Exploring Future Collaborations: German and Vietnamese Scientists Unite at German-Vietnamese Science Day 2023

As the world becomes more interconnected, the importance of international cooperation and collaboration in scientific research has become increasingly evident, especially in the global fight against the climate crisis. The German-Vietnamese Science Day is a usually bi-annual event that brings together scientists, researchers, and policymakers from Germany and Viet Nam. The event provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and the exploration of potential collaborations between German and Vietnamese scientists. The 2023 edition was held on 26 and 27 April in Danang after a pandemic induced pause, co-organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST),

The event brought together researchers from various fields, including environmental science, engineering, medicine, and social sciences. The participants shared their latest research findings including those of existing German-Vietnamese research projects, discussed current challenges facing their respective fields, and explored opportunities for collaboration.

Speakers highlighted the importance of scientific cooperation between Viet Nam and Germany and emphasised the need for joint research projects that address global challenges such as climate change and NDC implementation.

The German representatives reconfirmed the German commitment to strengthening scientific cooperation with Viet Nam and highlighted the importance of the German-Vietnamese University as a key element of the partnership between the two countries.

The event included several keynote speeches and panel discussions on a range of topics, including research at universities, biodiversity research, clean water in rural areas, sustainable urban development, health science and industry partnerships, flood risk adaptation, climate change and bioeconomy. Another focus were funding opportunities where also the IKI and its calls were presented.

Overall, the German-Vietnamese Science Day was a successful event that reinforced the strong partnership between Germany and Vietnam in the field of science and technology. The event also highlighted the importance of bridging research and implementation, in that respect the presence and active participation of several IKI implementers (FES, WWF and GIZ) was appreciated. Participants from the academic community showed strong interest in exploring potential synergies with existing IKI projects as well as forming partnerships for future idea submissions for the IKI calls.

For an overview of ongoing and past German-Vietnamese research projects you can consult the webpage of FONA, the project office for sustainability research in Viet Nam.