PURPOSE

VinUniversity’s Seed Grant Program aims to accelerate groundbreaking research for positive impact,  forge vital connections among researchers, students, staff, and external partners, and bring bold ideas and powerful innovations that make a real positive impact on people, quality of life, and the planet.

ELIGIBILITY

All full-time faculty members at VinUniversity are eligible to apply. When there is not sufficient funding available to fund all high-scoring proposals, priority will be given to funding proposals from early career, research-active faculty. Faculty members who have received an award through this program within the previous two years are not eligible to apply. Those who have received Fast Track funding are, however, eligible to apply.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

*Should there be anything else you would like to ask, please send an email to the Research Management Office at vpo@vinuni.edu.vn.

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

Each seed proposal will be reviewed by the members of the VinUniversity Research Advisory Committee (RAC). The RAC comprises members selected from the faculty of VinUniversity. The Vice Provost of Research and Innovation (VPRI) will select the committee members using the best judgment to allow a fair review while distributing the review load across all committee members. Each proposal will be reviewed based on the following categories:

• Building talents
• Real life impact
• Reputation building for VinUni

TIMEFRAME

Research projects funded through this program are expected to be completed within two years; however, longer projects and extensions will be allowed as needed.

REPORTING

The PI will submit six monthly reports on their funded project. A template will be provided for the report.

At the conclusion of the project, the PI will provide a complete report of the expenses, research outcomes, publications or manuscripts or working papers, and plans for future work.

In addition to written reports, the research team may be invited to present the outcomes in a workshop, symposium, or conference.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Seed Grant Program will support VinUni research in meeting the following overarching objectives. Accordingly, the decision to award funding for a proposal will be guided by the extent to which submitted proposals meets these considerations.

• Initiate research with results that could lead to larger-scale, longer-term programs that are funded externally by local, national or international organizations
• Conduct research that has near term measurable positive impact and addresses urgent issues, so as to build the reputation and name recognition of VinUni by accomplishing some quick but notable wins.
• Build research capability and self-sufficiency by acquiring equipment, databases, and other resources needed to pursue ground-breaking research.
• Build collaborations with international and national peer institutions to extend the infrastructure for conducting and supporting research available to VinUni faculty, as well as gain exposure to research practices at these institutions.
• Provide opportunities to build and enhance research skills and expertise of VinUni researchers and students, to grow the next generation of future talent and academic leaders.
• Partner with companies in the VinGroup eco-system to conduct research with real-world applications and with direct benefit to VinGroup.
• Build new and lasting interdisciplinary research collaborations across VinUni, VinGroup and other collaborators and partners

PREVIOUSLY FUNDED RESEARCH

Over the past two years, many faculty members have received Seed Grant and FastTrack funding for their research. Below is the list of all the previously funded projects:

AY21-22 Fast Track

AY21-22 Seed Grant

AY20-21 Seed Grant

Seed Grant Symposium 2022

Message from Professor Laurent El Ghaoui – Chair of the Research Affairs Committee and Dean of the College of Engineering & Computer Science, VinUniversity.

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