The grant program for basic research, implemented by Nafosted since 2009, is appreciated by the scientific community as a breakthrough in the management of scientific activities in Vietnam.
Mr. Do Tien Dung, acting Director of Nafosted, revealed that the Foundation has funded in total 487 projects of natural science. In 2011, NAFOSTED received 327 project proposals in 7 fields from 95 research institutes, universities and other organizations nationwide. The Foundation has finished the evaluation and selection process and is signing contract for the first round with 151 projects approved by the Board of Trustees. Projects having the same principle investigators with those in 2009 will be evaluated after their completion, expected to be in January 2012.
According to Thompson Reuters (ISI) Web of Knowledge, up to 2011, NAFOSTED-funded projects in natural science has produced 464 articles published in ISI-covered journals. The ISI journal publications of projects funded by NAFOSTED occupied a growing proportion of the total ISI journal articles by Vietnamese authors: from 4% in 2009 to 12% in 2010 and to 20% in 2011.
The Foundation is currently funding 29 research projects of science and technology, various of which applied at enterprises have commercial value and are highly profitable.
Continuous innovation
As stated by Mr. Do Tien Dung, the Foundation will keep innovating to improve the operations and management to meet international standards, which leads to the enhancement of scientific research quality. The evaluation of research quality has been following international standards. The Foundation has established criteria to assess research capability and results, invited excellent reviewers and scientific committees. This management method has created a stimulating environment in Vietnamese research institutions, at the same time it was welcomed by scientists from all over the country, especially young scientists.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Vice Head of Laboratory for Micro-nano Systems and Sensors Technology also believed that the scientists could concentrate on their research, owing to the effective funding from Nafosted. Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology declared that the Foundation has taken the right path in the innovation process that closed the gap between the scientists and administrators and helped them to collaborate in harmony in order to build an equal, efficient and transparent working mechanism. On the other hand, the Vice Minister reckoned that NAFOSTED would need to initiate and carry out new activities in the following years to uphold its brand. In addition, international cooperation activities with developed countries should be reinforced to improve the quality of research projects and give Vietnamese scientists opportunities to exchange with international scientists.
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