Rector of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology Huynh Quyet Thang said the school attaches much importance to developing research teams and offering open policies for them.

The school gives financial support to scientists with an H-Index of 15 or higher, or 2-3 articles published in prestigious international journals a year, so as to be sure that they have incomes high enough to devote themselves to scientific research.

In recent years, the school has encouraged its lecturers and researchers to conduct scientific research works at ministries, branches and enterprises. This, according to Thang, allows them to have insight and practical research thinking.

The school also creates favorable conditions for students to join strong research teams and support them to turn ideas into products.

“It would be a big waste if talented students just can show their excellent ideas on theses,” he said.

Attracting young talents into strong research teams is also what the Hanoi National University is striving for. Once establishing a research team in advanced materials and structures more than 10 years ago, Dr Nguyen Dinh Duc said he came to the lecture hall and chose the best students to lead.

At first, the research team only comprises several members, but there are now 30-40 students and PhDs. The team has published nearly 300 scientific research works with more than 100 articles published in ISI journals.

Duc believes that a research team can connect training and scientific research, thus discovering and fostering talents. This is both the goal and the way of development for universities.

As for Phenikaa Univeristy, according to its Rector Pham Thanh Huy, the first research teams were established in 2019. To date, the school has 10 strong research teams and 11 potential research teams.

Research teams are required to make commitments on the number of scientific research works to be published, useful solutions, technology transfer contracts as well as the numbers of postgraduates to be trained and the numbers of students to join the teams.

Building strong research teams, according to schools’ leaders, is necessary.

A report showed that the number of ISI articles from universities accounted for four-fifths of total articles from Vietnam in 2020. This means that leading scientists in theory are working for universities.

According to Duc, there are many posgraduates who have excellent international publications. Some of them, by the time of defending theses, have had 20 international publications. This is also a goal of many foreign education establishments.

In order to retain talent, according to Duc, it is necessary to ensure favorable conditions, especially the financial factor.

“In order to have good research, scientists need to have a certain level of income that can ensure their lives,” he said. 

Thuy Nga

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