VinUni Convenes Second Meeting of the Institutional Advisory Board: Discussing Strategic Breakthroughs to Advance the Talent Ecosystem

On December 8, 2025, VinUniversity held the second meeting of its Institutional Advisory Board (IAB) for the 2025–2026 academic year. The meeting focused on discussing key strategic directions aimed at driving breakthroughs in VinUniversity’s talent development efforts.

The meeting was chaired by Professor Lily Kong, Chair of VinUniversity’s Institutional Advisory Board and President of Singapore Management University (SMU). During the session, board members shared perspectives on how VinUniversity can nurture and develop innovators, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs – individuals who will contribute to the future development of Vietnam and beyond.

Advisory Board Members in attendance included: Prof. Lily Kong – President, Singapore Management University (SMU); Assoc. Prof. Mai Thanh Phong – Provost, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam National University HCMC; Prof. Dr. Doan Quoc Hung – CEO, Vinmec Ocean Park 2 Healthcare System, and VinUniversity senior leaders.

Through case studies of universities and organizations that have successfully nurtured innovators, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs; the measures they use to track success; and the factors contributing to their achievements, the advisors shared several key recommendations:

1. VinUniversity should consider developing two separate talent pathways for faculty and students, as international studies show that only one-third of university start-ups stem from faculty research, while two-thirds originate from student ideas.
2. VinUniversity should establish a professional Technology Transfer Office that supports intellectual property, enables idea prototyping, and maintains minimal university equity in start-ups to encourage faculty to commercialize research.
3. VinUniversity may consider a dedicated strategy for nurturing high-potential students, treating the first year as an exploratory stage to identify outstanding talent and develop specialized innovation and entrepreneurship tracks.
4. VinUniversity should develop appropriate evaluation, recognition, and reward mechanisms to foster a culture of innovation across the university.

The online session also welcomed the participation of: Prof. Soumitra Dutta – Former Dean, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; Prof. Nguyen Duc Khuong – Professor of Finance, EMLV Business School; Director of International Development, De Vinci Higher Education; Prof. Ilesanmi Adesida – Former Provost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Prof. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen – Chair, VinFuture Prize Pre-Screening Committee and Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara; Prof. Minh Do – Honorary Vice Provost, VinUniversity

While highlighting several significant challenges, the advisors unanimously emphasized that VinUniversity – as a young, agile institution unbound by legacy systems – is uniquely positioned to rapidly adopt modern models, leverage global expert networks, and activate its strategic advantages.

The meeting concluded with consensus on a strategic development framework for VinUniversity, which includes: (1) Integrating Strategy & Ecosystem Thinking; (2) Designing Intentional Structures and Academic Programs; (3) Fostering Innovation within Faculty; (4) Developing High-Potential Students & Student Assessment Ecosystems; (5) Building a Supportive Culture & Motivation Systems