The Ministry of Science and Technology wants to promote research and innovation with Australia
The proposal was made by Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan at a meeting with Professor Andrew Parfitt, Principal and President of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), on the sidelines of the TechConnect forum in Sydney on August 10.
According to the Minister, cooperation between units in Vietnam and schools in Australia over the past decades has mainly focused on education. The two sides need to expand into research and innovation activities, with programs involving universities, research institutes and businesses.
"This is a big shift, from focusing only on training to promoting both research and innovation," he said, proposing UTS to become the foundation for this shift.
Three directions of cooperation proposed by the Minister include developing TechConnect into an annual forum between Vietnam and Australia on science, technology, innovation and human resource training; UTS becomes the platform connecting the Strategic Technology Center in Vietnam with partners in Australia; and promote joint research programs.
With TechConnect, the head of Vietnam's Science and Technology industry wants the event to become an annual activity between the two countries. In particular, UTS can participate in the organization, with a plan to rotate locations between Australia and Vietnam.
For the Strategic Technology Center, he proposed that UTS play the role of a connecting platform for the Australian side, instead of just implementing separate cooperation programs with each Vietnamese partner. UTS is currently a partner with the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology and Ho Chi Minh City National University in Vietnam.
Regarding the transition from training to research and innovation, Minister Vu Hai Quan proposed that in 2026, the two sides co-sponsor two projects. If agreed, the two sides can announce cooperation in October, when Professor Andrew Parfitt is expected to come to Vietnam.
Agreeing with the proposed direction of cooperation, Professor Andrew Parfitt said that the school has experience implementing research projects with many partners at the same time and is ready to coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology as well as Vietnamese universities.
"Vietnam is one of our important, if not the most important, strategic partners, especially in the field of research," he said. For proposed projects, UTS will work with partners to prepare content and consider counterpart funding sources. The school can also seek additional funding from the Australian government and businesses.
The two sides also plan to discuss doctoral training. Minister Vu Hai Quan said that the Ministry of Science and Technology has an Excellent Doctoral Scholarship Program, with support up to 40,000 USD per graduate student per year. PhD students can go to Australia to conduct research with partners.
UTS is currently one of the major technological universities in Australia, ranked 87th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2027. In 2026, the school ranked 77th in the world in the Engineering and Technology group according to QS.
The school has research units on artificial intelligence, data science, and technology. The UTS AI Institute has more than 200 PhD students, while units such as UTS Rapido and UTS Tech Lab focus on prototype development, testing and turning research results into products and solutions.
The Vietnam - Australia TechConnect 2026 Forum took place on August 10 at the University of Technology Sydney, bringing together more than 300 delegates from the two countries' science, technology, education and innovation ecosystems. The event includes high-level plenary sessions, thematic sessions, activities connecting institutes - schools - businesses and an exhibition area introducing technologies in AI, health, education, automation and renewable energy.
TechConnect is an activity during the state visit to Australia on August 9-12 of General Secretary and President To Lam, at the invitation of Governor General Sam Mostyn. This is the first time the General Secretary and President have come to Australia in a new position, and is also the first visit of a key Vietnamese leader since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024.
Luu Quy