On June 03, 2015, in Hà Nội, Viet Nam’s Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) Nguyễn Quân and the Ambassador of the UK in Viet Nam, Giles Lever signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the governmental level on Viet Nam Newton Program. Accordingly, the UK would allocate 10 million pounds to support the bilateral comprehensive cooperation program on research and innovation by 2019.

Viet Nam Newton Program supports scientists, researchers, science managers and innovation enterprises of both Viet Nam and the UK. The activities would be focused on following components; Human Resources: improving capacities and research scholarship programs; Research: research cooperation projects on development challenges; and Transfer: training and cooperation to make research results into practical applications and development solutions.

The Program would focus on following priority fields as Health and life science; Agriculture; Environmental recovery abilities and energy security; Cities in the future; and Digitals and innovation.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Quân said that the points committed in the MOU fully would meet objectives of supporting scientific research, human resource training, and innovation in order to promote sustainable development and ensure social security for Viet Nam. Through the Program, the UK’s agencies, research institutes, academies would support and share with Viet Nam its successful experience in make S&T and innovation to become the motivation of the socio-economic development. More specifically, the UK’ side would support Viet Nam to improve capacities of its research and innovation so that S&T could really contribute the most active part for the country’s development.

Ambassador Giles Lever has emphasized Viet Nam Newton Program is not only the important factor in S&T cooperation in particular but also the important event in cooperative relationships in general between the two countries. The fifth pillar in strategic partnership relations the two countries have agreed since 2010 is relating to education, training, S&T. S&T cooperation field plays the essential role in bilateral relations between the two countries. Stronger cooperation in S&T would bring in benefits for the two countries. Vietnamese scientists would benefit more from cooperation with the UK’s scientists and in returns the UK’s scientists would learn more when cooperating with Vietnamese scientists. This would contribute to commercial and cooperative relationships between the two countries.

Viet Nam’s MOST and the UK Embassy in Hanoi play coordinating roles in Viet Nam Newton Program. In addition, a group of professional organizations would directly implement the Program. On the UK’s side, which are British Council, Academies and UK Innovate organization. On Viet Nam’s side initially had the participation of Department of International Cooperation, National Foundation for Science & Technology Development (NAFOSTED), National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development under MOST; Viet Nam International Education Development (VIED) under the Ministry of Education and Training.

Newton Program (Newton Foundation) is an initiative of the UK’s government, which create favorable conditions to make use of strengths of the UK’s research and innovation in order to strengthen the social and economic development of 15 partnership countries. The total commitment of the UK’s Government is 375 million Pounds for the 5-year cooperation program from 2014 to 2019. The foundation is managed by UK’s Department of Business, Innovation & Skills.