VNU President Le Quan and General Director of RMIT Vietnam Prof. Claire Macken cut the ribbon to open the VNU-RMIT INNOVATION HUB.

Located in the QGHN-04 complex in VNU town in Hoa Lac, the VNU-RMIT Innovation Hub with nearly 1,000 square metres of floor space and modern facilities is expected to connect VNU and RMIT with education and business partners to jointly carry out research and development projects focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

RMIT will work closely with VNU’s main coordinator for the hub, VNU Information Technology Institute (VNU-ITI), to support the training of high-quality human resources at doctoral and post-doctoral levels, as well as collaborate in organizing conferences, seminars, and academic exchange activities in Vietnam and Australia.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor STEM College and Vice-President of RMIT Vietnam Professor Ian Burnett said: “STEM disciplines will be particularly critical to Vietnam’s future to drive innovation, economic growth, and societal development. Investment in research and infrastructure to promote cutting-edge scientific research and foster collaboration between the top universities of Vietnam in these fields is an exciting step.”

Addressing the ceremony, General Director of RMIT Vietnam Professor Claire Macken also stated: “I have great hopes that with our synergistic partnership, RMIT and VNU-ITI will contribute to Vietnam becoming a key player in the global technology landscape.”

VNU Vice President Pham Bao Son added that as the country's leading institution for education and research in science and technology, VNU puts a strong focus on mastering, transferring, and applying technology to serve economic growth and societal development. “With RMIT being a leader in STEM and well known for innovation, entrepreneurship and industry connections, we look forward to more cooperative projects with the university,” said VNU Vice President Pham Bao Son.

According to VNU-ITI Director Tran Xuan Tu, one of the objectives of the hub is to help businesses access scientific and technological solutions for important emerging areas, such as new materials, semiconductor technology, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence.

“Our aspiration when building the hub was to not only connect top scientists, but also engage with more businesses from both Vietnam and Australia, so that our research can benefit from practical insights and serve practical needs,” Mr. Tran Xuan Tu said.

RMIT and VNU’s partnership started in 1995 when the two institutions signed a bilateral cooperation agreement. The initial outcomes from the partnership include the launch of a systems development centre for VNU, quality assurance activities, study exchange programs, co-organised international conferences and seminars.

In 2017, RMIT and VNU signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their cooperation in areas, such as academic quality, leadership training, joint research projects, research supervision, etc.

Since 2018, the two partners have extended their cooperation into areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, engineering, and business.