37% of lecturers have no international ISI/Scopus publications. Only 34% have more than five. These numbers reveal the degree of international-level integration of Vietnamese researchers.
These are some of the results of the survey carried out at forty Vietnamese universities as part of a 2016 - 2020 National Science and Technology project, investigating if the current development of a revised comprehensive, national educational strategy really meets basic requirements”.
The research group is headed by Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc from Hanoi National University and 58.8% of lecturers are team members. In the survey of 216 lecturers, 42 held PhDs, 2 DScs, 5% were Professors, 10% were Associate Professors and 69% male. 491 new lecturing and research teams were established between 2016 and 2017.
The leading Vietnamese institutions were the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, with 127 teams, Tai Nguyen University with 42, the University of Danang with 36, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education with 30, Ho Chi Minh City National University with 24, and Hanoi National University with 29. 142 out of the 271 universities in the survey had a total of 945 research groups, an average of 7 each.
The survey also asked for the opinions of 216 lecturers, 29.1% of whom were heads of research teams and had founded 64 new ones since 2013.
Research group policy
In December 2015, state funding was approved for the training of Vietnamese technologists at home and abroad. This included the training and retraining of 50 research teams from 2016 to 2020 and 80 from 2021 to 2025, to address major national technological issues.
The number of research groups increased sharply in 2017, by 17, as a result of the requirement put on lecturers and research students to publish in international journals, Professor Duc confirmed that these new regulations are the main reason for the formation of more new research teams recently.
The formation of research groups results in improved training and team quality, and 78% those lecturers have published in ISI/Scopus journals, while only 48% of the others have not.
23% of lecturers in research teams have developed award-winning products and 44% of those can be used in technology transfer for commercialization, compared with lecturers not in research groups, at 13% and 30 % respectively.
The chart compares lecturers who are in research teams or not
In 2013, only 2,309 papers were published. However, a DTU survey revealed that, from the start of 2017 to June 2018, the thirty leading Vietnamese universities had already published 10,515 papers, more than in the five previous years combined, at only 10,034.
Counting only international Scopus-indexed publications, the number of Vietnamese international publications has increased fivefold, from 1,764 in 2009 to 8,234 in 2018. It is evident that the increase in the number of research teams is proportional to the increase in international publications.
Increase in number of Vietnamese publications indexed by Scopus in 2009 – 2018
ISI and Scopus statistics show that Hanoi National University, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Ton Duc Thang University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Duy Tan University have the most international publications and citations n Vietnam.
The survey also shows the research topics are not evenly distributed, with a high concentration on Natural Sciences, Technology and Engineering, and Social Sciences and Humanities.
Chart showing the distribution of research groups by field of study
Universities lack resolve to invest in research groups
Professor Duc explained that past achievements have not completely resolved several shortcomings:
Firstly, there is a shortage of academics to lead the research teams and the survey revealed that only 75% of research groups are led by a professor. 96% of the respondents believed that the role of a team leader is very important, while 97% thought that the quality of the other members also plays a major role in advancing the team and developing it.
Secondly, the number of international publications by research groups is still low, see details above.
Thirdly, investment in research groups is limited. 93% believed that investing in research is vital.
At Hanoi National University, for example, as a result of a policy issued in 2013, the University of Engineering and Technology has been investing 50 million VND per year in research, the University of Science 30 million, although several other schools have no specific policies yet.
Support and encouragement is either nonexistent, vague or insignificant, universities still lack the resolve to invest in research. 17% of lecturers surveyed had never yet participated in any international conferences, either in Vietnam or abroad.
“To grasp the opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution, we need talented, high-quality human resources,” stressed Professor Duc. “The universities that attract that talent will have a competitive advantage, which is the big challenge that we all now face.”
Government should issue policies encouraging research groups
Research teams provide a foundation for training and their creation and development is the key to the educational quality and success of a school.
As a result of his survey, Professor Duc proposes that the government and public universities should come up with specific, timely and sufficient strategies to support and encourage the creation and development of research groups, as soon as possible. As current research groups differ in size, capability, educational and research accomplishments and the ability to collaborate internationally, individual strategies must be tailored appropriately, to preclude wasteful investment and guarantee optimal efficiency.
(Media Center)