With the project entitled: “Building a Foundation for Sustainable Development: ''Networked Societies” for the Cities of Tomorrow”, Dr. Vo Nguyen Son from Duy Tan University and Dr. Duong Quang Trung from Queen’s University Belfast in the UK were awarded the 2017 Newton Prize Vietnam worth £ 200,000. The award was announced at a ceremony in Hanoi on November 16th to celebrate the Newton Program Vietnam, with the attendance of Mr.Giles Lever, the UK Ambassador to Vietnam and Deputy Minister for Science and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh.
The project “Building a Foundation for Sustainable Development: ''Networked Societies” for the Cities of Tomorrow” wins the 2017 Newton Prize Vietnam
The Newton Fund Vietnam is a collaborative development program for science and innovation between the governments of UK and Vietnam, launched in 2014. Endorsed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the program aims to support Vietnam’s economic and social development through science and innovation as well as recognize challenges and support Vietnam’s research and innovation to be more effective.
Up to now, the fund has disbursed nearly GBP 5 million in 162 grants that benefit nearly 400 individuals, mostly researchers from 60 Vietnamese and 43 UK research organizations, including Cambridge University, Oxford University and University College London.
106 Vietnamese researchers were trained in the UK and 25 joint projects tackle challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, urban air pollutions, sustainable water resources in the Red River Delta and the Mekong River Delta. The program focuses on the following Vietnam’s prioritized areas: Health and life sciences, Agriculture, Environment and Energy, Future cities and Digital Innovation & Creativity. Activities focus on Capacity-building, Research and Turning research into practical applications.
The Newton Prize is awarded for the best research that promotes economic development and social welfare in developing countries by an independent Newton Prize Committee, chaired by Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society and Nobel Prize winner.
Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science & Technology Tran Quoc Khanh
Four other projects by Vietnamese researchers nominated for the prize were also presented, including: “Developing Rice resources for Resillence to Climate change”; “3D Printing of Functional Photonic & Teraherz Metamaterials”; “UK-Vietnam institutional Link in Digital Innovation for Sustainable Maritime Logistics in Vietnam”; and “Soft Engineering Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case study on Flood Management in the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam”.
Mr Giles Lever, the UK Ambassador to Vietnam
The UK Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Giles Lever, said: "International collaboration with a variety of ideas and perspectives plays an important role in research and innovation. As a dynamic emerging economy with a strong vision of the importance of science and innovation in human development, Vietnam is a natural partner for the global Newton Fund. By working together and leveraging each other's strengths, we can gain more than what we do alone. I am looking forward to new opportunities ahead and a bright future for the Newton Fund Vietnam."
(Media Center)