HÀ NỘI – An initiative to maintain communication systems during disasters received the Newton Prize in Việt Nam on Thursday.

The project, entitled “Building a Foundation for Sustainable Development: Networked Societies for the Cities of Tomorrow” is a collaborative achievement by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, UK and Duy Tân University, Việt Nam.

Focusing on innovative solutions for communications under hostile conditions, the team has developed an integrated heterogeneous wireless system (IHWS) which is disaster-resistant and able to deal with problems of telecommunication network destruction, power cuts or network congestion. Moreover, the system can provide functions of disaster warning and air quality analysis.

Dr Trung Duong from the School of Electronics at QUB, on behalf of the research group, expressed gratitude for the role of Newton fund and presented their expectations of the project’s application in the near future.

“I want to contribute to give back to my country. The Newton Prize is another support for us to continue our research so that we can provide more educational initiatives to help people tackle difficulties in life,” he said.

The prize was delivered by the British Ambassador to Việt Nam Giles Lever. At the event, he stressed the significance of international collaboration in science and technology in solving global issues, developing the economy and improving social welfare.

He said that Việt Nam was the most important partner of the Newton Fund. In the future, the United Kingdom will continue investing, sharing and building stronger relationships between the two countries to constitute higher achievements.

Four other projects nominated for the prize were also presented. Those projects touch upon diverse fields including 3D printing of metamaterials, locally driven flood management systems, new resilient rice strains for farmers and innovation in maritime logistics.

The Newton Prize Awarding Ceremony is an event on Newton Day organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with Newton Fund Việt Nam, British Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and British Embassy Hà Nội.

The prize was awarded under the framework of the Newton Fund, an initiative to enhance researchers’ capacities and innovation and assist sustainable socio-economic development in 18 country partners of the UK.

Since 2014, the Newton Fund has sponsored Việt Nam with nearly five million pounds, prioritising the fields of health and life sciences, environmental resilience and energy security, future cities, agriculture, digital innovation and creativity. The UK government has committed to provide 19 million pounds in support by 2021. —VNS