VinUni: Aspiration to be in the top 100 and invitation to 500 outstanding global scientists

Aiming to be in the top 100 global universities, VinUni invites 500 outstanding scientists from around the world to join in creating a university with a Vietnamese imprint.

In 2019, VinUni was born with the aspiration to build a world-class university right in Vietnam. After 5 years, that dream is gradually taking shape. On September 23, 2024, VinUni was recognized by the prestigious education ranking organization QS (UK) as achieving a comprehensive 5-star standard - becoming the youngest university in history to achieve this achievement. However, for VinUni, this is not the destination. The next goal is to enter the Top 100 excellent universities globally.

On this occasion, PV had an interview with Dr. Le Mai Lan, Vice President of Vingroup Corporation, Chairman of the Board of VinUni University, to share about the new development milestone of this school.

VinUni University.

From aspiration to “dare to do”: VinUni enters the global academic playground

Dear Doctor, is the goal of entering the Top 100 best universities in the world too much for a 5-year-old university?

I think, before asking whether you can do it or not, it is more important to ask yourself: do you want to do it, and do you dare to do it or not. Desire often comes first and drives ability.

Recently, Resolutions 57 and 68 have created a very positive atmosphere not only for VinUni but also in the scientific community. In particular, when General Secretary To Lam spoke on Vietnam Teachers' Day that Vietnam needs to strive to "increase the ranking of Vietnamese education..., have universities in the top 100 in the world", we were further motivated. For us, it is not just a direction - but a clear call. VinUni aspires to become an excellent university.

So, do you dare to do it? We talked to many Presidents, Academic and Technology Directors of the world's Top 100 universities. They shared very frankly about the criteria, lessons of success and failure, and decisive factors.

We also worked with experts from international rating agencies to understand the assessment criteria, the role of each indicator and the actual level of challenge. After that process, the School Council agreed that: this goal is very challenging but achievable. And most importantly, we are determined to pursue it to the end!

- So, to achieve the goal of entering the Top 100 best universities in the world, what has VinUni done and what will it need to continue to do in the future, Doctor?

Dr. Le Mai Lan, Vice President of Vingroup Corporation, President of VinUni University Council.

We have carried out a comprehensive strategic planning, layered and specifically divided into more than 50 sub-projects for implementation. Because to conquer a global goal like Top 100, we cannot just stop at the vision, but must go into details, have a clear and feasible action plan.

The first thing we did was to clearly define what success would look like. What would VinUni look like when it reached the Top 100? Who would be studying and researching here? How would the University be perceived in Vietnamese society and in the international scientific community? Where would its graduates work, and how would they be valued in the global labor market?

In this entire plan, the number one priority, and also the biggest challenge, is the top academic human resources. We call it the VinUni 500 program. Once we have determined that we want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading universities, VinUni must first be able to attract and accompany equally excellent people - scholars, lecturers, and researchers of the stature that the Top 100 schools also desire.

This is a difficult problem not only for VinUni, but also for all universities aspiring to rise up: How to attract talent and more importantly, how to truly develop talent?

“Recruiting talented people and treating them well” - together we build excellent universities, serving science and the community

All prestigious universities in the world have red carpet programs to attract talents. What difference will VinUni 500 bring?

I believe that what makes VinUni so attractive to international scientists and talents lies in the opportunity to create real change. For those who have worked in excellent universities with solid systems, changing a stable structure is very difficult. But at VinUni, they have a rare, perhaps even a unique opportunity in their career to co-create from scratch a young, ambitious university, aiming for the global Top 100, in a country with great potential like Vietnam. I believe this is a very inspiring opportunity.

The second reason is that we are truly open-minded and value intellectuals. We show them that VinUni needs them, welcomes them, and is especially committed to protecting academic freedom, which is of utmost importance to any scholar.

The third reason is also very important is the speed of implementation. Talented people often do not want to wait for years for a change. VinUni, in the first 5 years, has demonstrated the ability to act quickly, decisively, and with real results. This is the factor that creates trust.

Finally, I think that challenge is sometimes the attraction. For many scientists and experts, the most attractive thing is not the ease, but the difficult problems, the “peak” opportunities. And VinUni with all its ambition, speed and novelty is exactly such a problem.

VinUni invests in research to build a launch pad for science and innovation.

- So what has VinUni done, especially with the VinUni 500 program, sir?

With the VinUni 500 program, we clearly define our human resource strategy for each class. First is the “core” - including 10 world-class scientists. Next are 200 talented lecturers, converging both passion and capacity. Then are 200 promising young scholars, the next generation for long-term development. Along with that are 100 visiting and affiliated scholars, aiming to build a research network with universities at home and abroad.

With a group of 10 leading scientists, we admit that we are somewhat lucky. From the beginning, VinUni proactively established strategic partnerships with two Ivy League universities, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. This is the foundation that helps us approach the “giants” in the academic world. From there, we continue to expand our relationships with more than 68 other universities, all of which are leading units in their fields.

The lean scale is VinUni’s advantage. We can act quickly and flexibly. The school’s leaders have been traveling directly to many countries such as Germany, the US, Canada, Korea, Japan, etc. to both learn and perform the task of “convincing” to find, exchange and invite the most outstanding scientists to Vietnam.

Another special resource that we highly value is the VinFuture Prize, founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife. In just 5 years, this prize has gathered outstanding minds globally. Some scientists who won the VinFuture Prize were later honored with Nobel Prizes or other prestigious awards. The members of the Prize Council are also scientists with great influence in the international academic community.

Thanks to VinFuture, despite being a very young university, VinUni has had the opportunity to interact and connect with leading minds – thereby shaping who is who on the world science map.

The VinFuture Prize pursues the mission of “Science serving humanity”, honoring researchers in key areas such as AI, energy, environment and biomedicine. The values ​​that VinFuture pursues in terms of vision, strategy and impact – are also the core values ​​that VinUni strives for.

VinUni focuses on training and academic research to build an excellent university according to international standards.

- Recruiting and attracting more than 500 talents is certainly not easy. So does VinUni have a long-term strategy to retain them, instead of just short-term cooperation to improve rankings?

Let me be clear, for us, success is not about attracting a scholar for a few years, but about them finding at VinUni an environment to truly develop their abilities and to develop sustainably here.

From the beginning, we have made it clear that recruiting top scientists is not for short-term goals such as upgrading the university rankings, because that is not enough to inspire. Rankings are just a result, not a reason for good people to stay. What we aim for is to work with them to build an excellent university that can create long-term value for people, science and the country of Vietnam.

When VinUni does the fundamental and sustainable things well: attracting talent, creating conditions for them to develop their careers, training quality students, and effectively cooperating internationally and with businesses, then achievements and rankings will come as a natural consequence, without having to chase after them.

Solid investment in research - a launching pad for scientific research and innovation

It is known that Vingroup Corporation has committed to investing 9,300 billion VND in VinUni in the coming time. So, what specific items will this investment package focus on, Doctor?

Vingroup has committed an investment of up to VND9,300 billion for the second development phase, focusing on two strategic focuses: attracting talent, and building a research, innovation and startup ecosystem, according to international standards.

In this investment package, 1,500 billion VND will be used to build infrastructure, specifically to expand the campus and invest in research labs, facilities, and services to serve lecturers and students. In terms of investment in facilities, I am most proud of the VinUni Industry, Innovation and Research Complex. In which we are testing two new models.

Firstly, interdisciplinary research labs (RISE research clusters). In these labs, we will cooperate with prestigious global universities such as Cornell, Pennsylvania (USA); Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)... and prestigious universities in Vietnam to aim at high-quality academic publications and solve major national challenges.

VinUni aims to build a global academic network right in Vietnam.

Second, the “Co-innovation studios” model brings businesses into universities. We gather technology experts from leading businesses, including VinMotion, VinRobotics, VinBigdata, Stem Cell Research Institute, Immunology Research Institute, etc. in the R&D ecosystem of Vingroup Corporation. These technology experts will work with VinUni scientists to propose specific problems and advise young scholars and researchers.

Industrial technology and scientific research will be two sides of an inseparable problem. There will be a lot of time saved, no more delays and a significant reduction in the gap between reality and academia compared to the model of businesses ordering universities to respond.

The remaining VND7,800 billion will be allocated relatively evenly between two core areas: research and training. The goal is to create a comprehensive academic ecosystem where learning, research and innovation not only go hand in hand but also resonate to create sustainable impact.

The desire for a university that lasts through time

- If the VinUni 500 program is considered a strategic investment for the future, what do you expect the biggest "return" that VinUni will receive?

We have two big expectations.

First, it is to build an excellent and everlasting university. Each person's life is limited, but the influence of intelligence and character can last for centuries. The founders of VinUni always hope that this school will not only be successful in the present, but also preserve and pass on the "gene set" of intelligence, courage and aspiration to many future generations.

Second, we expect VinUni to train people who are capable of creating the future of Vietnam, including scientists, entrepreneurs and socially responsible businessmen. They will be the ones who contribute to a prosperous, peaceful and happy Vietnam.

VinUni cannot go alone on the journey to the Top 100. We believe that scientists, scholars, students, colleagues... who are eager to create real value, with great impact for science and society, are the ideal companions. This is the invitation: Join VinUni in creating an excellent university with Vietnam's mark on the global knowledge map.

- Thank you TS for the inspiring sharing!

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/vinuni-khat-vong-top-100-va-loi-moi-500-nha-khoa-hoc-xuat-sac-toan-cau-ar950604.html