Promote scientific research activities, affirm the position of a national key university

"Lighting up" the student scientific research movement

For the first time, with a group of 4 classmates, winning the Second Prize of the 2018 Student Scientific Research Award with the topic "Educating Ho Chi Minh's political qualities for Vietnamese students in the integration period", student Tran Thi Nga - Class 57B Political Science (Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities) proudly shared: "The award is a source of encouragement and motivation for students to actively come up with specific ideas, solutions, and new initiatives, contributing to improving the quality of learning, enhancing teamwork skills and methods of extensive document research".

The fourth-year student with a radiant smile said, “During the process of implementing my group project, I received enthusiastic support from my supervisor and the attention and support of the faculty and the school. That is the motivation for us to nurture our passion and creativity in the scientific research movement.” Tran Thi Nga’s sharing is also the thought of many students who share the same passion for scientific research at Vinh University.

Awarding ceremony for Student Scientific Research Award 2018. Photo: Contributor

Many training faculties have strongly developed the scientific research movement. Every year, the school organizes a Student Scientific Research Conference and awards prizes to students with outstanding achievements, and selects and sends outstanding student works to participate in the Student Scientific Research Award of the Ministry of Education and Training. The 2018-2019 school year is a year that marks innovations that "ignite" the scientific research activities of students.

The method of implementing scientific research activities among students has been innovated. Instead of complicated administrative procedures in assigning topics to students as in previous years, the school has developed a regulation for awarding scientific research projects of students. Accordingly, every year, student groups proactively conduct research and register to participate in the awarding councils. Based on the registered projects, the school invites prestigious scientists with the right expertise to participate in the selection councils.

In 2018 alone, the Organizing Committee of the Vinh University Student Scientific Research Award received 47 submissions. In the final round, the councils selected 13 submissions for the final round and 11 submissions for the Encouragement Prize. In the final round, the councils selected and recommended the school principal to consider awarding 1 First Prize, 7 Second Prizes, and 5 Third Prizes.

The selection process is carried out through two preliminary and final rounds. Following the criteria, the councils recommend that the Principal consider and award the prizes. In addition to creating favorable conditions in terms of time, facilities, and funding to support the winning topics, the school has paid attention to student scientific research.

Accordingly, the First Prize will receive 10 million VND in financial support, the Second Prize 8 million VND, the Third Prize 5 million VND, the Encouragement Prize 3 million VND, in addition, students will also be rewarded by the school depending on their achievements. For instructors, in addition to being rewarded according to regulations, the results of guiding students in scientific research will also be converted into scientific research hours for individuals by the school.

Nguyen Thuc Hao Information Center - Library has a rich source of documents serving the scientific research tasks of students. Photo: Contributor

To better serve the training and scientific research, Nguyen Thuc Hao Information Center - Library also regularly develops electronic learning resources, builds digital libraries, adds documents, innovates reader services, replaces new library software... Many activities are implemented to improve the quality of reader services such as: Putting into use the 24/7 book return system, Kipos library management software, study space for students along with a document system of 16,500 textbooks, lectures, more than 18,000 doctoral theses, master's theses have made Nguyen Thuc Hao Information Center - Library one of the most modern libraries in the library system of Vietnamese universities. Thereby, contributing to creating positive changes in the scientific research movement of students.

"In selecting student research projects, in addition to paying attention to research results that are academic products, the school focuses on research results with high applicability or ideas that can be developed and implemented into innovative science and technology projects to help students start businesses. The annual student research award is also considered a measure of training quality, as well as students' ability to self-study and self-research."

Dr. Dinh Duc Tai - Deputy Head of Science and International Cooperation Department (Vinh University)

Prioritize cutting-edge research directions

From the lessons learned over 60 years of construction and development, scientific research activitiesScience and technology have received special attention from Vinh University and have achieved many remarkable achievements. Scientists, staff and lecturers of the university have been and are conducting many national, ministerial, provincial and grassroots level projects, publishing many research works in prestigious scientific journals at home and abroad; publishing many textbooks, monographs, reference materials, etc. to serve teaching and learning.

In the last 5 years alone, school staff have implemented 554 scientific research topics at all levels; the school has organized 49 school, national and international conferences; school staff have published 1,886 articles in scientific journals, including more than 300 articles in international scientific journals.For many consecutive years, Vinh University has been one of the 10 units with the highest number of articles published in ISI/Scopus journals in the country.Vinh University Publishing House has published over 270 books, including textbooks, monographs, reference materials... becoming one of the prestigious publishers in the country.

Scientific research activities are increasingly linked to the needs of socio-economic development of the locality and the whole country. The school has established research groups to organize, develop and implement scientific research topics at all levels. In addition, research groups of some young cadres have been initially formed and put into effective operation, many cadres have achieved high achievements in scientific research and technology transfer.

Students of the Institute of Biochemical and Environmental Technology learn theory combined with practice in the laboratory. Photo: PV-CTV

In particular, since 2016, key science and technology topics at the school level have focused on serving research to innovate content, teaching methods, testing and assessment of courses according to the CDIO approach. The school has also developed and implemented a project to upgrade the Vinh University Science Journal towards ACI standards by 2021; issued regulations on organization and operation, specific financial mechanisms; policies to attract high-quality articles... to improve the quality of the Vinh University Science Journal. During this period, the Science Journal published 42 issues with 403 published works.

In 2018, Vinh University issued the Strategy for Science and Technology Development of Vinh University for the period 2018 - 2025 with the viewpoint: Developing science and technology to enhance the position and brand of Vinh University. The strategy clearly shows the general goal: Synchronously developing 6 fields of science and technology including: natural sciences, engineering and technology, agricultural sciences, social sciences, humanities, medical sciences to enhance the position and brand of Vinh University. In particular, focusing on investing in research in the field of educational sciences to maintain and promote the prestige and brand in teacher training and development, prioritizing investment in developing a number of key research directions, focusing on the task of socio-economic development of the school with the task of socio-economic development of the provinces in the North Central region and the whole country. By 2025, Vinh University strives to have a number of research fields that reach modern levels compared to the region and the world.

Training for pedagogical lecturers. Photo: Contributor

To achieve this goal, the university has synchronously implemented many different solutions: innovating the organizational structure, management mechanism and operation of science and technology activities to promote research in the fields of natural sciences, engineering and technology; investing in building a number of research directions in the fields of science and technology and humanities to increase the quantity and quality of publications in prestigious international scientific journals in the ISI/Scopus category. In addition, investing in a number of technology development directions, a number of appropriate types of science and technology services to create products bearing the Vinh University brand.

Dr. Dinh Duc Tai - Deputy Head of the Department of Science and International Cooperation (Vinh University) added: In order to "stimulate" the scientific research activities of staff, lecturers and students, in addition to building policies to attract funding from abroad through projects and research programs, the University always encourages and creates favorable conditions for organizations and individuals to carry out scientific research cooperation tasks and develop technology with foreign partners. On the other hand, the University has revised and supplemented the Regulations on the management of scientific and technological activities with many new points, issued a policy to support funding for high-quality scientific and technological products, prioritizing products associated with the address and brand of Vinh University. Accordingly, the reward for products granted exclusive patents is up to 100 million VND, for exclusive utility solution patents is 60 million VND...

US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink works with leaders of Vinh University. Photo: File

All of these solutions aim to build cutting-edge research directions with the "unique scientific color" of Vinh University, striving that by 2025 these research directions will have leading scientists and research results of regional and international stature.