“On behalf of VNU, I would like to congratulate and express our sincere thanks to Prof. Suzi Jarvis and Dr. Colman Farrell, the partners who I first met in 2017 and have now become close friends of VNU”.

“Prof. Suzi Jarvis and Dr. Colman Farrell are talented experts dedicated to educational activities. Established and developed from scratch, to date, after more than ten years, UCD Innovation Academy has become the flagship in implementing world-class innovative educational activities and promoting industrial linkages. I know that Professor Suzi’s original aim of founding the Innovation Academy was to build a team of practitioner educators to provide a transformational educational experience to contribute to the socio-economic development of Ireland. Now, the activities and influences of the Academy and the two friends of mine have gone beyond the boundary of the beautiful country of Ireland. After two years of training VNU entrepreneurial educators under the VIBE Project, the spirit of VIBE has been deeply absorbed and widely spread across VNU, contributing effectively to the educational renovation at VNU in particular and in Vietnam in general”, VNU President Nguyen Kim Son shared.

Prof. Suzi Jarvis

At the ceremony, Prof. Suzi Jarvis and Dr. Colman Farrell expressed their sincere thanks to VNU and honour to receive the VNU Medals. Prof Suzi emphasized, “The thing that has impressed me most in the past 2 years since the implementation of the VIBE project at VNU is that we have the opportunity to make friends and work with more than 120 VNU staff, lecturers - creative, dedicated, hardworking and intelligent educators. We are willing and look forward to cooperating with VNU for not only 2 years but for many years to come”.

“I am strongly impressed with VNU participants. You dare to start making changes, even to smallest things and from there create great value. In particular, in addition to the fact that each individual can apply the knowledge and skills s/he has learned in teaching activities, you all have formed a community of educators with the spirit of entrepreneurship - ONE VNU, to spread the innovation activities within VNU”, Dr Colman said.

Dr. Colman Farrell

With the support of the Irish Embassy in Vietnam and in collaboration with UCD Innovation Academy, VNU has been implementing the VIBE project on “Building capacity of academic staff members and senior leaders at Vietnam National University, Hanoi by entrepreneurial approach to foster 21st century skills and attributes in students” (VIBE 2017.08 project) since April 2018.

The course is taught by Prof Suzi Jarvis - Founding Director of UCD Innovation Academy and Dr. Colman Farrell - Social Entrepreneur Award winner, Irish leading educational experts. These experts have piloted, developed and expanded the program for more than 500 teaching staff in Ireland, Malaysia, Switzerland and Vietnam.

Up to now, VNU has organized 4 training courses in April, November 2018 and May 2019 for 87 VNU teaching and management staff, and is currently conducting the 4^th course for more than 40 VNU officials and lecturers. A number of excellent students have been selected to study and exchange in Ireland for a period of 9 to 13 days. Accordingly, there were 5 students of Course 1; 9 of Course 2; and 12 of Course 3, chosen to go to Ireland in June, 2018, March and October 2019.