A panel discussion at the Sydney Việt Nam Innovation Symposium on Thursday. — VNS Photo Nhật Hồng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam-Australia research partnerships can develop new knowledge, resulting in policy changes that improve people's lives in Việt Nam and around the world, said University of Sydney professor Greg Fox at the Sydney Việt Nam Innovation Symposium in Hà Nội on Thursday.

This year’s event also marks the launch of the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute, which aims to leverage the institution’s research capabilities and foster productive research networks with partners and industry in Việt Nam in areas including medicine and health, economics, agriculture, the environment, food safety and more.

The Australian scholar, who also acts as the interim director of the university’s Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, said: “Việt Nam and Australia share many common and important challenges.

“Both of our countries are facing ageing populations, we're both subject to the increasingly impactful effects of climate change, we're both agricultural nations looking to modernise our agriculture through our exports, and we’re also facing huge social challenges as a result of the rise of digital technologies and all of the disruption that is causing.

“As partners, Australia and Việt Nam have a lot to work on together.”

Addressing the event, Dr Nguyễn Thu Anh, executive director and head of research of the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute, pointed out that Việt Nam is facing numerous challenges, including limitations in the labour forces, rapid urbanisation rate, as well as shortcomings in terms of infrastructure, power supply, environmental issues, agriculture, technology and healthcare.

At the same time, the country also holds potential for growth with multiple development strategies for science, technology and innovations to 2030.

Vietnamese and Australian institutions have witnessed extensive collaboration, with almost 5,000 joint research papers published over the last three years, according to Emma Johnston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney.

Among these, the 500 publications co-authored by the University of Sydney and researchers from Việt Nam have found over 43,000 citations, which is seen as proof of their impact.

“When we partner with research institutions in Vietnam, we’ve created great knowledge and worked on excellent solutions, but we're also confident those solutions are going beyond both of our countries and having an impact around the globe,” said Johnston.

The event also includes panel discussions with experts from Việt Nam and Australia, where they discussed successful collaborations, key factors in fostering productive research partnerships, as well as the importance of transdisciplinary research to address complex problems in Việt Nam and Australia. — VNS