Spread over 643 ha, the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) has been developed as a centre to train undergraduates and postgraduates and carry on high-quality research in many fields to serve the country’s socio-economic development needs (Photo courtesy of VNUHCM) Thearea has contributed to the establishment of a value-added chain for ahigh-technology platform and international standard technical infrastructure.
Thecity’s leaders are expecting the eastern innovative urban area to help connectscience-technology research and application centres, high-quality humanresource training institutions, hi-tech products, services trading andproduction centres.
Thearea will become a hub that spearheads economic development in the city andsouthern region in the context of the fourth Industrial Revolution.
Innovativecentre
Spreadover 643ha, VNUHCM has been developed as a centre to train undergraduates andpostgraduates and carry on high-quality research in many fields to serve thecountry’s socio-economic development needs.
Itis the largest higher education establishment in the country with 36institutions for training, researching and transferring technologies, includingseven member universities: the University of Technology, University of Science,University of Social Sciences and Humanities, International University,University of Information Technology, University of Economics and Law, and AnGiang University, and the Institute for Environment and Resources.
Inaddition, in the 2016 – 2020 period, VNUHCM has trained more than 60,000engineers, doctors, graduates, postgraduates, and PhDs who are certain tocontribute to the development of the city and southern region.
Asof now it has had 66 internationally accredited training programmes and wasranked in the top 701-750 in the 2020 QS World University Rankings. In thisperiod, it presented more than 20,000 scientific research papers at conferencesand published them in local and international journals. VNUHCM signed morethan 3,000 contracts with provinces and enterprises for technology transferworth nearly 250 billion VND (10.8 million USD) a year in the 2016-2020 period.
Ahousehold aquaponic model that integrates vegetable and fish farming has, forinstance, been transferred to Tay Ninh and Dong Thap provinces.
Furthermore,Cartilatist stem medicine has been developed by the Stem Cell Institute at theUniversity of Science to treat osteoarthritis and degenerative spinalconditions. Subsequently, it has been transferred to the Van Hanh GeneralHospital Co. Ltd. An automatic system to monitor and warn about saltwaterintrusion has been transferred to the provinces of An Giang and Vinh Long.
DuringCOVID-19 outbreaks last year, VNUHCM researchers developed a number of productsused for the prevention and control of epidemics.
Thenumber of papers VNUHCM published in international journals doubled in the2016-2020 period from the previous five years.
Asof October 2020, it had filed 527 applications for patents and 566 technologytransfer contracts and scientific services that fetched revenues of 104.2billion VND (4.5 million USD).
InThe World University Rankings 2021 of 1,527 universities, VNUHCM was in 658thspot in the category of income from technology transfer and 838th ininternational potential.
Oneof VNUHCM’s strategies is to continue focusing on scientific and technologicaldevelopment and innovation to help implement national and southern regiondevelopment strategies and to raise its international profile.
In2020-2030 period, it plans to offer international-standard training programmesin ICT, AI and urban management. AI applications for use in trafficregulation, healthcare, finance, and commerce will be developed during this period.
VNUHCMis one of the higher education establishments in the country offering studentstraining programs in two majors simultaneously. It has tied up with a number ofmember universities of the ASEAN University Network - the ASEAN Credit TransferSystem for exchange students and also has agreements with universities in theUS, the UK, France, Australia, and other countries.
Inthe last 25 years VNUHCM has adopted modern methodologies and integratedtechnologies for training.
InNovember last year VNUHCM signed an agreement with the Saigon Hi-Tech Park fortechnology transfer to enterprises in the park for commercialisation.
Theywill join hands for an action plan to establish the innovative eastern urbanarea, a high-quality human resource training programme at hi-tech industriesand an innovative start-up ecosystem.
VNUHCM’sInnovative Entrepreneurship Centre has carried out many programmes to assiststart-ups and links these start-ups with investors and service providers.
Assoc. Prof.Dr. Vu Hai Quan, VNUHCM’s chancellor, said skilled human resources, technologytransfer, advanced IT, and policies for development are key pillars for settingup the innovative eastern urban area. The project is implemented in Thu Duc cityand spreads over nearly 21,000 hectares.
Moreover, theinnovative eastern area has invested in traffic systems including the metroline 1, Belt Road No.3 and the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway, whichhelps connect with neighbouring provinces.
In January,the municipal People’s Committee approved a master plan to develop theinnovative eastern urban area in the 2020-2035 period and it will be carriedout in three specific stages.
According toVNUHCM, while carrying out the work, city authorities and relevant agenciesshould pay close attention to developing traffic infrastructure in theinnovative eastern urban area especially VNUHCM and Saigon Hi-Tech Park tocreate the most favourable conditions for interaction and development.
VNUHCM aims tobecome the nucleus of the area by 2030./.
VNA
