Contestant completes solution after winning Science Innovation Award

After winning the Science Initiative contest organized by VnExpress, many groups used the prize money to complete their projects, and some groups received invitations from investment funds to commercialize their products.

Dinh Van Trung was still a high school student when he received the encouragement prize at the 2023 Science Initiative Competition with a project on spraying pesticides using a mobile cable system. He used the prize money to pay off the debt for the items he borrowed from others to make the equipment, and also spent some money to buy additional equipment to complete the spray system, pump, and pile driver.

Trung said that the comments from the jury on the spray system as well as how to create a solid structure for pile driving were extremely useful. After the competition, Trung equipped the No. 5 nozzles to produce a super fine mist with a total of 14 nozzles, spraying diameter approximately 5 meters each time. The pump was also replaced with a high pressure 12v mini pump, the pile driving leg was also designed with a 21mm iron pipe consisting of 3 vertical bars and 1 horizontal bar welded together.

Dinh Van Trung during his visit to Hanoi to receive the award at the 2023 Science Initiative. Photo: NQ

Trung is now a vocational student in Vinh City, Nghe An Province. He said the contest gave him the opportunity to prove himself with his passion for exploring and researching science. "Meeting many like-minded people helps me broaden my perspective and acquire new knowledge," Trung said, hoping that the contest will attract a large number of authors with practical solutions for life.

Nguyen Long Hoang, from the MEDTECH group, had just graduated from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology when he received the encouragement prize at the 2022 Science Innovation Competition with the Assamica Tea project. Hoang said that after the competition, the group received invitations to collaborate from 3 Funds, including 2 angel investment funds and 1 main investment fund. Notably, the group's product also won an award at a US competition on health-related topics.

The representative of the MEDTECH group said that they have matured since the competition. "The comments from the jury pointed out where the shortcomings were. I realized that the knowledge from university was not enough. I know how to build a more practical business model, and I have gained experience and connected with many people," Hoang said.

Long Hoang (second from left) received the award from the Contest. Photo: Tung Dinh — Long Hoang (second from left) received the award from the Contest. Photo: *Tung Dinh*

During the program, the project completed the production process but encountered problems with the business model. After receiving the award, the research team changed the business model to develop mainly in the direction of franchising and using a group formula processing model to optimize production costs.

Currently, the product is being developed in the Lam Dong region, with revenue exceeding the capital recovery rate by about 4-5 times. Hoang said that it is not possible to expand on a large scale due to the weak business model and insufficient supply. He plans to complete the business model for mass production by the end of the year. Hoang also revealed that he will continue to launch a second product by the end of this year.

Emphasizing emerging technology trends, Long Hoang hopes that biomedical technology and human health will be among the hot topics he looks forward to. Hoang advises authors to invest time and effort, and always be confident.

After two years of participating in the competition, the project "Website to support Mong people in studying for a motorbike driving license" by a group of students from Dien Bien Province's Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities continues to operate and has received an invitation to help develop the website from the Ministry of Science and Technology. "The first Science Initiative Competition was a premise to help me find my dream. Now I am a second-year student majoring in Information Technology at Thuy Loi University," said Doan Thi Ha Giang, the author who received the 2022 Science Initiative Encouragement Award.

"The contest is very useful, helping us to interact, meet and learn from many experts in various fields, connecting to creative and potential solutions at high schools and universities," Giang said.

The Science Innovation Competition is entering its third year, with the goal of creating a playground for science and technology lovers with ideas and products that have value in life. Over two seasons, 13 projects were honored.

The Organizing Committee of Science Initiative 2024 will accept entries from December 20, 2023 to March 13, 2024 online. The preliminary round will take place in March, the final will be held in April and the award ceremony is scheduled to be held in May.

>>> Authors and groups of authors submit their entries here.

Nhu Quynh

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