Institute of Natural Resources and Environment established

The Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) held a ceremony on January 5 to announce the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2218/QĐ-TTg dated November 17, 2016 on the establishment of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment under the VNU.

VNU President Nguyen Kim Son present the appointment decision to Dr. Hoang Van Thang.
VNU President Nguyen Kim Son present the appointment decision to Dr. Hoang Van Thang.

The institute was established on the basis of upgrading the VNU’s research centre for natural resources and the environment, with the functions of facilitating the conduct of scientific research and technological applications in the fields of natural resources, environment and sustainable development; organising training activities in relevant branches in line with current regulations; and provide relevant consultations and services in the fields of natural resources, environment and sustainable development.

Addressing the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim Son, President of the VNU, highlighted the significance of the establishment of the institute, hailing the facility as a central national agency that gathers forces to facilitate intersectoral researches on the preservation of natural resources, environmental protection, adaptation to climate change and sustainable development towards green growth.

He urged the institute to focus on completing the organisational structure with a staff of competent, specialised, creative and wholehearted officials; implement topics for basic research, applied research and technology transfer; and develop models for preserving natural resources, protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development in the current globalisation context.

The institute also needs to implement PhD training programmes on environment and sustainable development; work with the VNU’s member units in providing intersectoral PhD training and capacity building programmes for different subjects across the country; and expand domestic and international cooperation, Son said.

At the ceremony, the VNU also announced the decision to appoint Hoang Van Thang, director of the VNU’s research centre for natural resources and environment, as the first head of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment.

In his speech, Thang pledged to do his best to join officials and scientists in developing the institute into a leading intersectoral research institute in Vietnam on environmental protection and biodiversity preservation, serving sustainable development and community-based policy making.