Discuss and propose key solutions to innovate student scientific research activities at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Dr. Dao Thanh Truong outlined several key points: providing feedback on the draft plan for organizing the university-level Student Scientific Research Conference, sharing the results of student scientific research in the faculty in 2022, and offering advice on innovating student scientific research, improving the quality of research, linking student scientific research with international publications, enhancing the quality of education, and increasing job opportunities after graduation through scientific research.

Representatives from the Science Management Department presented some details regarding the plan for organizing the university-level student conference: the conference is tentatively scheduled for May, all first-prize winning reports from the faculties will be presented directly at the conference, and the authors of the second and third-prize winning reports will attend. The Head of the Faculty responsible for scientific research is requested to review and finalize the complete information about the authors of the winning reports.

Representatives from various faculties and departments contributed many opinions, focusing on several issues: in the last year or two, the number of students participating in scientific presentations has not been as large as in previous years. The objective reasons could be the pandemic, but the main reason is the tight timeframe, which doesn't allow students enough time to prepare a scientific project; the benefits students would receive from scientific research are not truly attractive to them.

Therefore, representatives from the faculties also proposed several solutions: The organizational plan should start early (perhaps in October to give students at least 5-6 months to prepare a serious, high-quality research project); the regulations regarding the use of funds could be adjusted, as faculties currently return surplus funds annually while remuneration for participating students and staff is extremely limited; and the funds should be allocated not only to the annual student scientific conference but also to scientific research activities. This would allow the faculties to proactively plan and have the necessary funds to implement various other student research activities throughout the academic year.

Regarding the financial support for student research reports, it is still quite limited and lacks motivation. Representatives from various departments suggested adding other forms of encouragement: expanding scientific research exchange activities with universities in other countries, giving students the opportunity to interact and gain practical experience abroad; supporting students in publishing in the university's journals or domestic journals to further their applications for postgraduate studies and doctoral programs, and to increase their chances of applying for scholarships to study abroad. There is also a need for communication sessions to help students understand that student scientific research is a practice session with meticulous guidance from professors and research experts on research orientation and methodology. This knowledge is extremely important for students in their future studies and careers. Awards for encouragement should also be added.

Based on listening to all the opinions exchanged by representatives of the Faculties and Departments, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong concluded: First of all, on behalf of the University's leadership, I would like to thank the leaders and scientific assistants of the Faculties and Departments for their very relevant and specific suggestions on many issues: the timing and roadmap for implementing student scientific conferences at all levels, support policies to encourage and attract student participation, and criteria for scoring research projects. The Scientific Management Department has fully recorded and carefully studied all opinions to make reasonable adjustments to ensure the effective implementation of student scientific research activities in 2022 and subsequent years. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong also affirmed: regarding the timing, early announcements should be made as early as October, and the faculty-level student conferences should be implemented by March to avoid the situation where many students drop out midway after registering due to the tight preparation time; additional funding should be allocated for the encouragement prize; Cash prizes could be awarded at the conference to increase motivation; student scientific research should be both a movement to encourage and attract a large number of students to participate, but also require individual investment in high-quality research; and scientific research activities should be linked with domestic and international publications.

Here are some photos from the conference.