The University of Science and Technology of Ha Noi (USTH), under the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) exchanged two cooperation agreements in Paris on September 11, in the presence of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam.
The exchange, held during General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to France, was aimed at translating the Viet Nam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into concrete cooperation in science and technology, innovation and the training of highly skilled human resources.
VAST and CEA previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during then Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s working visit to France in June 2025, covering scientific research, technology transfer and high-quality human resource development.
Building on that framework, USTH and two CEA research units – the French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN) and the Fundamental Research Division (DRF) – have agreed on new cooperation arrangements covering education, research and technology transfer in nuclear science and technology, new energy, hydrogen and semiconductors.
The exchange of the agreements during the top Vietnamese leader’s visit to CEA marked progress in bilateral cooperation and underscored the two sides’ commitment to expanding practical collaboration in science and education.
USTH and CEA began developing research ties in 2015 through cooperation among scientists from the two institutions. Their research teams have since worked together on energy conversion and storage, particularly hydrogen, as well as the design and fabrication of nanomaterials, including semiconductor materials.
From those initial outcomes, USTH and CEA’s DRF signed an MoU to formalise research cooperation and expand collaboration in energy, the environment, materials science and health sciences.
The agreement covers joint Viet Nam-France doctoral programmes under a co-tutelle model, exchanges of lecturers and researchers, joint scientific conferences and workshops, and opportunities for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students to undertake internships and research at laboratories operated by the two sides.
A key link in the partnership is the collaboration between USTH’s Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Research Group and CEA research units in Grenoble, including LCBM, SyMMES and MEM. Joint research has been published in leading scientific journals including Nature Materials, the Journal of the American Chemical Society and ACS Energy Letters.
The two sides have also collaborated on doctoral training and supervision, researcher exchanges and student internships.
USTH’s Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Research Group and CEA Grenoble’s LCBM laboratory currently jointly lead an International Research Project on Hydrogen (IRP Hydrogen), which focuses on developing green hydrogen production technologies. Launched on February 17, 2025, the project will run through the end of 2029 and brings together 26 Vietnamese and French researchers.
Cooperation has also expanded from research in new energy into education through INSTN, France’s leading national institute for training in nuclear science and technology.
As Viet Nam seeks to implement Politburo Resolution No. 57 on breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation, it is placing greater emphasis on developing highly skilled personnel capable of adopting, mastering and eventually advancing strategic technologies.
Against this backdrop, USTH and INSTN have signed a framework agreement on cooperation in nuclear science and engineering education.
Pascal Yvon, Director of INSTN, and Prof. Dr. Dinh Thi Mai Thanh, President of USTH, exchanged the cooperation agreement, under which, INSTN will support USTH in developing and delivering nuclear science and engineering programmes and in training faculty members who will teach and further develop such programmes at USTH.
The two sides will also jointly organise specialised training courses, develop teaching materials and step up outreach efforts to attract talented students to nuclear science and technology.
They are also working to develop a larger-scale training programme under which foundational studies would be completed in Viet Nam, followed by advanced study, practical training and research in France.
As early as January 2027, INSTN plans to send experts to USTH to engage in the university’s first nuclear science and engineering course for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
With Viet Nam facing an urgent need to develop a skilled workforce in energy and nuclear engineering, the USTH-CEA partnership will give Vietnamese researchers and students greater access to French expertise, technology and training experience in a sector where France is a global leader.
The partnerships with CEA, one of France’s leading research institutions, also highlight USTH’s growing standing within the international scientific community, particularly in France.
