Professor Tran Thanh Van proposed developing a key research institute in physics
The information was mentioned by Professor Tran Thanh Van, President of Vietnam Meets Science Association, Director of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in a working session with Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan on the afternoon of July 13.
Here, Professor Tran Thanh Van expressed his desire for Vietnam to increasingly develop and have a worthy position on the world scientific map. He said that Vietnam has a lot of potential, but "needs to create a suitable environment and mechanism for scientists to fully develop their creative capacity".
He proposed that the Ministry of Science and Technology consider a stable, medium and long-term support mechanism for the ICISE Center, through the Nafosted Fund. This capital will be used to organize international conferences, attract foreign experts and support young scientists, graduate students and Vietnamese students.
Another proposal is to sponsor two international scientific events organized by ICISE, including the Science and Technology Conference for Sustainable Development and the Quy Nhon Dialogue Forum on Climate and Transition. According to Professor Van, the goal of organizing two forums is to attract leaders, scientists and international organizations to Vietnam to discuss strategic issues such as AI, quantum, nuclear energy and climate change.
Besides, he asked the Ministry to pay attention and bring science and technology closer to the public, especially the younger generation. Science discovery centers need to be located in big cities, so students can easily come and experience them. "The passion for research needs to be awakened in children from an early age," he said.
Appreciating the contributions of Professor Tran Thanh Van and Professor Le Kim Ngoc, Minister Vu Hai Quan expressed the Ministry's viewpoint in accompanying and supporting scientists and those who return to Vietnam to contribute to the country. "That is the responsibility of the Ministry of Science and Technology," he affirmed.
With the proposals of Professor Tran Thanh Van, the Minister said he would discuss with the Department of Science and Technology and the Departments of Education and Training in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to research and develop scientific discovery centers similar to the facility developed by Professor Van in Quy Nhon. He said that "the future of science and technology in Vietnam depends on the young generation", so it is necessary to instill passion in children from a young age.
The Minister also accepted the invitation to participate in the Science and Technology Conference for Sustainable Development organized by ICISE. With the Quy Nhon Dialogue forum on Climate and Transition, he will report to the Government because this content is beyond the Ministry's authority.
Regarding the proposal to support ICISE, the Minister said that units in the Ministry will coordinate and guide the center to develop a comprehensive project, as a basis for considering stable resource allocation in the next three or five years.
Regarding the proposal to develop IFIRSE into an excellent research institute in physics, the Minister said that it is necessary to take steps step by step, starting from an excellent basic research program in physics. This research group could form the basis of an institute or a national physics center. The Ministry of Science and Technology will support funding if the project has clear products and roadmaps in the next 5-10 years. He also noted that with basic research, the main products are articles, international scientific works and scientific reputation.
Professor Tran Thanh Van is a French-Vietnamese physicist. He is a master in the field of theoretical atomic physics, one of three Asians awarded the Tate Medal of the American Physical Society.
In 1993, he founded the Vietnam Meeting Science Association to support his homeland in the fields of science and education. Twenty years later, the International Center for Science and Interdisciplinary Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhon that he founded was inaugurated.
To date, the ICISE center has organized nearly 200 international scientific events, attracting about 12,000 scientists from 40 countries and territories. Through Professor Tran Thanh Van's network, 19 Nobel Prize-winning scientists came to exchange and share with the domestic scientific community.
Trong Dat