Hanoi (VNA) - ♋Developing strong research teams has become a hot trend of universities in an attempt to increase staff quality, lure talent persons, thus contributing to improving their trade mark and attracting more learners.

Inevitable trend

🎀According to Associate Professor, Doctor Do Duc Minh at the Hanoi – based Vietnam National University, a strong research team is led by a prestigious scientist and includes scientists who have appropriate skills and expertise to accomplish all the elements of a high-quality project.

A strong research team helps create a professional research environment, and exploit resources for scientific research. It serves as a pioneer in research activities, building a staff of elite experts and scientists who can create quality products, benefiting the community as well as directly contributing to teaching work at universities. Therefore, a strong research group contributes to improving training quality and its university’s position and image not only at home but also abroad. In the context where domestic universities’ position remain not very high and due to tight budgets, the establishment of strong research teams is an evitable trend, said Minh.

Race for talent attraction

According to statistics by the Vietnam National University's University of Science, after its research team is upgraded into a strong one, the number of international-level publications has been increased by 30 percent. As a result, the establishment and development of strong research teams has become a rational trend for many universities, both State-run and private ones. In late 2018, Dong Thap University established a focal research team who get many preferential policies and requirements on the number of international-level reports posted on prestigious scientific magazines. On that basis, four focal research groups have been set up and come into operational in 2019 in an attempt to improve the quality of scientific research. Nevertheless, the university held that it is facing financial difficulties as it is hardly to assist them correspondingly. Besides, the group’s members are lecturers who are spending much time for teaching rather than doing research. Also, it has asked the Ministry of Education and Training to issue preferential policies for strong research teams at public-owned institutions who have yet managed budget by themselves. Meanwhile, finance is private-owned institutions’ strengths. Recently, Phenikaa University, a private-run university in Ha Dong district, Hanoi, has announced to establish eight strong research teams including seven basic research groups and one applied research group. Their studies are required to meet criteria in terms of quantity and quality, ensuring long-run development as well as maximising lecturers and scientists’ capacities. With its strength, Phenikaa expenses a huge amount for laboratories and equipment. Expense for only equipment of each group costs up to four billion dong during the first three years. Unlimited expenses are expected for groups with the aim of developing applied technologies. Heads of each group are in charge of its operation and efficacy. Scholarships are also available for supporters including interns, researchers, or masters who are not the groups’ members. Phenikaa’s investment shows its determination to improve the quality of its training staff, said Prof. Nguyen Duc Chien at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Involvement of private-owned institutions with strong points in terms of finance and preferential policies has put public ones under pressure, particularly in luring gifted persons which is a core factor of strong research teams. According to Prof. Tran Dinh Duc (Hanoi-based Vietnam National University), the attraction of gifted ones is currently posing challenges for strong research teams. Domestic universities should pay more attention to preferential policies, working environment, research conditions as well as development opportunities in a bid to keep them back, Duc maintained./.