Building a University of Technology: focusing on enhancing the capacity of young staff members.

- What is the university's general perspective on building a research university, sir?

Research universities are a common development trend for universities worldwide. Currently, the universities with the best quality of education and recognized by society are all research universities. Therefore, this is also one of the priorities in the long-term development strategy of Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

In reality, at Vietnamese universities, teaching activities often take precedence over research. However, these are two key activities of a university, and if separated, they cannot complement each other effectively. Without good research, good teaching is also impossible.

So what exactly is a research university? Simply put, a research university is one that focuses on research, considering it crucial, even pivotal, as the foundation for other activities. The quality and effectiveness of scientific research contribute to improving the quality of other activities such as training, management, university administration, and faculty development. The quality of research is a measure of a university's prestige and standing. A high level of scientific content enables a research university to train individuals with scientific knowledge and thinking, scientific management methods, strategic vision and thinking, and humanistic qualities. The scientific foundation of a research university provides many such valuable benefits.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi). (Photo: Thanh Long/USSH)

- What criteria does the University of Social Sciences and Humanities use to realize its goal of becoming a research university?

In its journey to becoming a research university, the institution has identified four important criteria:

The first criterion is the quality of scientific research works and the ability to transfer knowledge. This is the most important factor. This criterion is quantified in numbers such as: how many research works do lecturers publish annually, how many books, textbooks, monographs, and scientific articles do they publish...? How do these works contribute to solving theoretical and practical problems, long-term and immediate issues, scientific and applied issues, fundamental and topical issues... of the country? This criterion accounts for 50% of the total.

The second criterion is the quality of training activities, meaning that training activities must focus on quality, with the main measures being the quality and qualifications of the teaching staff, the student-to-lecturer ratio, the ratio of postgraduate students to the total number of students, the content and methods of training, the employment rate of graduates, the ability of graduates to meet societal demands, and the evaluation of recruiting agencies… This criterion accounts for 40% of the total.

The third criterion is the level of internationalization: how many faculty and students from the university participate in overseas exchange programs each year? How many international scientists and lecturers does the university host for research and teaching? How many international cooperation programs are there in training and scientific research? What is the degree of compatibility between the content, curriculum, and teaching methods of the university and those of international universities? This criterion accounts for 5% of the total.

The fourth criterion is the availability of facilities for learning and research. This criterion is measured by the library facilities, learning materials, number of classrooms, laboratories, and the number of networked computers used for training and scientific research at the university. This is also a crucial factor because if the facilities are not modern and comprehensive, it will be very difficult to conduct research and training at a research university.

The four criteria above form the basis for evaluating whether a university is a research university, but the most crucial and important aspect of a research university is building a truly academic environment that values ​​creativity, pioneering spirit, democracy, respect for new scientific ideas, a sense of service to the community, and the peaceful and prosperous development of the country.

- In its strategy for building a research university, does the institution take into account the unique characteristics of the social sciences and humanities?

Clearly, the social sciences and humanities face unique challenges. Unlike other fields such as natural sciences, technology, or medicine, the social sciences and humanities are complex, involving issues of history, culture, tradition, political institutions, and differing values ​​and norms across countries. Therefore, publishing research findings in the social sciences and humanities is difficult, not only for Vietnamese scholars but also for those from other countries (especially Asia). Furthermore, due to a long period of limited interaction with the outside world, a significant gap exists between Vietnamese and international social scientists in terms of methodology, research approaches, and perspectives. Access to information and resources is also limited for Vietnamese scientists, and finally, there is the language barrier. It should also be emphasized that the majority of prestigious social science and humanities journals are based in the United States and Western countries.

- To implement the above policy, what activities has the school carried out in the past year?

First and foremost, we are concerned with raising awareness among faculty, students, and trainees about this policy. Regular and diverse dissemination and promotion activities are carried out to help everyone understand the significance of building a research university for the mission and development of the institution. In fact, even in Singapore and Malaysia, universities have only been interested in building research universities for the past 20 years. However, in Vietnam, this policy has only been officially implemented by the Vietnam National University for the past year. Of all the challenges, changing perceptions is perhaps the most significant. Therefore, the university has taken every opportunity, through meetings, conferences, and seminars, to disseminate the policy of building the university into a research university to faculty and students.

During the past academic year, the university organized two delegations of key officials to survey and learn from the experiences of building research universities at leading universities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Alongside these activities, the University has also issued many specific policies and guidelines to support and encourage scientific research activities among staff, students, and trainees. Since 2010, the University has had a policy of rewarding staff with internationally published scientific works with 5,000,000 VND per report. Since 2013, this reward has been adjusted to encourage staff to publish research results in journals with high scientific impact indices listed in the ISI and Scopus databases, with corresponding rewards of 12,000,000 VND and 8,000,000 VND per report. Rewards for other international publications are 5 million, 3 million, and 2 million VND. For a long time, according to the University's regulations, each teaching staff member must publish at least one article per year in domestic scientific journals.

To enhance the research capacity of its staff, the university also provides a subsidy of up to 500 USD per year for each staff member to attend international seminars and conferences if they present a paper. However, it must be acknowledged that this is a very modest amount, and in reality, not many staff members have used this support. In addition, the university organizes an average of 20 to 30 international seminars annually to provide opportunities for staff, students, and trainees to interact and exchange ideas with foreign scholars.

One activity undertaken for the first time this past academic year was the selection of high-quality research papers, books, and scientific articles for translation into English, with the aim of publishing them in a reputable scientific journal or publishing house abroad. This is a necessary activity to "market" the research of the university's staff to the international scientific community.

In April 2014, the University held its first scientific conference for young faculty members, doctoral candidates, and postgraduate students. The conference was a resounding success, demonstrating the immense potential of this group, the aspirations of young faculty members, and promising many future prospects. This will become an annual event for the University, serving as a forum for young faculty members to present their new research findings and contribute to promoting academic exchange among them.

Furthermore, it's worth mentioning the effectively organized annual student research activities, which raise awareness and inspire students about the importance of research, paving the way for higher education. A preliminary survey among students shows that over 80% of respondents believe that research is necessary and very important for their studies and research.

So, what are the most noteworthy results after the school implemented the above solutions?

A notable achievement during the past academic year was that the university's staff successfully bid for and were awarded 12 state-level research projects, along with dozens of projects at the ministerial, VNU-level, and Nafosen Foundation levels. This is an impressive number, unprecedented in the university's research activities. Specifically, during the past academic year, the university's staff published over 600 domestic articles, nearly 30 international articles, dozens of high-quality textbooks, monographs, and reference books, and won 3 outstanding scientific awards from VNU, the Best Book Award, and had 2 research groups recognized as strong research groups at the VNU level. In the 2010-2011 academic year, when the policy of rewarding internationally published works was first implemented, only 7 scientific papers were published internationally. However, by the 2011-2012 academic year, this number had increased to 11, to 21 in 2012-2013, and according to unofficial figures this year, nearly 30 scientific papers have been published internationally. These numbers partly reflect the positive transformation in the research activities of the university's staff.

But the most important result is the positive shift in awareness among staff regarding the necessity of international publications for researchers and lecturers. To date, discussions and exchanges about this policy are easily heard at any conference or meeting. Faculty members are enthusiastic and striving to ensure their research meets the criteria of international scientific journals. In the future, the university will also research and develop additional policies to encourage, reward, and honor staff members with high-quality scientific publications.

- What is the biggest challenge facing the University on its path to becoming a research university?

The biggest challenge is the need for more high-quality scientific works. Many of our works have not met societal needs because of their low quality, lack of practical application, detachment from reality, and failure to address fundamental problems of Vietnamese society. This is not to mention the fact that many works have not yet met international standards. Therefore, the research capacity of our staff and scientists is a crucial issue.

- What is the school's main solution to this problem, sir?

We must focus all resources on enhancing the research capabilities of young staff members. They must be sent abroad for training and study at leading universities. Priority must be given to investing in and supporting young staff members in their research and studies, especially creating opportunities for them to integrate and exchange knowledge internationally, learn from experience, and hone their skills. We must begin implementing these measures now so that in the future we will have a strong scientific workforce, well-trained, up-to-date with the latest research trends and knowledge from around the world, and capable of integrating with the global scientific community.

Thank you, teacher, for your comments.