Education | Studies, essays, thesises » Examples of Good Practices for International Academic Partnerships

Source: http://www.doksinet 1 Belgo-Vietnamese Cooperation EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICES FOR INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS Source: http://www.doksinet PREFACE 2 3 5 Universities VIETNAM Vietnamese and Belgian universities are involved in several strategic research and education partnerships; partnerships which evolved from traditional development cooperation to equal partnerships for collaborative research and capacity building. 1. Can Tho • Can Tho University for Medicine and Pharmacy •Y ​ anmar Agricultural Research Institute 2. Hue • Hue University • Hue College of Industry • University of Medicine and Pharmacy 3. Ho Chi Minh City • Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry • Nong Lam University • Research Institute for Aquaculture 2 4. Nha Trang • Nha Trang University 5. Hanoi • University of Transport and Communications • Vietnam National University of Agriculture In April 2011, at the initiative of Ghent University and the VLIR-CIUD, a

joint mission of all Belgian rectors to Vietnam was organised. This mission confirmed the rich diversity and level of maturity of the collaboration between both countries but also revealed the need for a concerted approach and the development of a common vision and strategy. 2 Four years later, Ghent University and Can Tho University took the initiative to coordinate a similar follow-up event in Belgium. 4 The objective of this 2015 mission (19 – 23 October 2015) is to evaluate and consolidate the current collaboration and to develop a common vision and strategy for future cooperation. In this document, both Belgian and Vietnamese partner universities present their policy strategies for collaboration between the two countries; testimonials of this fruitful academic cooperation are presented to illustrate the added value as well as the challenges for these partnerships. 3 1 1 3 4 5 2 Universities BELGIUM 1. Antwerp • University of Antwerp 2. Hasselt • University Hasselt

3. Ghent • Ghent University 4. Brussels • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) 5. Leuven • KU Leuven Anne De Paepe Rector Ghent University Paul Janssen Chairman VLIR-UOS Ha Thanh Toan Rector Can Tho University Source: http://www.doksinet BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 5 Success stories and future challenges Past, present and future: institutional strategies for sustainable partnerships 11 23 The collaboration between Vietnamese and Belgian Universities dates back to the seventies, starting with ad hoc initiatives on several thematic fields between university professors and their students, on several thematic fields. Nowadays, thanks to the successful Belgian policy for Development of Higher Education in Developing Countries, Belgian and Vietnamese universities develop strategic partnerships on the following themes (cf. VLIR-UOS Country Strategy for Vietnam, 2012): biosciences for food, environment and natural resources, public and rural health, technology development,

institutional strengthening and reform, and several cross-cutting themes such as ICT, e-learning, statistics and governance. Anno 2015, Vietnam has become a strong partner of many Belgian universities with high potential of becoming a strategic partner for the South East Asian region. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will represent a single market, able of competing in a global economy. The purpose of the AEC is a more stable region the economic integration of the members and the elimination of development gaps. In response to the AEC, member countries are taking steps to prepare their students for study and work in an international community. With an annual GDP growth rate of 5.98% in 2014, Vietnam is one of the fastest developing countries in South East Asia. Thanks to the shift from a centrally planned market economy in the Soviet era to a regulated market economy today, Vietnam has taken significant steps towards global integration. It has evolved from one of the poorest

countries in the world into a lower middle income country. With a population of almost 90 million people, a life expectancy of 76 year and a young population (more than 50% of the Vietnam population is aged under 25), Vietnam has become a country of opportunities for international trade, investments and collaborations in research and education. But despite its recent significant growth, Vietnam still remains a poor country with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $1957 in 2014. Vietnam has put higher education reform high on the agenda, and has taken important steps to move from a Soviet model of higher education towards a more western-styled system. Vietnam’s government has formulated its ambitions to reform higher education following the so called Higher Education Reform Agenda (HERA). The HERA sets the standards for the development of higher education by the year 2020 The reform plan is very ambitious, supporting an evolution into larger universities with higher enrolment

rates, allowing both private and public owned universities asking tuition fees. Source: http://www.doksinet INTRO BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 6 7 The human capacity necessary for the establishment of education platforms for young Vietnamese (master) students can be generated in two ways: 1. 2. to stimulate student mobility to obtain full degrees abroad, and/or to invest in short training periods abroad, within the framework of credit mobility as a first step to joint diplomas. The second option will encourage more students to gain an international experience, on both sides of the cooperation (Belgium and Vietnam). The adoption of credit mobility would definitely raise the standards of education in many countries, to the benefit of its study programmes and students. Currently, SE Asian students seem to prefer going abroad for full degrees, rather than taking up a semester in another institution or abroad. This preference could be linked to the lack of quality control Setting up

a credit transfer system will open doors for Vietnamese students to gain international experiences, but also to Belgian institutes for successful collaborations, as well in terms of education as in research. With the new Erasmus + programme (2014-2020), the European Commission will support the development strategies and international higher education networks with the coupled mobility of European countries collaborating with non-European partners. A comprehensive internationalisation strategy should contain three elements: student and staff mobility, the internationalisation and improvement of curricula and digital learning, and strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building. The new Erasmus+ programme will deliver opportunities to intensify and enlarge the collaboration with partner universities in SE Asia. The Belgian universities will explore the opportunities for Vietnamese institutions to become strategic partners within the Erasmus+ frameworks, on a basis of mutual

understanding and added value at both sides. For Belgian students for instance, creating opportunities for international/intercultural learning experiences abroad are also of paramount importance for a better understanding and a mutual implementation of the internationalisation plan of the universities. Hence, the selection of partners in developing countries, with strategic value in certain fields is of the utmost importance. A delegation of rectors and representatives of Flemish and Frenchspeaking universities visited Vietnam in 2011. The main purpose was to explore new forms of cooperation between Belgium and Vietnam. The highpoint was the joint signing of a memorandum of understanding on further cooperation. During the interuniversity symposium day on 19 October, several workshops are organised to discuss past achievements and future challenges of the Belgo-Vietnamese cooperation. This key meeting is considered as a festive event, celebrating more than 30 years of collaboration

between the two countries. Within this document, both Belgian and Vietnamese partner universities will present their policy strategies for the collaboration between the two countries. Testimonials of this productive cooperation are presented as an illustration of the added value, as well as the concerns for this partnership. VLIR-UOS and the university cooperation for development with Vietnam The collaboration between Belgian universities and their partner institutions in Vietnam is not only highly intense but also of major strategic importance in view of the development of a variety of joint educational and research driven activities. VLIR-UOS supports partnerships between universities and university colleges in Flanders (Belgium) and the South, looking for innovative responses to global and local challenges. Vietnam is one of the key partner countries of VLIR-UOS. In 2011, a successful Belgian mission to Vietnam involved over 30 participants from universities as well as other

stakeholders. In October 2015 a one-week, follow-up event is organised in Belgium, consisting of a symposium (Monday 19 October 2015) at Ghent University, a wide range of bilateral programmes at different Belgian universities (from 20 to 22 October) and a detailed round-up during the closing day (Friday 23 October 2015) at Brussels. Research and education programmes From 2003 to 2015 VLIR-UOS spent € 11.789222 in cooperation programmes with Vietnam, including three long-term Institutional University Cooperation programmes with Can Tho University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Hue University. Source: http://www.doksinet INTRO BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 8 9 Network cooperation in Vietnam: Bioscience for Food In 2013 VLIR-UOS launched a Network programme on bioscience for food, coordinated by Can Tho University, including four other Vietnamese universities. The VLIR-UOS country strategy for Vietnam identified deepening of national Vietnamese university

cooperation and participation in regional, international networks around strategic themes as a priority. Food security and agricultural development continue to be crucial for Vietnam. The Network programme groups the knowledge and know-how of five Vietnamese universities in the two disciplines. The main goals are to develop curricula for joint degree Master courses in aquaculture and food technology. More specifically the programme creates joint graduate programmes and research based education. Scholarships Between 2003 and 2014 131 Vietnamese students followed a Masters programme at a Flemish university; 110 a training and 45 a PhD. They all received a scholarship of VLIR-UOS An example of the impact of the scholarships has been the creation of INVE-Vietnam, developed by former IUC alumni, consisting of a network of 55 local shops and sponsoring extension projects on sustainable shrimp farming. More information on the VLIR-UOS scholarships: www.vliruosbe/scholarships Technology

development: ICT and information networks; Electronics and telecommunications; Cleaner production and life cycle engineering; Marketing and logistics; Chemistry; Waste management and treatment technology; Clean, efficient and sustainable energy. Institutional strengthening and reform: Higher education reform; ICT, E-learning and distant education; Networking; Statistics; Social sciences and research methodologies; Vocational education; University management; Good governance. Furthermore, transversal and cross-cutting themes are embedded in the different thematic areas: Gender; Governance and organizational development; Environment and climate change; Social protection and social security; HIV / aids; Research based education; Research-education community outreach; Higher professional / vocational education and training; Institutional networking. A country strategy for the cooperation with Vietnam For each partner country VLIR-UOS works out a country strategy, to serve as a road map

for cooperation going forward. A country strategy reflects the opportunities for university cooperation for development between the country in question and Belgium/Flanders. It serves as a reference framework for programming, leading to strategy based calls for proposals. In 2011 and 2012 several steps were taken to come up with a country strategy for Vietnam. Starting from a desk study with a contextual analysis, stakeholders were consulted in Belgium and in Vietnam. The country strategy for Vietnam focuses on five main themes: Biosciences for food: Value chain management; Food safety and food security; Aquaculture development; Terrestrial animal production; Plant biotechnology; Health and balanced nutrition. Environment and natural resources: Impact of climate change; Biodiversity and conservation of endangered species; Environmental and ecosystems management; Water resources management; Soil systems and degradation; Natural heritage. Public and rural health: Community and primary

health care; Preventive health care; Maternal and child health; Epidemiology; Natural and community nutrition; Food hygiene; Hospital management. Vietnam is one of the key partner countries of VLIR-UOS, because of the proven impact of our interventions in the past, and the possibilities for continued cooperation. The format of multi-actor projects with the private sector being a project partner, has been piloted, and has proven to be successful. This type of cooperation will be the preferred format for future cooperation in other countries too.” Kristien Verbrugghen Director VLIR-UOS Source: http://www.doksinet 11 BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION SUCCESS STORIES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Source: http://www.doksinet BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 13 The testimonials that follow are reflections from both Belgian and Vietnamese rectors, professors, students, alumni and stakeholders on the impact of the collaboration, its added value, its contributions to the universities and

society, and its challenges for the future. All these partnerships contribute to the VLIRUOS country strategy, which is why the testimonials are divided in four themes As the fifth theme (institutional strengthening) relates to the development strategies and policies of the universities, the reflections on this type of collaboration can be found in the second part of this brochure (“Past, present and future: institutional strategies for sustainable partnerships”). Biosciences for food Patrick Sorgeloos Professor emeritus Ghent University Department of Animal production: aquaculture My first contact with Vietnam dates from April 1982. This mission brought me on a – in those days – very adventurous journey all along the coast from North to South Vietnam. Different coastal sites in Central and South Vietnam appeared to be suitable for Artemia production, a key food source for the culture of different aquaculture species, but the vicinity of Can Tho University as a suitable

counterpart tilted the decision to initiate a project in the Vinh Chau area which is in the coastal province of Bac Lieu, 80 km South of Can Tho. This first cooperation with Can Tho University resulted in the setting up of a successful new development for the poor saltfarmers at Vinh Chau. - The project initiated the integration of the seasonal solar salt production with a new crop of brine shrimp Artemia which allowed several hundred salt farmer families to more than double their annual income. Regardless the disciplines of the collaboration schemes, capacity building remained the core of our development objectives. As such, much attention was given to curriculum development in aquaculture. Gradually our partnerships with Vietnamese counterparts reached sufficient maturity enabling to shift from mere knowledge transfer to joint capacity building in the form of students and staff exchange and joint curricula. Collaboration is not only of interest from a ‘development’ perspective,

but is more and more relevant towards European students, industrial partners and non-Vietnam-oriented research topics within my group. Veerle Fievez Professor Ghent University Department of Animal production Source: http://www.doksinet SUCCESS STORIES & FUTURE CHALLENGES BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 14 15 The words that come to mind when thinking of the BelgoVietnamese cooperation are “trustworthy and balanced”. One of my nicest souvenirs from this cooperation and my mobility period in Belgium is the snow. Pham Thi Thanh Que Lecturer Can Tho University College of Agriculture and Applied Fish processing, Post-Harvest Technology As a VLIR-UOS PhD student, I get the chance to make my dreams come true. Over a decade, rabbitfish reproduction was a difficult task for every researcher in Vietnam, including me. And today, with the collaboration, my university and myself, we made it possible. Le Van Bao Duy PhD, Lecturer, Researcher Hue University Aquaculture, Aquaculture

diseases The project (WP4 - Food safety & certification) facilitated the debate on the influence and effectiveness of certification, specifically for small-scale farmers. The best lesson from the collaboration was the chance to be together to conduct research and solve the urgent problem for the development of aquaculture safety and global sustainability. I have gained a lot of experience in project management and collaborative research which were applied to my university. It also created more opportunities for development in other areas of cooperation. We gain experience in networking; sharing knowledge and information between the partners and our students. Through the staff exchange and staff upgrading activities, the teaching staff at NTU has improved their knowledge, teaching methodology, English language. They have also established academic and personal relationships with Belgian and Vietnamese colleagues which will help them a lot in the future. Trang Si Trung Rector Nha

Trang University Aquaculture and Food Technology Vo Thi Guong Senior lecturer Can Tho University Soil constraints and sustainable agriculture In my experience, the challenges still to be overcome are the differences between cultures and languages. Vuong Quoc Duy Lecturer Can Tho University College of Economics & Business Administration Longan and litchi are local specialties with high nutritional values. Our project aims to develop low cost technologies to reduce postharvest losses to increase the economic value of target fruits. The partnership has changed me a lot as I ve learned how to think critically. This transformed me into a confident person Tran Thi Dinh PhD, Lecturer Hanoi University of Agriculture Food Science and technology Source: http://www.doksinet SUCCESS STORIES & FUTURE CHALLENGES BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 16 Valentino D’Onofrio Master student Biomedical Sciences Hasselt University Food science and agronomy 17 My research internship in Vietnam

focused on bacteria that are naturally present on groundnut. The results show that they are sufficiently present, but a great variance between bacteria was shown. One big challenge for the future is to find an explanation for the variance between bacteria: why do some promote growth of the infectious disease, and why do some prevent it, this for the ultimate goal of optimizing biological control to prevent yield loss, and thus to help the economy in Vietnam. In Vietnam, I found there was a state of mind where everyone thought: “don’t rush things, everything will be fine”. And I liked that: I learnt that a relaxed working environment is eventually always better than a stressed one. Environment and natural resources Vietnam and nearly all (sub)tropical developing countries face enormous problems on wastewater treatment and waste management. Therefore we propose a new system leading to a primary filtration of the wastewater leading to COD levels below the regulatory ones allowing a

direct discharge with no risk of oxygen deprivation in the rivers. Ludo Diels Professor University of Antwerp Department of Bioscience Engineering: Waste and Waste Water Treatment The aim of setting up cooperation programs with Vietnam is to explore a new approach for wastewater treatment based on microalgae. The initiative of our cooperation was taken by prof. Truong Vinh from Nong Lam university For me, this project offers a unique opportunity to use a technology that I have been studying in the lab in the past years to solve a real problem. For this a tropical country like Vietnam is the ideal test location The main challenge remains oral communication in English, but this is something that can be improved through exchange between Flemish and Vietnamese students in the framework of this project. Moreover, I had a chance to explore Ho Chi Minh City, a fascinating metropolis with thousands of motorbikes buzzing through its streets. And of course, the Vietnamese cuisine is the best

I’ve ever tasted! Koenraad Muylaert Professor KU Leuven Faculty of sciences My field of expertise is biomass production for bioproducts through treatment of wastewater. Latex and rubber processing in Vietnam generate large volumes of wastewater. The main challenge remains moving from a lab to a pilot system that is properly working. Truong Vinh Associate Professor Nong Lam University Department of Chemical Engineering and Processing Project 3 of the VLIR-IUC with Hue University (Preservation of the Coastal Ecosystem and Natural Resources Under the Effects of Development Activities) obtained remarkable results on the way to gain the project objectives specified - research-based capacity building enhanced. Three young researchers have been selected for a PhD with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Through training courses organised at HUSC, five team members of Project 3, many young faculties, PhD and MSc students from HUSC have improved their knowledge about experimental design,

data treatment, multivariate analysis and interpretation, Instruments and chemicals provided by the project are useful for laboratories at four science departments of HUSC to conduct relevant researches. Nguyen Van Hop Associate Professor Hue University Chemistry Vietnam is far away from Belgium, with a completely different culture. Learning to work in this very different environment, with the local people, is a big added value. Living in a Vietnamese city, learning to solve your problems when it is different from your home city is a rich experience. This partnership changed me in a very positive way and left me with a lot of good souvenirs. Marie De Raeymaeker Graduated Master student Vrije Universiteit Brussel Biology: Environment, Biodiversity and Ecosystems. Source: http://www.doksinet SUCCESS STORIES & FUTURE CHALLENGES BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 18 What remains vividly in our minds is the huge interest displayed by farmers during dissemination meetings. Adoption of a

new technology in Vietnam is an intriguing phenomenon. Sometimes this premature adoption actually impeded the experiments. In a certain village for instance we had to deal with theft of our ‘vetiver’ plantlets from our field trials. What happened was that farmers stole it from our fields and planted it in their own, with of course, positive results! After a number of years, we were told that even the electricity companies distributed Vetiver plantlets for free to the farmers. Thereby they were preventing the dams in the region being silted too soon with devastating effects on the efficiency of the associated hydropower plants. 19 The well-structured health care system and the emphasis on public health make Vietnam a privileged country to collaborate with. With infectious disease being one of the spearheads of the University of Antwerp, we are convinced Vietnam has the potential to further develop its collaboration with Flanders (and Belgium) and become the hub in South East Asia

in the field of prevention and control of infectious diseases. Roel Merckx Professor KU Leuven Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Public and rural health Our professors don’t travel to Vietnam to “teach” but to develop new education, research and new models of delivering healthcare together with local experts and the faculty. Belgian and Vietnamese people are friendly, hardworking and quite rational and focused. We like to sit together around a good meal. Anselme Derese Professor Ghent University Family Medicine, Primary Healthcare I certainly gained a more realistic view on international research. Some aspects were more difficult than expected, for example, we realised that the duration of a pregnancy was counted in moon-months in Vietnam. This is not how we in the western world calculate the duration of pregnancy, and when we constructed a database with variables, we found out that some women had unrealistically long pregnancies. But we came to a solution, maybe

that is what I learned most: to find solutions for uncommon problems. Elke Leuridan Postdoctoral researcher University of Antwerp Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination Pierre Van Damme Professor University of Antwerp Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination Since mid-2011 the Flemish and Vietnamese partners investigated potential collaborations on the alarming spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the clinical setting as well as in the environment. A pilot study has been initiated in several hospitals in Hanoi. Herman Goossens Professor University of Antwerp Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences: Medical Microbiology Thao Mai Phuong Tran is a Vietnamese student who just obtained her degree of Master in statistics at Hasselt University and who will develop statistical methodology for the analysis of infectious disease data. I’m very much looking forward working with her on topics

specifically of interest to the Vietnamese community. Her work will strengthen the collaboration with OUCRU and allow initiating new collaborations with different institutes in Vietnam. I’m genuinely impressed by the huge efforts our Vietnamese colleagues put into collecting and analysing epidemiological data. Their willingness to collaborate is exemplary. Niel Hens Professor Hasselt University Center for Statistics Source: http://www.doksinet SUCCESS STORIES & FUTURE CHALLENGES BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 20 21 Technology development I started development cooperation with several Vietnamese universities in 1997. Today I provide intensive courses, copromote doctoral theses and I advise on research programs Up to now we have brought more than 30 Vietnamese students to our chemistry department. Several KU Leuven alumni became associate professors, department chairs, division chairs at several universities all over Vietnam. I went to Vietnam to teach innovation management

and entrepreneurship. I was impressed by their hard work and meticulous preparation of the course. It is also wonderful to see how Vietnamese people can combine career and family. The Vietnamese economy, which will transform into a knowledge-driven economy, is one of the most promising ones in Asia. Innovation management and entrepreneurship will become very important in the upgrading of the Vietnamese economy. It is good to witness that the local authorities and business community are getting aware of this transition and the challenges that come along with it. Nguyen Minh Tho Professor KU Leuven Computational chemistry Wim Vanhaverbeke Professor Hasselt University Faculty of Business Economics: innovation and entrepreneurship The condition assessment of existing strategic infrastructures in Vietnam is rather neglected. Recent structural collapses and major defects have caused casualties, which of course create concerns among local people. Our project creates favorable conditions

for long term collaboration and exchanges between KU Leuven and our university. But the potential for collaboration is not fully used. For example there are many good Belgian companies in the construction sector in Vietnam and many Vietnamese alumni from Belgian universities could work there. Bui Tien Thanh PhD, Lecturer University of Transport and Communication Engineering Since the foundation in 1996 of the interuniversity (VUB, KU Leuven, UA) VLIR-UOS ICP “Master of Science in Molecular Biology”, 50 Vietnamese students graduated. More than 90% of the students trained in this ICP returned to their home institutes and are involved in research, teaching and management. Several of them did/ do PhD studies with promoters at Flemish universities and contribute to long lasting collaborative projects. Eddy Van Driessche Professor Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Faculty of Sciences Vietnam needs cooperative projects to ensure sustainable development. Belgium is an important partner in this

kind of cooperation, which annually brings academic outputs for the labour market in Vietnam. My research relates to cost optimisation of transport for oil-product distribution in the South-East Asian Sea: this is a challenging and macro topic which is able to extend for years. Doing research requires open interaction with native colleagues and promoter to stimulate the research spirit but community integration as well. Minh Ha Hoang PhD student Hasselt University Faculty of Business Economics: logistics Source: http://www.doksinet 23 BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS Source: http://www.doksinet BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 25 Can Tho University, Can Tho Can Tho University (CTU), an important state higher education institution in the Mekong Delta (MD), is the cultural, scientific and technical center of the MD and Vietnam. Since its founding in 1966, CTU has been improving and

developing. From a university with a few fields of study at the beginning, it has developed into a multidisciplinary university. Currently, it has an enrolment of 50.835 BSc students, 3249 MSc students, and 343 PhD candidates To serve for a large number of students, CTU has 2.023 staff members including 1182 teaching staff members and 841 supporting staff members. CTU’s main missions are training, conducting scientific research, and transferring technology to serve the regional and national socio-economic development. In addition to its training responsibilities, CTU has actively taken part in scientific research projects, applying the advances in scientific and technological knowledge to solve problems related to science, technology, economics, culture and society in the region. With its achievements in scientific research and international cooperation projects, the university has developed a variety of products and technological production processes that benefit people’s lives

and promote export, thus helping the university gain prestige in national and international markets. CTU targets to be one of the leading higher education institutions in Vietnam and recognised as one of the top universities in Asia-Pacific in training and research in 2022. Recognizing the significant needs for qualified human resources in the society as well as strong competition in training for high quality human resources upon the local and global innovation contexts, CTU is committed to ensuring its quality through continuous innovation and integration in education, creativity and dynamics in research and technology transfer; incorporating theory with practice to prepare graduates with sufficient knowledge and skills to be able to perform their work efficiently, to formulate their leadership and to adapt themselves to changes. CTU is committed to the full establishment and implementation of an efficient, creative, innovative, professional, and responsible governance system. All

activities of CTU will be systematically and effectively governed through computerized procedures, applying innovative approaches and undergoing regular monitoring and assessment. CTU pays great attention to the professional development of the University’s staff, aiming at high quality and prestige. At present, the University is implementing a credit-based training system in line with international standards. Within this context, the staff members are encouraged to take part in scientific research and publications of their work, apply active teaching methodologies, and train the students to become skilled and independent critical thinkers. Since 2009, CTU has been applying quality assurance of ASEAN University Network (AUN) for actual quality assessment of different educational programs offered at CTU. Up to now, there are three Bachelor programs from CTU officially accredited in accordance to Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 26

27 CTU’s main missions are training, conducting scientific research, and transferring technology to serve the regional and national socio-economic development. In addition to its training responsibilities, CTU has actively taken part in scientific research projects, applying the advances in scientific and technological knowledge to solve problems related to science, technology, economics, culture and society in the region. With its achievements in scientific research and international cooperation projects, the university has developed a variety of products and technological production processes that benefit people’s lives and promote export, thus helping the university gain prestige in national and international markets. CTU targets to be one of the leading higher education institutions in Vietnam and recognised as one of the top universities in Asia-Pacific in training and research in 2022. Recognizing the significant needs for qualified human resources in the society as well as

strong competition in training for high quality human resources upon the local and global innovation contexts, CTU is committed to ensuring its quality through continuous innovation and integration in education, creativity and dynamics in research and technology transfer; incorporating theory with practice to prepare graduates with sufficient knowledge and skills to be able to perform their work efficiently, to formulate their leadership and to adapt themselves to changes. CTU is committed to the full establishment and implementation of an efficient, creative, innovative, professional, and responsible governance system. All activities of CTU will be systematically and effectively governed through computerized procedures, applying innovative approaches and undergoing regular monitoring and assessment. CTU pays great attention to the professional development of the University’s staff, aiming at high quality and prestige. At present, the University is implementing a credit-based

training system in line with international standards. Within this context, the staff members are encouraged to take part in scientific research and publications of their work, apply active teaching methodologies, and train the students to become skilled and independent critical thinkers. Since 2009, CTU has been applying quality assurance of ASEAN University Network (AUN) for actual quality assessment of different educational programs offered at CTU. Up to now, there are three Bachelor programs from CTU officially accredited in accordance to AUN Quality Assurance Criteria, including Agricultural Economics, Advanced Program in Biotechnology and Advanced Program in Aquaculture. In Vietnam, CTU is known as one of the leading higher education institutions in international cooperation. In order to become an internationally-recognised university in the academic community, CTU actively promotes international affairs. The University has established scientific and technological cooperation with

many international organisations, universities, and research institutes. Every year CTU receives students on internship projects from the US, Belgium, Japan, Denmark, and so on, or under agreements between their universities and CTU. At present, two Bachelor programs of Advanced Program in Biotechnology (with Michigan State University, USA), and Advanced Program in Aquaculture (with Auburn University, USA) are running at CTU. To achieve the university’s goals and promote its “brand-name”, CTU is striving to continuously expand its international cooperation in terms of training international students. Tropical Semester is an excellent program for graduate and undergraduate students who are keen on study and research of the environment, agriculture, soil, aquaculture, economics, education, The cooperation project with Can Tho University really helps us to build up our human capacity. Three of our environment engineering department staff once had the opportunity to obtain a Masters

degree at KU Leuven. I think a good partnership relies on equals and there must be something in it for both parties.” Nguyen Vo Chau Ngan Deputy Director Can Tho University Department of International Relations The University is developing scientific and technological cooperation with organisations, universities, and research institutes in Vietnam and abroad. As a result of these cooperative projects, the staff’s administrative capabilities and specializations have been upgraded. The facilities, experimental equipment, and scientific materials have also been added in order to integrate its education and research activities into the region and the world and to ensure its students and staff meet the needs of the socio-economic development of the country. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 28 29 Hue University, Hue Hue University, formerly known as The University of Hue, was initially established in March 1957. In accordance with

Government Decree No 30/CP, dated on April 4, 1994, Hue University was established through a reorganization of the existing universities in Hue. Hue University is responsible for training students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, conducting research, and transferring science and technology to serve the development of central Vietnam and the country. Hue University is one of the 15 key universities of Vietnam and it is one of the three state universities of the country with a two-level administration. As a state university with a long history and tradition in education and research, Hue University plays a very important role in central and highland areas in Vietnam. Hue University is based on the model of a multidisciplinary and comprehensive university. Therefore, its training programs cover almost all disciplines of studies (108 undergraduate programs, 70 Master and 37 PhD programs). These training programs are provided by eight affiliated universities of Hue University

(University of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Arts, University of Economics, University of Education, University of Foreign Studies, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Sciences which includes Natural, Social Sciences and Humanities, and University of Law), two schools (School of Tourism, and School of Physical Education) and a Branch in Quang Tri Province. Higher education internationalisation strategy By 2020, Hue University will become: A prestigious, leading university in Vietnam towards a research-oriented university and a research-based education enabling environment; A hub for international education, research, technology transfer and entrepreneurship in the region; a center for international staff and student mobility; International recognition based on the regional impacts of Hue University in Vietnam and Asia; a standardized and credible working, teaching, learning and research environment for all staff and students. Cooperation with Flemish

universities VLIR-UOS funded projects: VLIR-IUC Programme with Hue University: “Multidisciplinary support for research-based education in food, environmental sciences and rural health at Hue University”, 2012 – 2018 funded by VLIR-UOS (Flemish university partners: UGent [co-ordinator], VUB, KU Leuven, UAntwerp, UHasselt) During my terms as the Hue University President (2006 – 2016), I have especially prioritised international cooperation activities to promote the university’s research and educational excellence. Hue University’s responsibility towards poverty alleviation and improving livelihoods in the province can only be met through better education and research. A most remarkable memory during my time was the Belgian Rectors’ Mission to Vietnam in 2011 and especially to Hue University which marked a very important step in our current journey to promote the shared common values. The cooperation with Belgian universities has proved that with a strong partnership

between North and South, Hue University can contribute to develop the region.” Prof. dr Nguyen Van Toan Rector Hue University Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 30 31 VLIR-NETWORK Vietnam “Research based-education in bio-sciences for Food in Vietnam”, 2012 – 2018 funded by VLIR-UOS. Flemish partners: UGent (co-ordinator), KU Leuven; Vietnamese partners: Can Tho University (co-ordinator), Hanoi University of Agriculture, Hue University, Nha Trang University, Research Institute of Aquaculture 2 – Ho Chi Minh city. VLIR-NSS Cooperation Programme “Water Resource Management – Research Assessment Exercise”, 2014 – 2015 funded by VLIR-UOS (University partners: UGent [co-ordinator], University of Cuenca - Ecuador) VLIR-NSS Cooperation Programme “Development of E-Learning tools to support education and training related to monitoring and management of water resources”, 2016 – 2017 funded by VLIR-UOS (University

partners: UGent [co-ordinator], Ghent University College, Escuela Superior Politècnica del Litoral, Anton De Kom University) Erasmus Mundus | Erasmus+: EMA2: LOTUS projects (I, II, III, Unlimited, LOTUS+): UGent, VUB; Vietnam: Hue University, Can Tho University, HUST; EMA2: IMPAKT: UGent, Hue University as partners; EMA3: ASK-Asia: UGent, Hue University as partners; NutriSEA: coordinated by UGent; Vietnam: Hue University, HUST Bilateral agreements: UGent: academic staff and students exchange; UHasselt: academic staff and students exchange. Interested areas of partnership HE institutional strengthening and governance; Research-based education towards quality assurance requirements; Educational methodology reform towards QA requirements; Education and research quality assurance; Technology transfer and Academic entrepreneurship; Hue College of Industry, Hue Hue College of Industry was established in 1899 according to the Royal Decree of Thanh Thai King. HUEIC was one of the first

three technical colleges of Vietnam, which has strongly developed in both quality and quantity of training fields. The precursor of Hue Industrial College was Ba Cong School. In 1921, it was transferred to French Colony Government and renamed as Ecole Pratique D’Industry de Hue. On October 27, 2005, Hue College of Industry, belonging to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, was established by upgrading Hue Industrial High school. In 116 years of construction and development, we have provided the country with thousands of bachelors, high-quality technicians in the fields of engineering and technology to meet the requirements of international integration. Besides, HUEIC is also a reliable college in terms of scientific research activities which produces a lot of technology applications, transfer and consults for enterprises and manufacturing facilities in engineering and high technology fields. HUEIC is a key training unit in the Central and Highlands Region Currently, HUEIC has three

campuses. With a total area of 1197 acres, spacious and modern physical facilities include nearly 90 theoretical classrooms, 75 practice rooms, 10 laboratories and 3 conference halls. With this infrastructure, HUEIC basically meets the demand of studying and doing research of students and lecturers. HUEIC has 199 lecturers: 70% of them have postgraduate qualifications, including 16 Doctors, 29 PhD. Candidates, 145 Masters and 40 Bachelors who are pursuing a Master program Many of them were trained at reputable institutions all over the world such as Australia, South Korea, France, the UK, Russia, Belarus, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Taiwan, etc. To meet the needs of diverse and high-quality human resources in the industrialisation and modernisation of the country, we have recently been focusing on expanding training sectors and connecting to businesses to adjust and update training programs. HUEIC has about 6000 full time students and 1500-2000 students in short-term courses.

Students can choose 3 formal academic training levels: colleges, vocational colleges and secondary profession. There are 20 majors related to technology industries and economy such as information technology, mechanical engineering, electrics, electronics, dynamics, chemical and environment technology, construction, economics, foreign language and tourism. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 32 To meet the diverse needs of the labor market, in addition to the regular curriculum, we also implemented other types of trainings such as continuing education to college and university level, short-term courses, yearly internships abroad, etc. In order to equip students with practical knowledge, HUEIC is gradually increasing the percentage of practice time in the curriculum and focuses on working skills training. The cooperative training programs have always been given special importance. Currently, we have strong training linkages with domestic

universities such as Hue University, Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education, Da Nang University of Science and Technology. In addition, we have traditional cooperation with foreign academic institutions from Thailand, Laos, etc. and organisations from Australia, Korea, Japan, Singapore, etc With our implementation strategy “bring company to college”, HUEIC collaborates with some technology companies to set up a training center for technology transfers. Every year, we try to send students for internships in technology companies to improve practical and transversal skills. Thanks to the right policy of training and management, Hue College of Industry has been a prestigious training unit in Thua Thien Hue Province. Every year, a lot of big companies in the country such as Yamaha Motor Vietnam, Doosan Vina Corporation, LILAMA Corporation, Industry company, etc. have received hundreds of graduate students from HUEIC HUEIC is well known as an outstanding college in terms of

scientific research, technology application and active participation in social activities. Future As a technology college belonging to Ministry of Industry and Trade, HUEIC focuses on the field of mechanical engineering, automation, information and communications technology, food technology, environmental technology. We look forward to cooperation with universities in Belgium in the fields of food technology, biotechnology, environmental technology, information and communications technology. In particular, we emphasize the quality of human resources training towards practice, complementary skills and transversal skills; we require the faculties to increase practice time for working skills and practical experience. However, faculty members who are participating in vocational training and high education in Vietnam are lacking practical knowledge. Therefore, firstly, we focus on strategies to improve the quality of the teaching team, specifically the faculty members, through support,

training, retraining vocationally and practically in the business. HUEIC, therefore, looks forward to the cooperation projects with partners to provide opportunities for faculty members to study in the partner country, take short-term training courses to enhance professional and practical experience, learn new teaching methodologies. Secondly, we seek for research and learning programs and materials to support teaching methodology which meet the social requirements and are applicable to our training facility. 33 Thirdly, we are developing a center of technology transfer inside the college which has potential to expand, so we seek for projects on technology application and transfer which have practical value and suitable to our strategy. The results achieved when implementing this project will contribute to improve the quality of lecturers who are responsible for training human resources for the society and will help people to approach to modern lifestyle and enhance their living

standards in general. Hue Industrial College is making every effort to become Hue Industrial University, a centre of professional education and high quality training of Vietnam and the Southeast Asia, towards ASEAN Integration 2015. Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI) is an interdisciplinary university; its strength falls on processing technology. HUFI is the only university in Vietnam providing training on food processing technology. HUFI is a qualified training center with high prestige. HUFI is located in Ho Chi Minh City, an important economic center. HUFI is also located in an active economic zone consisting of many industrial parks with high production capacity; thus, skillful labor force is a need. Besides, Ho Chi Minh City is also a center of culture, education, technology and tourism. All these advantages have created an opportunity for the development of HUFI. HUFI delivers professional high

school, vocational, associate and bachelor degrees. Additionally, HUFI cooperates with famous universities inside and outside Vietnam for postgraduate degrees. HUFI passed some historical events as follows: In 1982, the school was established with the name Ho Chi Minh City School of Food Industry for Economic and Technological Official according to the resolution number 986/CNTP of Minister of Food Industry dated 09/09/1982. In 1987, the school was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City Professional High school of Food Industry according to the resolution number 25 CNTP/TCCB of Minister of Food Industry dated 03/05/1987. In 2001, the school was upgraded to college named Food Industry College of Ho Chi Minh City (FICH) according to the resolution number 18/Q�-NGD&�T-TCCB of Minister of Education dated 02/01/2001. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 34 35 In 2010, the school was once upgraded to university named Ho Chi Minh City University

of Food Industry (HUFI) according to the resolution number 248/Q�-TTg of Prime Minister dated 23/02/2010. Scientific research is a very important mission of HUFI. Many research projects have been applied in many fields, especially for Vietnam famous companies such as: Vietnam Milk Joint stock Company (Vinamilk), Saigon Beer - Alcohol - Beverage (SABECO), VISSAN HUFI applies credit systems in training programs for all students. HUFI also applies ISO 9001:2008 in management and information technology. The production of Fructo-Oligo saccharide (FOS), Fish Protein Isolate (FPI) using membrane technology, then FOS and FPI used for functional food productions have received a lot of invention awards. Annually, HUFI enrolls 4000 students in 21 programs (for associate and bachelor degree) including Applied Informatics, Aquatic Products Processing Technology, Biological Technology, Business Administration, Chemical Analysis, Chemical Engineering Technology, Cooking Techniques, Electrical

and Electronics Technology, Electrical, Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering Technology, Finance and Banking, Food Processing Technology, Footwear Technology, Garment Technology, Information Technology, Materials Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Quality Assurance and Food Safety and Hygiene. Additionally, the university also provides various programs for vocational training, short training courses, summer programs to meet the demands of society. HUFI’s students come from all over the country and beyond. HUFI has 12 faculties: Faculty of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Biology Technology and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Business Administration and Tourism, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Technology, Faculty of Food Technology, Faculty of Garment, Fashion, and Footwear Technology, Faculty of High School Training, Faculty of Information Technology,

Faculty of Mechanical Technology, Faculty of Political Theory, Faculty of General Science. It has 500 employees, including more than 50 PhD’s, around 300 Masters. HUFI attempts to become a high qualified university with the prestige of Food Technology in Asia in 2020, and to become one member in Top 500 universities in Asia in 2025. The commitments of HUFI are: 1. Improving the educational environment: Ensure that students can acquire innovative knowledge for their career through modern teaching and learning methods. 2. Improving the training of skillful labor forces for the demand of society and community 3. Becoming the best university in applying high technology, updated teaching methods, modern services in teaching career. 4. Ensuring high-qualified training programs with deep knowledge for students 5. Affirming the brand name through management systems meeting ISO standards HUFI had been moving from a year-based training system to the credit-based training system since 2001. The

credit system has gradually been adopted since 2003, enhancing training quality and services and recognising students as the centre of the training process. HUFI was among the first 20 universities of Vietnam that were assessed and accredited in 2009 by The National Council for Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance. Following the innovation and open-door policy of the Government of Vietnam, the University has rapidly developed its international relations. These relations focus on training and research collaboration, improving the quality of the teaching staff, improving the ability of students to study as well as equipping the training and research facilities. HUFI is in close collaboration with more than 30 universities, research institutions and organisations such as: Center for Excellence in ASEAN; German Education Network for Employability in Vietnam (GENEV); HELP University, MSU, Sains, Malaysia; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan; Teeside University,

UK; The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS) Japan; The Kedah Industrial Skills and Management Development Center (KISMEC); United State Department of Agriculture; Vietnamese-German Technology Academy (HUFI, GPDM and German Indusry); Yuan Christan University, Taiwan Several HUFI staff studied graduate programs at Belgian and European institutions. HUFI is trying to integrate its education and research activities into the region and the world as well as ensure its students and staff to meet the needs of the socio-economic development of Vietnam. University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue The University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Hue University (HUMP) was founded in March 1957 as Medical School of the University of Hue. HUMP has the mission to provide training, scientific research, medical examination and treatment and community health care in the Central and Highlands of Vietnam. The University is engaged at all levels of undergraduate and graduate Medical and Health

Sciences and training, advanced hospital care, scientific research and direct provision of community health care. Current enrolment includes 11,000 students and 2,000 postgraduate students in all major specialties. Established in 1998, the University Hospital is a teaching and tertiary hospital with 450 beds and is under extension and capacity improvement to reach 800 beds by 2016. The Hospital is in the progress of modernisation to meet the developing training, research, and clinical care. The Institute for Biomedical Research and Biotechnology and the Institute for Community Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 36 37 Established in 1998, the University Hospital is a teaching and tertiary hospital with 450 beds and is under extension and capacity improvement to reach 800 beds by 2016. The Hospital is in the progress of modernisation to meet the developing training, research, and clinical care. The Institute for Biomedical Research

and Biotechnology and the Institute for Community Health Research in HUMP have helped the University to develop high quality biomedical and community health research, preparing qualified staff and high-tech facilities to build Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy into a research university. HUMP has prepared its programmes to be accredited by international accreditation services. Each year, the University receives about 120 – 150 international students to perform their elective or rotation in different clinical and community health programs. In the last 5 years, there were more than 20 postgraduate students from international universities based at HUMP for their Master and PhD studies. Since 2011, the university has been successfully providing international master courses in biomedicine and is trying to provide more international and distance education. Several researches have been successfully conducted through international collaboration, the latest being a top priority of the

university in the coming years. Development priorities of HUMP include establishment of joint training programmes in health sciences, accreditation of its medical, public health and nursing training programs and collaborative research works with universities and medical institutions from the UK. HUMP is looking forward to collaborate with universities and research institutions in research, student exchange, international education and distance training. Nha Trang University, Nha Trang Nha Trang University (NTU), formerly the University of Fisheries, was founded in 1959. The University is the leading institution for education and training at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for the fisheries sector and other related industries of Vietnam. The main campus is located in Nha Trang - the most beautiful coastal city in Vietnam. In addition to this campus, the university has several training and research stations and centers in Khanh Hoa province. In 1976, the University moved from the

North to the Centre of Vietnam and named as the University of Fisheries in 1981. In 2006, the university’s name changed to Nha Trang University The full-fledge university currently has 17 faculties, institutes, research centers, technology transfer centers and 7 managerial departments. With more than half a century of history, NTU has become a prestigious multi-disciplinary and multi-level institution with a strong foundation of fisheries and aquaculture. It has been playing a significant role both in driving the development of marine economy in Vietnam and generating the necessary human resources that can accommodate the inevitable integration process of the nation. The mission of NTU is to serve society as an institution of higher education and research, technology transfer and professional services in multi-disciplines, especially in fisheries and aquaculture. In accordance with the national higher education reform plan, NTU had prepared to transform from a year-based training

system to the credit-based training system since 1990. The credit system has gradually been adopted since 1995, enhancing training quality and services and recognizing students as the centre of the training process. NTU was among the first 20 universities of Vietnam that were assessed and accredited in 2009 by The National Council for Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance. NTU provides 5 PhD. programs (Aquaculture, Fishing Technology, Automotive Engineering, Post-harvest Technology, and Aquatic Product Processing Technology) and 11 Master programs. Annually, it enrolls 3500 students in 29 programs (for associate and bachelor degree) including Aquaculture, Aquatic Product Processing Technology, Food Technology, Fishing Technology, Fishing Management and Living Marine Resources, Electricity and Electronics, Economics, Information Technology, Civil Engineering, Foreign Languages and others. Additionally, the university also provides various programs for vocational training,

short training courses, summer programs to meet the demands of society. NTU students come from all over the country and numerous international nations. NTU has 700 employees, including more than 100 PhD’s, around 350 Masters, and over 100 teaching staffs are pursuing their graduate programs. Scientific research is one of the key priorities of the university. Over 200 of the research projects have resulted in practical applications Vietnamese fishermen. For example, fishermen of Ca Mau, Khanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Binh Thuan are now using technology developed at NTU to produce the high quality seed of Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon). In the central provinces fishermen are now using new technology developed at NTU for artificial reproduction and farming of pompano, seabass, sandbass, and snakehead fish. Another area of research that has resulted in practical application of technology is the use of composite materials in boat construction. Shipbuilders in

Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, and Ba Ria Vung Tau now use methods investigated and developed at NTU. The production of Chitin-Chitosan from fishery by-products and the production of surimi and shrimp/crab based analogue products are also important areas of research at NTU. Additionally, the use of mechanical equipment for shrimp culture now occurs on an industrial scale as a result of research at NTU. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 38 Following the innovation and open-door policy of the Government of Vietnam, the university has rapidly developed its international relations. These relations focus on training and research collaboration, improving the quality of the teaching staff, improving the ability of students to study as well as equipping the training and research facilities. NTU is in close collaboration with more than 40 universities, research institutions and organisations from Norway, Japan, Australia, Czech Republic and other

ASEAN countries etc. Through international cooperation, many research projects have been implemented such as “Improving training and research capacity of Nha Trang University, Vietnam” (sponsored by NORAD, Norway), “Sustainable tropical spiny lobster aquaculture in Vietnam and Australia” and “Spiny lobster aquaculture development in Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia” (funded by ACIAR, Australia). Several joint training programs have been taught at NTU such as the master program in Fisheries and Aquaculture Management and Economics supported by NORAD has been run from 2007-2012. At present, the bachelor program in Mechanical Engineering with Liberec Technical University, and the Master program in Marine Ecosystem Management and Climate Change with Norwegian, Sri Lanka institutions (supported by NORAD, Norway) are also run at NTU. In recent years, NTU has enhanced collaboration activities with Belgian partners, several NTU staff studied graduate programs at Belgian

institutions. Since 2013, NTU is a partner of the VLIR Vietnam Network Biosciences on Food. The main goal of the project is to develop joint graduate programs and research based education in Aquaculture and Food Technololgy. In international relations of NTU, Belgian and other European partners have played a key role in improving the capacities of the university. With a long history and proud tradition, NTU is developing cooperative partnerships with universities and research institutes in Vietnam and abroad in order to integrate its education and research activities into the region and the world and to ensure its students and staff to meet the needs of the socio-economic development of the country. 39 Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City Located in Ho Chi Minh City, Nong Lam University – Ho Chi Minh City (NLU) is one of the top agricultural universities in Vietnam. NLU offers a good living and learning environment and is the destination for a lot of young and talented students

throughout the nation. There are around 21,000 full time and more than 4,000 part-time students at NLU which is developing fast with renovated and flexible educational programs. NLU is striving for a multi-disciplinary university in education and research, with international standards in educational programs, making efficient contributions to the national development. Our mission is to train internationally qualified professionals and experts in the different disciplines, to conduct research and development activities leading to economic improvement and sustainable natural resources conservation of Vietnam, and to serve as a knowledge management center to link the academic world and the communities. At NLU, we work hard to develop a favorable and essential learning environment for all students to develop their full potential. We have a green campus, a good library, large dormitories and a convenient sports center. New laboratories and computer labs are well equipped inside faculty

buildings. More facilities for students are going to be built or upgraded in coming years Based on the university’s excellent educational achievements and reputation in agricultural and rural development in Vietnam, NLU has been developing into a multi-discipline university. We currently have more than 50 training programs covering a wide range of science and technology disciplines. NLU provides education in Agronomy, Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Economics, Engineering and Technology, Environment and Natural Resource, Fisheries, Food Science and Technology, Foreign Languages and Technical Education, Forestry, Information Technology, Land and Real Estate Administration, Basic Science, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering and Processing. The training curricula are approaching international quality and adopting credit systems. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate education programs leading to Bachelor, Master, or doctoral degrees. The university has also

been acting as a bridge to transfer advanced technology, share experience and solve technical problems to communities and entrepreneurs through research, developing projects, workshops and conferences. Many collaboration projects between NLU and national & international partners have been successfully implemented, contributing to the enhancement of the university’s training and research capacity as well as national development. Empowered faculties, staff and students have together built up the reputation of Nong Lam University – Ho Chi Minh City. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 40 NLU has highly prioritised the collaboration with internationally renowned universities around the world. International cooperation with more than 140 universities, research institutes, and non-governmental organisations have enhanced NLU’s scientific research activities and technology transfers. To strengthen foundation for global integration

and to promote active international exchange, NLU has carried out following activities: collaborative or joint research, joint training programs for dual-degree and joint-degree, exchange programs (study tour, internship) and study abroad for faculty and students, training foreign students especially for Southeast Asia areas, recruiting international faculty members through advanced programs or visiting programs. NLU has developed two advanced programs for undergraduate students namely the advanced program in Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with the University of Queensland, Australia and the other in Food Science and Technology in collaboration with the University of California– Davids, USA. Besides that, several undergraduate joint training programs associated with Van Hall Larenstein University, Holland and University of Newcastle, Australia are also run by NLU. For Vietnam/Belgium collaboration, NLU has promoted it through several activities such as sending lecturers to

Belgian institutions for graduate studies, welcoming Belgian experts to NLU for academic exchange. Moreover, the University also collaborates with KU Leuven Kulak for a project named “Algal biomass production for bioproducts through treatment of wastewater of rubber processing plants in Vietnam”. The aim of this project is to develop a lowcost and robust wastewater treatment method based on microalgae With those achievements above as a base, NLU is looking forward to more and more fruitful collaborations with Belgium institutions in the near future. Research Institute for Aquaculture No.2 RIA2, Ho Chi Minh City The research and educational cooperation between RIA2 and Belgian partners started in 1998 with the first RIA2 staff that was selected for a MSc scholarship under support of VLIR to study at Ghent University. From 1998 to 2009, we mainly focused on education. Twelve RIA2 staff who finished MSc and 4 finished a PhD at different universities in Belgium, mainly in Ghent and

Leuven so far. In 2010-2013, RIA2 and Ghent University worked on a project entitled “Priming the immune system of Penaeus monodon by heat shock proteins” funded by the Foundation for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO) and the Vietnamese National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED). This project aims at verifying the immune priming effect of Hsp70 in black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon. If confirmed, an Hsp70 exposure protocol will be developed that could be used as a tool to screen Penaeus monodon families for their potential immune response, which is correlated with disease resistance. In 2014, RIA2 has been working 41 with Ghent and Can Tho University on a project entitled “Expansion of artemia production in solar saltworks in Vietnam” with the objective of dissemination of methodologies for Artemia production to local stakeholders in South and Central Vietnam, in accordance with local conditions. Alumni expanding cooperation among graduated staffs

of RIA2 There is one PhD candidate in Ghent University at the moment. RIA2 is currently cooperating in the project named “Joint graduate programmes and Research based education in Aquaculture” with other Vietnamese and Belgian partners. The overall academic objective of the project is to strengthen the collaboration between Flemish and Vietnamese universities to develop and consolidate research-based education in Aquaculture. This may lead to joint international degrees and graduate programmes. The overall developmental objectives are to train highly qualified staff for sustainable development of the aquaculture sector and to establish a strong and sustainable network system in Aquaculture between Vietnamese universities. RIA2 staff will give lectures on applied biotechnology in aquaculture, aquaculture genetics, fish health management, applied immunology in aquaculture, applied microbiology in aquaculture, recirculation aquaculture systems and supervise thesis on these and other

fields. For the joint research, the pilot-scale testing and up-scaled production of different types of intensified Artemia production in salt ponds are considered now in extended period. RIA2 would like to continue cooperating with Belgian research and educational institutions to strengthen its human resources in order to establish specialised research groups in different fields and to conduct research projects in different forms of cooperation such as projects funded by Belgian organisations, by the Vietnamese government or co-funded by both sides. The focus areas both for research and training staff are molecular genetics and bioinformatics, applied microbiology and immunology, enzyme and protein technologies in nutrition and feed, disease prevention and bio-compound extraction, improved aquaculture farming system and other related fields in aquaculture. University of Transport and Communications, Hanoi The University of Transport and Communications which is the biggest (30.000

students) and oldest university (1945) in the transport sector in Vietnam has the noble responsibility to train scientific and technological staff to be competent, professionally passionate, creative and humane for the transport sector and for the country as a whole. The University’s education, scientific research, technology transfer and other activities aim to bring benefits with the best quality to the community and society. The UTC has trained tens of thousands of engineers, thousands of masters and doctors for the country. Most leaders and managers of transport management units and enterprises graduated from the UTC. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 42 UTC has five faculties (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Transport-Economics, Electrical-Electronic Engineering, Information Technology) and three institutes (Institute of Transport Planning and Management, Institute of Construction Engineering, Institute of Safety

and Environment in Transport). At present, the UTC offers 15 disciplines with 68 majors for undergraduate degree, 11 disciplines with over 30 majors for Master degree and 8 disciplines with nearly 20 majors for doctor degree. International Cooperation With the aim of “Cooperation - Development”, the UTC has paid much attention to the international cooperation activities in various fields. In the past years, the UTC has maintained and established cooperation activities with many international universities and organisations from many countries such as USA, UK, Germany, Russia, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, China, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia in order to implement educational programs and improve experimental equipments for training activities and scientific research, which have been shown by following activities: Development and implementation of training cooperation and scientific research programs funded by Vietnamese Government and foreign funding sources;

Implementation of several investment projects at the cost of ten millions of US dollars to improve equipments to serve training and scientific research activities; Successful organization and co-organization of important international scientific seminars. Exchange of lecturers and students with foreign universities in training activities, academic and cultural exchange. Some typical international training programs: Advanced training program in Transport construction engineering Vietnam-Japan urban transport works engineering program Bridge-Road engineering program in French Vietnam-France materials and technology program French Pre-undergraduate training program Vietnam-Germany doctoral cooperation training program International master training program collaborated between UTC, Vietnamese-German University and Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany Cooperative training program to improve professional knowledge for staff of Laos Ministry of Public Works and Transport Annual

training courses collaborating with Kyoto University, Japan Vietnamese-Russian two-stage engineer training coordination program in Tunnel-Metro engineering Consultancy Program of sending Vietnamese students to Southwest Jiaotong University– China and other universities in France, Russia and Germany. Campus 2 In order to meet the demand of high qualified human resources for the transport infrastructure development in the southern provinces, on April 27th 1990, Campus 2 of University of Transport and Communications was established. The Campus 2 was located at Thu Duc district (Now it is District 9) Ho Chi Minh City. 43 Through nearly a quarter century of formation and development, the Campus 2 has matured in all aspects. The training aspect has developed in both scale and quality The number of academic staff with graduate degrees occupies the greater proportion. Until April 2014, the Campus 2 has 175 staff and lecturers, of which there are 2 associate professors, 13 doctors, 57

masters. Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi PAST and PRESENT Collaborations Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) was established in 1956, as one of the first national universities of Vietnam. In pursuit of excellence in training, research and public service, VNUA has a strong commitment to agricultural and rural development, making contributions to cope with the industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture and the country. The university has developed the collaboration with Belgian universities since 1998 which is Institutional Cooperation Program between Vietnam National University of Agriculture (formerly Hanoi University of Agriculture) and the francophone joint university council (Belgium). The project lasts for 4 phases (Phase 1: 1998-2002; Phase 2: 2003-2007; Phase 3: 2008-2012; Phase 4: 2013 - 2017). The overall objective of the project is to strengthen teaching and scientific research capacity for VNUA staff and students through short

training, Master Programme in Rural Economics and Sociology in cooperation with the University of Liège (ULg) which has been running for 5 cycles (from 2010 - 2015), sandwich PhD, small research projects, and library facility improvement. Recently, with the funding from ACRES-CCD, the Master program in Food Technology in cooperation with the University of Liège has been organised, and will run from 2014 until 2018. VNUA has collaborated not only with the Walloon universities but also with the Flemish universities. Lots of VNUA’ staff were granted VLIR-UOS and BTC scholarships to pursuit Master and PhD degrees in Flemish Universities such as UGent, KU Leuven, VUB etc. To further strengthen the collaboration between Flemish universities and VNUA, the university has been chosen as a partner in the Network University Cooperation programme project funded by VLIR-UOS which aims at building capacity in teaching and research in food science for lecturers. Furthermore, several joint

research projects between VNUA and KU Leuven on reducing postharvest losses of agricultural products in Vietnam have been implemented such as SI 2012 project entitled “Elaborating a framework for a joined research on reducing postharvest losses of longan and litchi cultivated in Vietnam”; SI 2014 project entitled “Strengthening Vietnamese postharvest capital”; TEAM project 2015 entitled “ Increasing economic viability of the Vietnamese fresh fruit industry by reducing postharvest losses” and the bilateral research project entitled “Revealing the interaction between heat tolerance, climacteric fruit ripening and postharvest quality of tomato” funded by NAFOSTED-FWO. Moreover, to increase the networks of food scientists, connecting Belgium to Southeast Asia, VNUA successfully organised the International Conference and Food Science and Technology in 2013 with funding from VLIR-UOS. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 44 45

FUTURE Policy With the purpose to become a multi-disciplinary center in education and research with nationally leading and regionally advanced quality in the areas of agriculture and rural development, making efficient contributions to the national development, VNUA constantly accelerates opportunities to collaborate with international organisations all over the world. With respect to the future Belgo-Vietnam collaboration, the university gives the highest priority on education, training, and research namely: Increase the number of joint undergraduate and graduate education programmes Staff exchange through short trainings/visits between Vietnamese and Belgian partners Increase the number of bilateral joint research projects Yanmar Agricultural Research Institute, Can Tho PAST Under the scope of good collaboration relationship between Can Tho University (CTU) and Yanmar Co.,Ltd, on March 28th 2013, The Yanmar Agricultural Research Institute was officially established at CTU. In

association with the university, the institute will provide expertise in the use of machines in agricultural production and preservation of farm produce, machines in aquaculture farming and processing to know the demand of farmers and then develop suitable products. The establishment of Yanmar Agricultural Research Institute aimed to serve the technological development and a vision towards 2024, helping Vietnam become a developed country and have a modernized agricultural sector, particularly: 1. 2. 3. Contributing to modernisation of agriculture by upgrade productivity and quality of agricultural products and provide suitable mechanization for farmers. Contributing to realization of sustainable society especially in farming area, particularly environmental friendly agriculture and provide biomass energy solution. Contributing to upgrade living standards of farmers by profitable safe farming. Under collaboration with Can Tho University, YARIV has conducted research carried out by CTU

professors and students on agricultural economy research, development of agricultural machinery which is appropriate to Vietnam, organised training programs at CTU on handling and repair of agricultural machines, biofuel or Biomass energy research on technology and designed plant for production using agriculture/aquaculture residues or biofuel trees/plants), aqua farming consider working together with Yanmar marine farm in Japan and plant culture research. PRESENT Recently, YARIV has conducted research on feasibility study on the growing rice method using transplanters, effects of fertilisers and agrochemical on the growing and yield of Vietnamese rice. Besides, the villages and farmers study was carried out for customers understanding, agricultural policy trend and research on the use of waste and by-products of agriculture and aquaculture like rice straw, basa fat, used coffee, rubber seeds, etc. for valuable products such as organic fertilisers and biodiesel. An internship program

held in Vietnam and Japan has just started providing additional knowledge and improving personal skills for CTU students. The introduction of new technology (combine harvester with rice straw chopper, new types of cage wheels, plough, etc) in agricultural production was also performed. FUTURE The technology serves the agricultural production in Vietnam particularly Mekong Delta. The center will carry out activities on biofuel development, economy research in agriculture aiming to upgrade the living standards of farmers, joint training programs for officers, workers, farmers, authorities in agriculture, internship program for students, supporting postgraduate study of the faculty. YARIV is looking forward to collaborate with universities and research institutions in research, staff and technology exchange. Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 46 47 A systematic cross fertilisation between the University of Antwerp and Vietnam All the

faculties from the University of Antwerp conduct both fundamental and applied research of very high quality. In 9 domains, our research is among the best in the world. These frontline research domains are: Drug Discovery and Development, Ecology and Sustainable Development (with strong emphasis on sustainable chemistry), Harbour, Transport and Logistics, Imaging, Infectious Diseases, Materials Characterisation, Neurosciences, Socio-economic Policy and Organisation, Urban History and Contemporary Urban Policy. In addition to this, the University of Antwerp offers a range of graduate programmes in English: 14 master programmes, 8 advanced master programmes and 7 postgraduate programmes. For further information, please consult wwwuantwerpbe Therefore, one of the areas where future collaboration between the University of Antwerp and Vietnam can be extended is capacity building regarding infectious diseases, epidemiology and prevention. This can be integrated in new or already existing

health care projects in Vietnam and a number of these activities can be performed in collaboration with other Belgian universities. The University of Antwerp wants to contribute to improvements in global health by preventing priority diseases and progressing towards attainment of the Millenium Development Goals. As stated before, the UAntwerp would like to invest in capacity building in Vietnam in the fields of education, research collaboration, common PhD grants/topics and external contract research allowing for the setup of joint research programmes and joint PhD’s as well as the training of students. This goal would be achieved by using a wide array of measures, such as summer schools, ESL training in Vietnam, master classes and overall assistance in implementing the aforementioned measures. The resulting collaboration might contribute to the development of larger inter-country collaborative projects, that could be instrumental for a wider Institutional University Collaboration

proposal. At present the University of Antwerp has several ongoing collaborations with Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Hanoi), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (STAD) and Research Institute for Aquaculture (STAD). We consider a more structured (strategic) and long term relationship between UAntwerp and Vietnamese research institutions and universities, including the setting up of institutional collaborative agreements with Vietnamese universities. For this purpose we organised a research mission in November 2014 to Vietnam as part of the activities in Hanoi and Can Tho. The University of Antwerp wants to enhance a more systematic cross fertilisation between the Vietnamese stakeholders as well as between the partners in Flanders, including Handicap International, UNICEF, WHO, VLIR-UOS, ITM, industry, etc. During the visit from the delegation of Vietnamese rectors

and vice-rectors in Belgium (October 2015), the University of Antwerp creates the occasion to officially sign an agreement (memorandum of understanding on the collaboration between the universities) by the respective rectors. Vietnam has the potential to further develop its collaboration with Flanders, and become the hub in South-East Asia in the field of prevention and control of infectious diseases. We already had contacts with the authorities in Hanoi and with other universities in order to develop urban water treatment as for rural, small scale, treatment. So, the department of Science and Technology will set this up together with the VNU and make a strategy for Vietnam to be taken up by the Department of Environment.” Ludo Diels Professor University of Antwerp Waste and Waste Water Treatment Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 48 49 Cooperation between Vietnamese Institutions and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) ‘The

implementation of the study on Environmental and food reservoirs of antibiotic resistant organisms requires extensive strengthening of the laboratory and research capacity by transferring modern molecular techniques and knowledge to the partner university through exchange of students and on-site training visit. Doctoral students, staff members and researchers will benefit from the strengthening of the research capacity, the knowledge and the new opportunities for scientific networking and submission of research proposals.” Herman Goossens Professor University of Antwerp Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has a long standing tradition of cooperating with universities in Vietnam. During the past three decades, VUB participated in several projects, externally funded by the EU or by the Flemish Region. Thematic focus was mainly on Environmental Sciences and Management (such as water resources, land use, mangrove research, aquaculture, and

climate change), Epidemiology (cooperation with the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology) and the Development of Herbal Medicines. However, the most elaborated cooperation was funded by federal development cooperation funding through VLIR-UOS. VUB coordinated (Prof Ronny Van Loon/ Prof Kris Steenhaut) the Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) Programme with Hanoi University of Technology (now: Hanoi University of Science and Technology) from 1998 – 2008 and participated (Prof. Edilbert Van Driessche) as partner university in the IUC with Can Tho University from 1998 - 2007. Our project leaders worked on Electronics and Communication; Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology. Throughout the different programmes, student and staff mobility between VUB and Vietnamese partner universities flourished. Professors with expertise in many different domains travelled abroad to teach while PhD students from Vietnam came to VUB to perform advanced research or follow a specific

training. Although the two IUC’s ended approx 8 years ago, other projects continued and new projects were launched, which secured a steady mobility flow up to this present day. Non VLIR funded mobility remains steady too For more than 10 years now, 5 to 8 Vietnamese students have been travelling to Brussel on a yearly base with a grant from the Belgian Development Agency (BTC). Consolidation of existing partnerships In 2013, the beginning of a new IUC with Hue University was celebrated. Currently, VUB, partner in this programme, leads the project Preservation of the coastal ecosystems and natural resources under the effects of development activities and climate change (prof. Ludwig Triest) Vietnamese PhD students spend each year at least three months at VUB, under the supervision of the project leader, while others are welcomed for shorter stays. Several other VLIR-UOS funded projects such as South Initiatives (Thai Nguyen University of Information Technology and Communication) and

North South South cooperation (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) are being coordinated by VUB professors. Although the VLIR-UOS funded International Master Programmes (ICP) are not in cooperation with a specific country, the Master of Science in Molecular Biology, remains popular among Vietnamese Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 50 51 students. Since its foundation, more than 50 Vietnamese students travelled to Belgium to participate in this interuniversity master. But there is more VUB is partner in 3 ongoing Erasmus Mundus programmes which include Vietnamese partner institutions (HUST, Can Tho and Hue), with mobility at all levels (Ba, Master, PhD, postdoc, staff) and all academic fields are considered. It concerns the following programmes: Lotus 3 (second cohort in 2014), Lotus Unlimited (first cohort in 2014) and Lotus Plus (first cohort in 2015). The VUB scholarship programme granted 5 full master scholarships to

students coming from Vietnam for academic years 2013-14 and 2014-15 and the best were invited to submit their application to continue their study at VUB with a PhD-grant. Cooperation lead, throughout the years, to a close cooperation with several Vietnamese universities. In 2006, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and Training Vietnamese Overseas Scholarship Programme, and the VUB was signed. Its purpose: the joint funding of the training of Doctoral Students at the VUB. The areas covered were Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Economics and Management, Heath Science and Pharmacy, Arts; at a rate of 10 candidates per year maximum. Unfortunately, this agreement was not renewed The Belgo-Vietnamese Cooperation in Ghent University As Vietnam is broadly recognised as a country with a high-performing education system and a growing focus on research, it is not surprising that Ghent

University has established close and strong relationships with several Vietnamese higher education institutions. In the past decades, Ghent University and its Vietnamese partners have worked hard to strengthen their relationships. Ghent University currently holds 4 active bilateral agreements with Vietnamese institutions. Ghent university has furthermore been able to successfully extend its cooperation in the framework of numerous projects in which it is involved with Vietnamese partners, in the field of education as well as research. European and national funding schemes such as Erasmus Mundus, ASEM-DUO and Asia-Link, have sponsored student and staff mobility from and to Vietnam for several years now. Different sources of finance (VLIR-UOS, EU, Ghent University, the Province of East Flanders, FWO, IWT, industry,) are used to fund the joint research projects with Vietnamese partners. The majority of these joint research projects are set up by the Faculties of Bioscience Engineering,

Sciences, Veterinary medicine and Engineering and Architecture. And the future? The 2011 mission of the Belgian rectors to Vietnam, with the support of the then Crown Prince, now King Filip, was an ideal opportunity to come into contact with the leading people of Vietnam. The visits that I had before in Vietnam with my colleagues from Ghent University had already exposed me to the daily life in Vietnam and had given me the opportunity to make many good friends. I hope that the visit of the Vietnamese Rectors to Belgium will strengthen the already strong ties between our 2 countries.” Since May this year, Vietnam is no longer a partner country on the list of the Belgium development cooperation. It is unclear what the result of this decision will be with regard to the cooperation between Belgium and Vietnam. Building on our university’s vision on development cooperation, VUB will continue with the existing projects, and will keep on looking for cooperation opportunities. Fuelled

by the origin and history of the university, VUB is strongly engaged in the creation of societal value and impact - next to and originating from groundbreaking research. This explains why development cooperation takes a prominent place. Securing the expertise relevant for development cooperation is a major concern. In our actions we strive for long-term continuity, sustainable even when the temporary subsidies stop. We want to embed specialised master programmes, with particular relevance to developing countries, into our curriculum. The network of host institutions for our students in developing countries, including Vietnam, will be further expanded. In addition to capacity building in the South, it is our vision to realize continuity by supporting the peer-to-peer relationships in a sustainable way. Therefore, we strive for (i) diversification of the channels of funding, a.o towards international sources, (ii) rejuvenation of the generation of initiative takers, (iii) capitalizing on

senior expertise, (iv) personal appreciation for achievements, (v) encouragement of student participation. When it comes to the diversification of channels of funding, VUB will, for example, be looking into partnerships with industry. Paul Van Cauwenberge Honorary Rector Ghent University Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 52 53 The strong links between Ghent University, the Province of East Flanders, the city and the harbour of Ghent create tremendous opportunities. It is of paramount importance to fully take advantage of these opportunities. The Province of East Flanders maintains a longstanding cooperation with Vietnam, which is one of the priority countries in the Province’s international relations policy. The main goal of this cooperation is not only to support Flemish companies in their search for economic opportunities but also to assist Flemish knowledge centers looking for cooperation in Vietnam. The overall approach is

triple helix-oriented: projects and activities involve public authorities, companies and knowledge centers, both in (East) Flanders and Vietnam. The Flanders Economic Office (FEO) which was established in 2007 as part of the Royal Belgian Consulate in HCMC, has from the start been granted the full support of the Province of East Flanders. The FEO works not only as an incubator center at the disposal of Flemish companies but also jointly coordinates the activities of the Province of East Flanders in Vietnam and is giving support to activities set up by East Flemish knowledge centers. East Flanders maintains a close relationship with Lam Dong province, especially in the field of agri- and horticulture, cacao and coffee production. Starting from a win-win principle on both sides academic cooperation has been established and field project set up with the involvement of Belgian knowledge centres and companies (triple helix model). Lam Dong has the potential to become a top region in Asia in

the field of agri- and horticulture and can become a hub to Belgian companies willing to enter the Asian market. It is the aim to further broaden and deepen our cooperation with Vietnam. The idea to set up an economic cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding provinces which are considered as the economic hub of Vietnam, is part of this ambition. Ghent University is ready, and more willing than ever, to take its cooperation with Vietnam to the next level. We strongly believe that together with our Vietnamese partners, we can face all challenges and fully grasp the opportunities that lie ahead. The Integrated Policy Plan for Internationalisation clearly states: “Ghent University strives to achieve a tangible impact on both sides of the cooperation”. The cooperation with Vietnam illustrates that Ghent University is making every effort to achieve that. After a period of exchanging ideas and mutual work visits, the provincial government of East Flanders and the People’s

Committee of Lam Dong signed a general Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of agri- and horticulture in 2012. Stimulated by the two provinces, a platform of partners was set up in East Flanders and Lam Dong consisting of amongst others Ghent University and Dalat University, several research institutes and private companies. Since 2013 field projects (strawberries, chrysanthemums, tomatoes) have been set up in Dalat. Their main aim is to demonstrate to growers in Dalat a number of high tech applications, fertilisation and growing techniques which can easily be applied in the Lam Dong region. These projects, in which Flemish products (fertilisers, substrates, seeds, horticulture automation, . ) are used and demonstrated, exemplify the advantages of cooperation.” Geert Versnick Vice-governor Provincial Government of East Flanders Department of Economy, European and international cooperation Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE

COOPERATION 54 55 Ghent University coordinated the VLIR-IUC with Can Tho University (CTU) from 1998 till 2008. Ghent University is at present coordinating two major VLIR-UOS projects: one IUC project with Hue University (HU) and a network project coordinated by Can Tho University. In addition to the institutional strengthening of Hue University, the IUC project focuses on three thematic areas: aquaculture and crop production, ecosystems and rural health development. The network project locally coordinated by CTU will develop joint master programmes and research-based education in aquaculture and food technology, in collaboration with four other Vietnamese HEI’s. The network is also coordinating a significant number of educational projects on Asia Regional that finance exchange and degree mobility on all levels (Bachelor to staff) from Asia to Europe and in a later stage also both ways. Four of the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 projects, that Ghent University is coordinating, are on

“Asia Regional” including 6 countries from Asia: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar; Thailand and Vietnam. And our 3 Vietnamese partners in the Lotus projects (www.lotusugentbe), - Can Tho University, Hue University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology – can surely confirm what a wonderful tool these projects can be in establishing or strengthening the ties with other universities both in Europe and in Asia especially with a view to the general Internationalisation strategies of the partner universities involved. I would dare to conclude that our “Lotus family” has become a brand name in itself.” Inge Mangelschots Ghent University Coordination Erasmus Mundus Action 2 The efforts have led to a steady increase in the number of Vietnamese students at Ghent University. During the academic year 2014-2015, 86 Vietnamese students were enrolled at Ghent University, 66 of whom were PhD students, 11 were Master degree students and another 11 came for a shorter exchange

period. Building on the successes of the past, Ghent University aims at further strengthening the ties in the future. In the light of the challenges both Ghent University and the Vietnamese universities face, a mutual strategy, focusing on each partner’s individual strength, can help all partners to further improve their internationalisation policy. First of all, Ghent University aims at broadening the general scope of cooperation by involving more staff members from different faculties and looking for new funding opportunities for joint projects. In the framework of its Integrated Policy Plan for Internationalisation, Ghent University aims to boost the links between education and research in an international context. Developing more joint master programmes and joint PhD degrees will create a structural foundation for future research cooperation. Based on its experience in joint programmes, credit transfer and structured mobility, Ghent University can assist in the creation of more

internationally oriented programmes in Vietnam and together all partners can enlarge their individual capacity. Additionally, by expanding the network of local businesses, non-governmental organisations and governing bodies, the existing cooperation will be further entrenched both in Flanders and Vietnam. Even if, during our internship, we experienced that intercultural cooperation and coordination isn’t always as easy as it seems, we got a lot of support and gratefulness for our work. At the office of VLIR-UOS in Hue, we always got help when we had problems with the organisation of the workshops, contacting the participants, setting up the Moodle environment Between the work, we had a lot of fun with our colleagues and they helped us discovering the city, the habits, and the Vietnamese way of working.” Annegreet Poelman & Silke Vangheluwe Graduated Master students Ghent University Blended learning in higher education Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 56 57 Hasselt University in Vietnam: knowledge and innovation in action Hasselt University is an innovative university which has a pronounced international orientation. Founded in 1971, it is the youngest university in Belgium Hasselt University stands for excellence in education, top research in spearhead fields and active commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. The overall objective is to combine academic excellence with economic and social relevance. Hasselt University has developed successful partnerships with Vietnamese institutions. The Faculty of Sciences (through the Center for Statistics), the faculty of Business Economics and the School for Mobility have been or are particularly involved in qualitative projects with Vietnamese institutions such as Hue University, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (Institute of Mathematics), the Foreign Trade University, Ton Duc Thang University, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit and

the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology. In the context of the elaboration of the international policy plan in 2013, it was decided to further intensify existing partnerships in terms of breadth and depth with universities that share a similar academic approach and research expertise and offer comparable academic programmes, this in order to develop win-win sustainable partnerships. In order to maximise the impact and quality of international partnerships, four countries were selected by the Faculties for future structural collaboration, Vietnam being the first of them. In 2015 I went to Vietnam to find new partners for collaboration with Hasselt University as Vietnam is a strategic country for us. The institutions I visited are at somehow very different levels of development: some are already quite internationally competitive, which means that true win-win partnerships are really possible. In that sense, it goes further than development cooperation. Others still have a

long way and development cooperation will keep playing a big role there. This is a challenge for the overall education level in Vietnam.” Jean-Michel Rigo Vice-rector Education Hasselt University Education management and institutional strengthening In 2015, a strategic action plan for Vietnam has been designed, resulting from close cooperation with stakeholders in Vietnam and Belgium (Vietnamese alumni, Vietnamese ambassador in Belgium, partner universities, identification missions in Vietnam). By joining forces within a clearly demarcated area, this ambitious targeted strategy will combine innovation and expertise to create scientific and developmental added value in education, research and services to society for all involved partners in both countries. The Faculties, with support of the International Office, are currently implementing this action plan that focuses on five expertise areas with specific activities: Transportation Sciences Enrolment of Vietnamese students in the

existing intensive training programmes in Road Safety and in the English Master programme Joint PhD’s and research Co-organization of conferences Statistics and mathematics departments Intensive collaboration with research institutes Focus on epidemiology of infectious diseases and mathematics Education: Co-organization of summer schools, increased access to the distance learning Master programme in biostatistics: Architecture and urban planning Industrial engineering Biomedical sciences This will be done by intensifying existing collaborations but also by identifying new Vietnamese partners in these fields. The objective is to create structural, sustainable and win-win partnerships with preferred partners, in order to maximise the quality and the visibility for all parties. To achieve this objective, Hasselt University will rely on existing funding opportunities in Belgium and Vietnam, but will also provide own financial support for academic activities. Our action plan immediately

clarifies how we can use existing and new partnerships to put UHasselt on the map in Vietnam. Our plan is twofold: first we will optimise our student and staff mobility, and second we will make a concerted effort to improve our structural collaboration in terms of both research and education.” Luc de Schepper Rector Hasselt University Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 58 59 KU Leuven and its unique long-standing cooperation with Vietnam When KU Leuven researchers and professors started their cooperation with Vietnam in the nineties, Vietnam was a severely damaged country because of many decades of war and isolation. Discussions about research with Vietnamese colleagues show a drive in their hearts and minds. It shows that they are convinced that research in various themes is a big support to let their country grow, for example in health care, in international relations, in business approaches, or in environmental protection.

Different culture, different language: sometimes not easy to communicate, but we learn . at both sides” Gerrit Janssens Professor Hasselt University Logistics and quantitative methods In 1994, the economic embargo was lifted and so early cooperation programmes mainly concentrated on the fulfilment of basic needs and on urgent issues such as medical provision, the treatment of basic health problems and agricultural processes to overcome food shortage and famine. The previous experience of KU Leuven professors and researchers in cooperating with Vietnamese students, known for being hard-working, smart and proud to be able to contribute to their country’s fast development, took research cooperation to the next level. Cooperation boosted in the late nineties and early two thousands, when KU Leuven professors engaged in all four long-term VLIR-UOS interuniversity cooperation projects with the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, Can Tho University, and later also with Hue

University and the network cooperation Bioscience for Food. Vietnam became a popular destination for KU Leuven researchers and so over the years consolidated links were established by the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering and the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, and to a lesser extent also by the departments of Pharmacological Sciences, Civil Engineering, and by the Faculty of Science. Very often the Vietnamese context offers natural resources that researchers cannot find in their home country. In this way, capacity-building and the strengthening of human resources may be considered as almost organically growing additional advantages of research relationships that have developed in a natural way. The outcome is a win-win situation for all partners, which is the best start for a sustainable relationship to be developed in the years ahead. Vietnam has also become a popular destination among the Flemish students Since 2001, 71 KU Leuven students have travelled to Vietnam

to do an internship; it’s a remarkable fact that almost one student out of three is from the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture. KU Leuven really cares about development cooperation. Already in the seventies, long before VLIR-UOS was founded, the university established its Interfaculty Council for Development Cooperation, offering international students the opportunity to finalise their PhD studies in Leuven by granting them a KU Leuven scholarship for a period of four years. Many Vietnamese students obtained their PhD in this way, while at this very moment three students are working hard to obtain their doctoral degree in Leuven. Universities in Vietnam still need to attain a higher level of capacity-building. Also, due to the extremely high number of students, the absence of an appropriate infrastructure and a severe lack of qualified teaching faculty and staff members, the Vietnamese education system still suffers several inherent shortcomings and weaknesses. Nevertheless,

cooperation with Vietnam has exceeded the level of development cooperation and is growing towards what could be called ‘an international exchange level’. Today, many Vietnamese students study at KU Leuven with a 911 PhD scholarship provided by the Vietnamese government. Research proposals Source: http://www.doksinet PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BELGO-VIETNAMESE COOPERATION 60 61 are financed through a collaboration between FWO Flanders and its Vietnamese counterpart NAFOSTED. Alumni and holders of a Master’s or PhD degree are being recruited for associate positions in Vietnamese universities, whereas others hold high positions in government and in foreign companies, thus establishing new networks and creating possibilities for an enhanced cooperation in different ways. Attracted by the quality of KU Leuven’s research and education, 155 Vietnamese students registered at KU Leuven last year. Thus Vietnam, preceded only by China and India, was ranked third in the top 3 of most

represented Asian countries in Leuven. The number of Vietnamese students in Leuven almost doubled in ten years time. The international research landscape is constantly changing, but so is the university. KU Leuven recently went through a profound process of reorganization, turning the university into a multi-campus model and almost doubling the number of students and the institution’s human resources, making it by far the largest university in Flanders. May this new situation open new gates and be an inspiration to expand the university’s cooperation with Vietnam. A prosperous future for further collaboration announces itself. The willingness among university staff to address research topics in close cooperation with Vietnamese partners is growing every year and is reflected by the number of joint project proposals. New ways of establishing relationships between partners are being explored and found, increasingly replacing traditional funding schemes by international and local

Asian funding. The number of Vietnamese universities that take part in the KU Leuven network is rising considerably. At this moment several joint universities have been established with French, German, Japanese, British and American Universities. I think it is time to start building up a Flemish school in science and technology in Vietnam, with either full or sandwich training in domains we are experts in.” Collaboration with Vietnam may start before you are aware of it. My former PhD student became a lecturer in Hanoi, and the collaboration was continued. My second Vietnamese PhD student obtained a position in Ho Chi Minh City after graduating and continued to implement the ideas she developed together with me. A network of colleagues develops. today I am very much aware of my collaboration with Vietnam, and have no intentions to slow it down.” Bart Van der Bruggen Professor KU Leuven Faculty of Chemistry Engineering Nguyen Minh Tho Professor KU Leuven Computational chemistry

Source: http://www.doksinet 62 Colofon Title Belgo-Vietnamese cooperation Subtitle Examples of good practices for international academic partnerships First edition September 2015 Responsible publisher Magda Vincx Editorial committee Magda Vincx, Valerie Henrist, Inge Mangelschots, Le Van Khoa, Stéphanie Frère, Elise Konings, Karolien Vrints, Jannes Motmans, Christophe Goossens, Kristien Verbrugghen, Katrien De Gelder, Jean Dhont, Pierre Van Damme Concept and end redaction Stéphanie Frère Funding VLIR-UOS and Ghent University Art direction Imagica (Hasselt) Publisher ProFeeling (Beringen) Source: http://www.doksinet 64