The number of nominating partners has more than quadrupled compared to the first-year Prize; and 20% of this year's nominating partners are among the world's top 2% most-cited researchers.
The 2023 VinFuture Prize's nominations come from respected scientists and organisations from 90 countries and territories across six continents. Leading in the number of nominators are scientists from the Americas with 30.3%, followed by Asia (28.6%), Africa (9.5%), and Oceania (6.8%). Europe has shown impressive growth, with 24.8% of the nominating partners - 1.5 times higher than last year.
This year's nominating partners are from renowned universities and research institutes such as Harvard (the US), Stanford (the US), University of California (the US), Johns Hopkins (the US), Max Planck (Germany), Cambridge (the UK), Oxford (the UK), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the University of Tokyo (Japan), Yonsei University (the Republic of Korea), and Monash University (Australia) and etc.
The 2023 VinFuture Prize's nominations continue to encompass a wide range of critical disciplines, including health and wellness, energy, environment, agriculture, climate change, and multidisciplinary artificial intelligence (AI) applications. All the nominated projects show significant development potential and stand to improve the lives of millions of people.
Dr. Le Thai Ha, Managing Director of the VinFuture Prize commented: "The third season of VinFuture Prize has garnered widespread acclaim and support from the international scientific community. The number of nominated partners has more than quadrupled, from almost 1,200 in the first season to over 5,264 this year. This confirms the growing prominence of the VinFuture Prize in the global scientific community, stressing its role as a driving factor for scientific progress, particularly in developing nations."
Aligning with the aim of "Science for humanity", the nominations for the 2023 VinFuture Prize fulfil the requirement of demonstrating the positive influence they have brought, or their potential to bring about significant improvements to people's lives. Additionally, there are numerous nominees in cutting-edge disciplines such as quantum computing, models for managing material qualities, inventions to serve people with impairments, neurological disorders like cancer, new forms of energy, high-tech products, more affordable materials, and others.
The 2023 VinFuture pre-screening round takes place from June 1 to September 16 and aims to enable the Committee to meticulously evaluate the most impactful and award-worthy nominations to proceed to the final round. To ensure scientific integrity, fairness, and transparency, the 12-member Pre-Screening Committee will assess the nominations according to a rigorous evaluation process based on the highest international standards and core criteria. These criteria include the degree of scientific or technological advancement, the level of impact on people's lives, as well as the project's scale and sustainability.
The VinFuture Foundation, established on International Solidarity Day on December 20, 2020, is a non-profit organisation co-founded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife, Pham Thu Huong. The Foundation's core activity is awarding the annual VinFuture Prize, which recognises transformative scientific and technological innovations capable of making significant positive changes in the lives of millions of people worldwide.
The VinFuture Prize consists of four prestigious awards presented each year. The most esteemed is the VinFuture Grand Prize, valued at 3 million USD, making it one of the largest annual prizes globally. Additionally, there are three Special Prizes, each valued at 500,000 USD, specifically dedicated to honouring female innovators, innovators from developing countries, and innovators with outstanding achievements in emerging fields.
In pursuit of its mission, the Foundation undertakes various activities. These include engaging in strategic grant making initiatives, fostering intellectual connections, and collaborating in the advancement of science and technology.
Addressing the signing ceremony in Russia’s Saint Petersburg on May 19, Rector of Herzen University Sergei Tarasov said the document will create practical conditions for developing the teaching of the Russian language in Vietnam and of the Vietnamese language in Russia.
The chairpersons of the foundation and of the Oversea Vietnamese Association in Russia, Do Xuan Hoang, said the increasing number of those knowing the Russian language helps expand communication and understanding between the peoples.
The signing ceremony took place in conjunction with the end of a Vietnamese Week programme held by the Saint Petersburg authorities.
Earlier, Sergei Tarasov had a working session with the Vietnamese delegation involved in the pact to discuss comprehensive cooperation and partnership development matters. It is expected that first classes teaching the Russian language to Vietnamese people will be opened by Herzen University in the fall of this year.
