A symposium 'University-Locality-Business Collaboration: Uniting for Economic and Social Development' was held at VNU-HCM City on February 22. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

HCM CITY — The close collaboration between universities, localities and businesses not only helps improve the quality of higher education, but is also an important driving force for the country’s socio-economic development, Nguyễn Minh Tâm, vice chancellor of the Việt Nam National University-HCM City (VNU-HCM), said at a connection day held in HCM City on Saturday (February 22).

The university-locality-business connection day was held within the framework of celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of VNU-HCM (January 27, 1995 - January 27, 2025).

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education and Training, along with leaders of 15 provinces and cities (HCM City, Tây Ninh, Bình Phước, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Ninh Thuận, Bình Thuận, Lâm Đồng, Bến Tre, Cà Mau, Hậu Giang, An Giang, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Quảng Ngãi and Kiên Giang), and businesses.

Speaking at the event, Tâm said he was grateful for the steadfast partnership, unwavering support and close collaboration of localities, businesses and organisations, contributing to the development of VNU-HCM over the past years.

“The collaborations have brought many important achievements, contributing to building a strong and sustainable ecosystem of education, research and innovation,” he said.

Throughout its 30 years of establishment and development, VNU-HCM has remained steadfast in its mission to educate and nurture talented individuals equipped with comprehensive knowledge, social responsibility, leadership skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

They also conduct research, develop, and apply science and technology, and to innovate in addressing national, regional, and global challenges, and to serve the community, contributing to the sustainable development of local communities and the country.

The university has identified its pioneering role in promoting the three-house cooperation model of the link between the State, higher education institutions and businesses.

Representatives of VNU-HCM and Becamex IDC sign a sponsorship agreement for the 2025 - 2029 period. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

“We are committed to partnering with enterprises in technology research and transfer, while also providing innovative human resources with the capacity for self-learning and continuous innovation to meet the ever-growing demands of the labour market,” he said.

VNU-HCM has continuously expanded its collaboration with localities and enterprises, achieving notable successes in human resource training, scientific research, technology transfer and community service.

The university and its member and affiliated units have signed 249 cooperation agreements with 31 provinces and cities.

It has built the largest dormitory in Southeast Asia with a capacity of 50,000 accommodations, serving nearly 450,000 students, funded by local investments and government bond capital.

It has collaborated with hundreds of major corporations such as Samsung, Intel, VinaCapital and Becamex IDC.

Through its training programmes, it supplies 20,000 high-quality professionals each year for the southern region, including HCM City, contributing 53 per cent of the microchip design workforce in the city. In the 2020-24 period, 225 scientific research and technology transfer projects have been implemented, focusing on areas such as AI, big data and automation.

A key highlight of the collaborations is the establishment of the VNU-HCM Development Fund, the first large-scale educational fund model in the country, playing a crucial role in mobilising resources from the business community and society to support educational, research and development activities.

To date, the fund has mobilised nearly VNĐ400 billion (US$15.6 million), which has been allocated to various initiatives aimed at supporting students and enhancing training, as well as scientific and technological research at VNU-HCM.

Currently, 13 localities have awarded scholarships to VNU-HCM’s students, totalling 228 awards, worth more than VNĐ1.1 billion ($42,960).

A representative of VNU-HCM students from Bình Phước Province receives scholarships from the province authority. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

Full scholarships are sponsored by Vietcombank and the Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC), totaling VNĐ230 million ($8,980) for students with special difficulties and disabilities. Scholarships provided by Novaland and Agribank Bình Thạnh District Branch support 120 resilient, high-achieving students at VNĐ5 million ($195) per award. Saigon-Hanoi Bank has sponsored scholarships with a total value of VNĐ1 billion ($39,055) for underprivileged students excelling academically.

However, the current collaborations remain short-term, lacking specific and sustainable action plans. These initiatives have not yet fully tapped into the university's scientific and technological potential, nor its team of experts, Tâm said.

“Therefore, an innovative approach is needed to enhance the efficiency and long-term sustainability of the partnership between the university, localities and businesses,” he said.

The connection day also included a symposium called 'University-Locality-Business Collaboration: Uniting for Economic and Social Development' which created an opportunity for all parties to share experiences, propose innovative initiatives and overcome institutional and policy barriers in tripartite collaboration, thereby enhancing the quality of cooperation and laying a sustainable foundation for the development of the education system, businesses, and local communities.

At the event, VNU-HCM signed the 2025 - 2029 sponsorship agreement with Becamex IDC, and a Memorandum of Understanding with Asia Commercial Bank (ACB).

The localities and businesses awarded scholarships to 556 VNU-HCM’s students.

A scientific, technological, and innovative products exhibition was also held alongside the connection day, featuring nearly 200 outstanding products in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence (AI), microchip design, advanced materials, nanotechnology, biotechnology, biomedical sciences, agriculture, food, environment, and energy. — VNS