Scholarships to support doctoral students and postdoctoral internships - a pioneering breakthrough of VNU Hanoi.

managingDownload Decision No. 3688/QD-DHQGHN dated November 19, 2021

Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) aims to become a multidisciplinary, multi-field research and innovation university by 2045, ranking among the leading universities in Asia and the world, with core values ​​of: Innovation - National Responsibility - Sustainable Development.

Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc, how do you assess the significance and impact of Decision 3688, which the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, has just signed and issued?

Decision No. 3688/QD-DHQGHN dated November 19, 2021, signed by the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Le Quan, is a historic decision. This is something we have long cherished and pondered, but only now has it become a reality. This decision will have a significant impact and will create breakthroughs in improving the quality and effectiveness of training and scientific research activities at Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc - Head of the Training Department of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, together with students from the University of Technology.

This decision provides scholarships of up to 100 million VND/year for doctoral students and 120 million VND/year for young PhDs with outstanding research capabilities and international publications. With this scholarship, plus other support from teaching and scientific research activities, doctoral students and interns can focus entirely on their research with peace of mind.

As you know, graduate students and young PhDs are a large, youthful, and enthusiastic source of scientific and technological human resources, playing a key role in carrying out scientific and technological tasks under the leadership of professors and leading scientists in the university.

This is a bold decision and a tremendous effort and determination on the part of the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi. This is the first time Vietnam National University, Hanoi has awarded such a large scholarship to doctoral students, and also the first time in the country that a public university has pioneered the establishment and awarding of scholarships for postdoctoral interns.

This decision will attract many talented graduate students and doctoral candidates to study and conduct research at VNU, thereby strengthening its position and scientific and technological potential. The influence and ranking of VNU within the Vietnamese and international higher education systems will undoubtedly be maintained and significantly improved in the coming years.

So, Professor, what are the requirements and responsibilities of the candidates who receive this scholarship?

With scholarships for graduate students:Applicants must be postgraduate students of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and no older than 40 years of age. A GPA of 2.8 or higher in undergraduate or postgraduate studies is required to apply for the scholarship.

For internsThis applies to all PhD holders from training institutions inside and outside VNU (including candidates currently residing abroad; both Vietnamese and foreign nationals) who are no older than 45 years old and wish to return to VNU for postdoctoral internship for a period of 1-3 years.

Graduate and intern candidates applying for scholarships from Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) must submit a research proposal, along with evidence of their achievements and research capabilities; be accepted as a research or internship candidate within a VNU research group and sponsored by a VNU scientific staff member; and have the approval of their training institution. The scholarship application and awarding process is quick and efficient.

To maintain the scholarship continuously for 3 years, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) requires that during their training period, doctoral students must meet the output standard of being the main author (named author/corresponding author) of at least 2 articles on the research results of their dissertation published in specialized scientific journals listed in the ISI/Scopus database, with at least 1 article published in a Q1 ranked journal (for natural sciences and technology fields) or at least 1 article published in a Q2 ranked journal or higher (for other fields).

For interns, the requirement is to publish at least one research paper per year in a Q2 or higher-ranked specialized scientific journal listed in the ISI/Scopus database.

In addition, postgraduate students and interns are considered an important force participating in scientific research activities at VNU, and are assigned to teaching positions and receive funding from teaching activities according to the regulations of the training institution.

Through this activity, on the one hand, training institutions gain a source of young, excellent lecturers, and on the other hand, postgraduate students and interns can participate in strong research groups at VNU, improving their teaching and research skills.

Professor, how do you assess the feasibility of this Regulation in attracting graduate students and interns?

This regulation is not only feasible but also fulfills the long-held aspirations of faculty members at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, who desire funding to recruit talented students. It also allows young doctoral and postgraduate students from other regions to participate in strong research groups at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, thereby enhancing their professional skills.

According to statistics from the Training Department, the current number of doctoral students at Vietnam National University, Hanoi is 1084. Of these, 350 are from engineering and technology fields, and 90% of them have international publications, making them eligible to receive and maintain scholarships.

Furthermore, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has the largest and strongest team of highly qualified scientific staff in the country, with 66 professors, 398 associate professors, and 1100 PhDs. VNU has nearly 100 research groups, including 29 strong research groups at the VNU level; in terms of facilities, it has 61 laboratories, of which 17 are key laboratories (including 1 national key laboratory). Five fields of VNU – Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, and Business and Management Studies – have been ranked 501-600 in the QS world rankings. Recently, in October 2021, two fields of Science and Computer Science and Engineering of VNU were ranked 601-800 in the THE WUR ranking, a highly prestigious academic ranking in the world. These are the reasons why I believe this Regulation is a very wise, effective, and timely decision by the Director of VNU, and will certainly attract many young postgraduate and doctoral students to VNU in the future.

As a leading professor at Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the field of advanced materials and structures, besides the scholarship policy to attract outstanding young doctoral and postgraduate students, what other aspirations does the professor have to enhance the influence, prestige, and ranking of Vietnam National University, Hanoi?

I would like to reiterate that Decision No. 3688/QD-DHQGHN dated November 19, 2021, signed by the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Le Quan, is an excellent decision that fulfills our long-held expectations. My research group alone could potentially attract dozens of outstanding graduate students and interns from both within and outside the country. This decision will create breakthroughs in enhancing the prestige, brand, and ranking of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

If asked what else I wish for, I would suggest that, in addition to this policy, there should be more direct and substantial investment in strong research groups – because these are the building blocks of a university's training, research, and technology transfer activities. On that basis, strong research groups would not only attract graduate students and young PhDs, but also have the opportunity to attract leading professors from abroad to work at VNU, participate in training and research, publish joint results, and allow Vietnamese scientists in these research groups to exchange and intern at leading laboratories and training institutions abroad. In this way, VNU would train outstanding scientists with many excellent publications, accessing the newest and most modern research directions in the world. This is also a lesson that many neighboring countries have successfully applied.

Thank you, Professor!