The Need for Collaborations to Achieve the Potential of a Country in Transition:
The Case of Vietnam
Dr. Pham Thi Ly
Director, Center for Higher Education Evaluation and Research Nguyen Tat Thanh University (CHEER)
Vietnam at a glance
COUNTRY PROFILE • Factor-driven. 87.8 millions population. • GDP per capita 1709 USD in 2013. • Very young population , 58% of the people are below 24 • A population age build-up allowing in 30 years of a steady flow of
equal size cohorts of increasingly better trained university graduates
• Large growth potential in number of graduating young scientist • Little incentive to stay in Academia as private sector pay is much
higher
Number of colleges and universities
0
50
100
150
200
250
1999-2000 2004-2005 2009-2010 2012
Colleges Universities
Number of teaching staff
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
1999-2000 2004-2005 2009-2010 2012
Colleges Universities
Number of students
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
1400000
1600000
1999-2000 2004-2005 2009-2010 2012
Colleges Universities
University gross enrolment rate of Vietnam compared with neighboring countries
Source: UNESCO Education statistics website
Student enrollment in private and public universities in Vietnam
Estimated 30,000 staff involved in research
1,320 institutions involved in R&D (11% located in universities and 6% are in private sector; 70% located in Ha Noi, 15% in HCMC)
Three kinds of public institutions are involved:
- Two national research institutes (VAST and VASS)
- 180 research units under controls of various ministries or gov. agencies at national and provincial level
- 163 universities that undertake research with faculties/research units
Research Institutes and Personnel
Source: Tuan V Nguyen, Ly T Pham. Scientometrics 7-2011
but the outcomes are far from what would be expected
Source: Web of Science (ISI), date accessed: 25/11/2013
7227
27200
33472
5900 4407
47262
Vietnam Thailand Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Singapore
Scientific output: number of publications in ISI journals 2009-2013
National ER&I sector management
Source: Ly Pham. Chapter 7. Effectiveness of Research and Innovation Management at Policy and Institutional levels in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Asa Olson and Meek et al. OECD Publishing
Future Directions & Potential Collaborations
NATIONAL PLAN FOR SUPPORTING S&T
considered science and technology as the top national priorities and the foundation of industrialization and modernization.
identified the reasons for weaknesses
inadequate investment, lack of effective policy development
and monitoring mechanisms, loose connections between state agencies, and so on.
Party Congress since 1986- 2011
Resolution No.20-NQ/TW, dated November 1, 2012, "On the development of science and technology to serve industrialization and modernization country under conditions of socialist orientated market economy and the international integration"
• The government plans to increase public expenditure on S&T. It intends to achieve a level of 1% of GDP over the period from 2013 to 2015, rising to 1.5% to 1.7% over the period from 2016 to 2020.
• The revised Law of Science and Technology proposes more
reliance on competition to distribute research grants and a more restrictive approach to the provision of research funds
NATIONAL PLAN FOR SUPPORTING S&T
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2001-2005 2006-2010 2013-2015 2016-2020
%GDP
PUBLIC SPENDING FOR S&T
Restructure S&T institutions: more focused and prioritized. Focus investments in the two national research academies (Vietnam Academy of S&T and Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences).
Research priorities:
Information and communication technology
Biology technology
New material technology
Technology of machine manufacturing and automation
Environmental technology
Promoting the enforcement of law on intellectual property.
S&T NATIONAL STRATEGIES 2011-2020
To amend, supplement and finalize policies on attracting Vietnamese overseas and foreign scientists to participate in S&T activities in Vietnam; and
apply mechanisms of hiring domestic and foreign experts funded by the State budget.
S&T NATIONAL STRATEGIES 2011-2020: research human resources
Decree (NĐ-119) commits the State to meeting 30% of the total expenditure by private-sector corporations when they undertake R&D projects in collaboration with universities.
97% business/industry are SME – not yet given much attention to R&D
For state-owned enterprises, cooperation with domestic, foreign or Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) partners are considered much more important channel than cooperation with universities/research institutes
Collaborations are still limited = there is room to grow
Linkages between research and business/industry
Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park (1998, 1586 hectare ) in Ha Noi- priorities are information and communication technology and software technology; bio-technology for Agriculture, aquaculture and health; microelectronics technology, precision machinery, optoelectronics and automation technology, new material technology, nano-technology; environmental friendly technology, new energy technology
Saigon High Tech Park (2002, 918 hectare) in Ho Chi Minh City – adjacent to VN National University HCMC (15,000 students in S&T). 26 companies, employing more than 11,000 employees and a total registered investment of US $2 billions. focusing on education, bio-
technology, start-up incubators, training centers, software, R&D, telecom.
High Tech Parks in Vietnam
At national level, Viet Nam is moving from receiving international funds for research projects that are mostly monitored by foreign partners to the position of being an equal investor in some projects. Viet Nam even proactively proposes international collaboration research projects that address national issues.
At institutional level, there are some positive examples of int. research collaboration such as University of Technology-VNUHCM – Mostly based on individual relationships
"Fostering Innovation through Research, Science and Technology“ Project (FIRST) = 110 millions USD
International research collaborations
The intensity of international collaboration research work
Source: Hien Pham D (2010) Higher Education Vol. 60, No 6, 615-625
International research collaborations
Source: Ly Pham Tho DD, Tuan V Nguyen. Scientific Outputs and Impacts of VNUHCM (In press)
2006-2010
Vietnam Research and Education Network (VinaREN) (part of the Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN)
Vietscholars Network
Asia Pacific Research Network
Research networks
Research output (2006-2010)
Source: Tuan Nguyen, Ly Pham, 2011. Scientometrics
Countries All disciplines Med Immunity Biochemist and genetics
Pharmacy Agronomy Environment
U.S.A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 UK 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Germany 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 France 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 Canada 5 3 7 6 5 4 3 Australia 10 10 10 11 11 6 7 Japan 6 11 4 4 6 8 12 China 18 25 23 20 17 20 18 Korea 21 27 21 19 20 24 22 Singapore 31 35 39 23 33 38 38 Philippines 56 54 72 51 70 37 49 Indonesia 58 69 47 69 71 42 45 Malaysia 54 65 52 59 49 46 46 Thailand 39 38 27 42 39 41 41 Viet Nam 61 50 48 75 66 69 71
Where Vietnam scientific research is standing in the world?
Rankings 235 countries /territories based on H index
Source: Tuan Nguyen, 2011. www.nguyenvantuan.net
Countries Math Physics Computer Sciences
Engineering Material Sciences Finance and Economics
Social Sciences
U.S.A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 UK 3 2 2 2 4 2 2 Germany 2 2 3 3 2 5 4 France 4 5 4 6 5 6 7 Canada 6 11 5 5 7 3 3 Australia 13 20 12 11 11 7 6 Japan 9 4 8 4 3 20 19 China 10 12 11 9 6 18 16 Korea 20 16 18 12 9 19 21 Singapore 25 33 20 19 17 25 23 Philippines 80 84 73 76 83 46 66 Indonesia 89 69 75 67 70 38 43 Malaysia 70 67 42 45 43 51 52 Thailand 65 61 45 44 65 35 40 Viet Nam 55 59 67 74 71 54 67
Where Vietnam scientific research is standing in the world?
Source: Tuan Nguyen, 2011. www.nguyenvantuan.net Extracted from www.scimagorjr.com/countryrank.php
Average citation per paper and per year for selected countries (2006-2010)
Source: www.nguyanvantuan.org
Conclusion Unbalance between current achievements and the needs
There are positive international collaborations but not with Switzerland
Lots of potentials for research collaborations : Vietnam is growing quickly in every concerned: GDP, higher education sector, research outputs, etc.,
What need to be done:
capacity building,
promoting research network,
policy environment improvement for encouraging partnerships,
identifying research need and collaboration possibilities
