A robot working on the car assembly line of Việt Nam's Vinfast on display at an Industry 4.0 exhibition in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hùng

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved a list of priority technologies for research and development in a bid to facilitate participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

These belong to four areas, digital technologies, physics, biotechnology, and energy and environment.

Digital technologies include artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data analytics, blockchain, cloud computing, quantum computing, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, intelligence-remediation-adaptation cyber security, and precision agriculture.

Physics includes robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, technology for designing and manufacturing micro and small satellites, and photonic technology.

Biotechnology includes synthetic biology, neurotechnology, stem cells, Enzyme technology, bioinformatics, biochip and biosensor, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, next-generation sequencing.

Priority technologies in energy and environment include fuel cells, hydrogen energy, photovoltaics, advanced energy storage, carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, smart grids.

VN's first global science prize

Vietnamese conglomerate VinGroup on Sunday officially launched TheFuturePrize, the first global science and technology prize from Việt Nam, and one of the world’s largest annual prizes in science and technology, on International Human Solidarity Day (December 20).

The organisation directly in charge of the prize is VinFuture Foundation, founded by Phạm Nhật Vượng, the first Vietnamese billionaire – Founder and Chairman Vingroup Corporation, together with his wife, Phạm Thu Hương, according to the statement from the group.

Nominations for the first edition of the Prize will be open from January to June 2021. The names of the selected VinFuture Prize Laureates will be announced in December 2021. The official prize award ceremony will be hosted in Việt Nam in January 2022.

The vision of this endeavour is to “create meaningful change in the everyday lives of millions of people by promoting breakthrough scientific research and technological innovations”, the statement said.

With that vision in mind, the VinFuture Foundation said it works to honour exceptional minds whose research and technological innovations will improve the quality of life and ensure sustainable living for future generations by addressing the everyday issues of people, aligned with one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The VinFuture Prize comprises of a Grand Prize and three special prizes. The Grand Prize of US$3 million will be one of the largest annual global science and technology prizes in value. The Grand Prize would be open to all, regardless of the candidate’s nationality, age, gender, social status, or economic background.

The prize will be awarded to proven breakthrough research and technological innovations that positively improve the quality of human life, and create a more equitable and sustainable world for future generations.

In addition to the Grand Prize, three special prizes of $500,000 each will also be awarded annually, with a focus on promoting diversity, equity, and new fields of study. These prizes will be earmarked for an exceptional researcher or innovator from a developing country institute, for an outstanding woman researcher or innovator, for a breakthrough research or innovations in an emerging field of science and technology that has significant future potential to create positive change for humanity.

Nominations will be solicited from a large, diverse pool of distinguished nominators, including globally renowned scientists and innovators, academic institutions, technology corporations, and prestigious innovation incubators in all countries.

An independent Prize Council, consisting of distinguished, globally renowned experts from academia, research and industry, will adjudicate the Prize each year. Members of the Prize Council come from diverse sciences and professional disciplines, cultures, and viewpoints. 

The founders have personally committed an initial amount of $100 million, which would be further enhanced in the future to fund the VinFuture Prize’s resources and administration process, ensuring sustainability of the Foundation’s long-term operations. VinFuture Foundation, an independent, non-profit foundation, will manage the VinFuture Prize. The Advisory Council, which comprises of internationally recognised Vietnamese innovators, researchers, and industry leaders, co-chaired by Professor Vũ Hà Văn, Yale University, and Professor Nguyễn Thục Quyên, University of California Santa Barbara, will support the Founder in providing strategic advice to the Foundation. — VNS

— VNS