On the evening of December 20, the VinFuture Award ceremony took place in Hanoi. This award was presented by VinFuture - a non-profit foundation founded by Vingroup Chairman - Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife - Ms. Pham Thu Huong.

The award system consists of 4 categories, of which the Main Prize worth 3 million USD is one of the world's largest prizes in the field of science and technology. In addition, there are 3 Special Prizes, each worth 500,000 USD.

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Prof. Richard Friend - Chairman of the VinFuture Prize Council.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Prof. Richard Friend, Chairman of the VinFuture Prize Council, said that this year, VinFuture received more than 1,300 nominations from all continents and from all areas of innovation. This global reach gives the VinFuture Prize a special status.

"The VinFuture Prize is an inspiration for all of us in our efforts to find new solutions to the global challenges facing humanity," said Professor Richard Friend.

According to the results just announced, the Special Prize for scientists from developing countries belongs to Professor Gurdev Singh Khush (Indian-American) and Professor Vo Tong Xuan (Vietnamese) for their important contributions in inventing and popularizing many high-yield, disease-resistant rice varieties, contributing to ensuring global food security.

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VinFuture Special Prize for scientists from developing countries.

The special prize for scientists researching new fields went to Professor Daniel Joshua Drucker, Professor Joel Francis Habener, Professor Jens Juul Holst and Professor Svetlana Mojsov for their research exploring the role of Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1), the basis for treatments for diabetes and obesity and helping to promote new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

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VinFuture Special Prize for scientists researching new fields.

The special prize for female scientists went to Professor Susan Solomon for her discovery of the mechanism of ozone depletion in Antarctica, contributing to the Montreal Protocol, an effort to help reduce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions globally.

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Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha presents the VinFuture Special Prize to female scientists.

The main VinFuture Prize worth 3 million USD belongs to 4 scientists: Professor Martin Andrew Green, Professor Stanley Whittingham, Professor Rachid Yazami and Professor Akira Yoshino for their breakthrough invention creating a sustainable platform for green energy through production with solar cells and storage with Lithium-ion batteries.

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President Vo Van Thuong presents the VinFuture 2023 Main Prize.

Sharing at the award ceremony, Professor Rachid Yazami - Moroccan scientist, 1 of the 4 winners of the VinFuture 2023 Main Prize said: "I am really proud to be here, receiving the VinFuture 2023 Main Prize. I would like to thank those who trained me, my parents, my family, the founders of the VinFuture Fund and Prize and the prize council for the recognition given to me. Lithium battery technology has been and is being applied more and more. Hopefully, the next time I come to Vietnam, I will see more electric vehicles, the air will be cleaner and fresher. Let's believe in the future together. We can do it".

Can Vietnam, like Singapore, develop the semiconductor industry from scratch? The electronics and semiconductor industry currently contributes about 9% of Singapore's GDP. To achieve the success it has today, Singapore has focused on developing this industry since the 1960s.