ANTD.VN - Two scientists, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, who received the 2021 VinFuture Prize for mRNA research, were named by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine committee, demonstrating the quality, prestige and global influence of the award from Vietnam.
This is the opinion of Prof. Dr. Ho Tu Bao, Director of the Data Science Laboratory, Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, when looking back at the past two seasons of VinFuture and preparing to welcome new names in season three at the end of December.
VinFuture's quality, reputation and global influence
In addition to the main prize of 3 million USD, the VinFuture Prize also awards 3 special prizes to scientists from developing countries, female scientists and new researchers, each worth 500,000 USD. According to scientists, “this is a large amount of money and really meaningful for those doing research”.
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| Prof. Katalin Kariko and Dr. Drew Weissman received the first VinFuture Main Prize, January 2022 (Photo: VFP) |
As for Professor Ho Tu Bao, from a broader perspective, it does not stop at the prize money but also combines scientific activities to see the value and international stature of VinFuture. VinFuture's sideline activities have "brought many famous scientists to Vietnam and vice versa, also let the world know more about Vietnam with an aspiration to develop science as a foundation for building the country", he said, adding that, from this perspective, the VinFuture Prize and other scientific activities of Vingroup have been and are making great contributions to the development of science in Vietnam.
He further explained that over the past five or six years, Vingroup has promoted many activities related to science and contributed to the community. These include the establishment of Big Data Research Institutes (VinBigData), sharing data sources and scientific resources; AI Research Institute (VinAI) with a program to nurture young AI talents (AI residency program); VinIF Innovation Fund with more than 100 projects, over 1,000 master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral scholarships, supporting hundreds of experts and organizing more than 130 scientific seminars...
Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tran Thuat, Deputy Director of the Center for Nano and Energy, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, assessed that on an international level, the VinFuture Prize has a scale, quality, prize value and prestige equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
Associate Professor Thuat also mentioned the fact that two scientists, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and said: “Surprise! I thought there would be a time when these two would win the Nobel Prize, but I didn’t think it would be so soon,” he said, adding that the similarity between the VinFuture Prize and the Nobel Prize is an honor for Vietnam because it awarded the prize to the scientist 3 years ago.
Previously, people often compared the prize in terms of the total value of money awarded, but now, this honor shows that VinFuture is similar in quality to Nobel.
“I hope the two scientists will help VinFuture create a great impact on the international community,” Associate Professor Thuat said.
Provide opportunities for long-term research collaboration
Looking back at the two seasons, Professor Tran Dinh Long, Chairman of the Vietnam Plant Breeding Association, highly appreciated the influence of VinFuture when the council selected projects that were of high scientific and practical significance. “The award is presented in Vietnam and initiated and sponsored by Vietnamese people, so it will help the image of Vietnam become known to the world,” said Professor Long.
He believes that VinFuture will be a driving force for domestic scientists to promote highly innovative basic research, helping Vietnamese scientists connect with world scientists, including overseas Vietnamese scientists.
In the second season, there was an award for the research on isolating rice genes (Sub1A) to develop high-yield, flood-resistant rice varieties by Professor Pamela C. Ronald, which, according to Professor Long, is “very admirable”. He said that in Vietnam, flood-resistant rice varieties have also been created, but basic research is still weak, so it is necessary to cooperate with foreign experts in research. Through the award, scientists can meet and discuss to seek opportunities for research cooperation.
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| VinFuture Science and Technology Week 2022 brings together the world's leading scientists (Photo: VFP) |
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tran Thuat sees VinFuture as an “inspirational award”. He believes that thanks to VinFuture, Vietnamese scientists will be more confident and courageous in their willingness to commit to scientific research despite facing many difficulties.
The story of Katalin Karikó's scientific research life shows that, even though they come from a country with a low scientific background, researchers can become leaders in their fields.
“If Vietnamese scientists persistently pursue their technology, pursue scientific research ideas, try to compensate materially for their personal lives, and find sources of funding for scientific research, the results will come,” Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tran Thuat expects.
Driving force for innovation in Vietnam
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang, Director of the Mekong Delta High-Tech Agricultural Research Institute, said that in the second season she was invited to attend a workshop with scientists researching rice varieties. She shared that Prof. Pamela C. Ronald - the author of the research project on isolating rice genes (Sub1A) to develop high-yield, flood-resistant rice varieties - is also her friend. Prof. Lang highly appreciated the fact that a Vietnamese entrepreneur founded and organized a major award and meaningful networking activities with scientists. Here, a lot of information was exchanged and connected with international experts and scientists to create a scientific cooperation network, contributing value to the community and society.
Like many others, Professor Lang hopes that Vietnamese scientists will soon have their work included in the award list. Then she believes the impact will be much stronger.
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| Professor Pamela Christine Ronald - winner of the VinFuture 2022 special award for female scientists (Photo: VFP) |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, Senior Expert on Research and Development of Innovation Ecosystem, National Innovation Center, Ministry of Planning and Investment, said that in the innovation ecosystem diagram, awards honoring scientists and technological innovators are one of the eight important factors. A well-developed ecosystem that supports many innovators and innovators needs more valuable and prestigious awards like VinFuture. The award not only honors those who come up with new ways of doing things, but also encourages others to take on difficult and risky innovation tasks.
In Vietnam, for the first time, there is an award of great international value, honoring international technology and scientific researchers, bringing them closer to the Vietnamese scientific community. “We can exchange with them at a very close distance in both expertise and image. This is a wonderful thing not only for experts but also has a great impact on the entire innovation ecosystem of Vietnam,” said Ms. Dung.
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