's number one intellectuals in their fields.

“ Meeting and interacting with world-famous scientists is a great source of inspiration in addition to learning about expertise, helping Vietnamese scientists have a network of connections with the international scientific community ,” the expert analyzed.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Ho Tu Bao (Director of the Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics) said that VinFuture is a major international science award created in a country with an underdeveloped science sector, of course there will be different opinions.

However, according to Professor Bao, it is necessary to recognize and evaluate VinFuture in the context of the scientific activities of Vingroup and its founders to see more clearly the value of the award.

VinFuture Awards Ceremony 2021. (Photo: VFP)

Over the past 5-6 years, Vingroup has promoted many activities related to science and contributed to the community. These include the establishment of Big Data Research Institutes (VinBigData) to share data sources and scientific resources; Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (VinAI) with a free training program for young talents in AI (AI Residency Program); Innovation Fund (VinIF) with more than 100 supported projects, over 1,000 Master's, PhD, Post-Doctoral scholarships, more than 130 international seminars and public lectures...

“ VinFuture contributes in another aspect, honoring scientists who have made outstanding contributions to humanity. The award has brought many famous scientists to Vietnam, and vice versa, also let the world know more about Vietnam with an aspiration to develop science as a foundation for building the country.

In that sense, VinFuture and other scientific activities of Vingroup have been making great contributions to the development of science in Vietnam, ” affirmed Professor Ho Tu Bao.

Bao Anh

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