VinUni sets its sights on world’s top 100 universities – Recruiting 500 leading scholars worldwide
- Written by: Telegraph Magazine
At the heart of this initiative is the "VinUni 500" program, which aims to attract 500 outstanding scholars from around the globe. The strategy is backed by a USD 372 million investment from Vingroup to scale up academic capabilities and cultivate a world-class research ecosystem in Vietnam. 
VinUni's phase 2 strategy is built on two core pillars: enhancing academic and research infrastructure to international standards and strengthening academic capacity to meet global benchmarks. The University will focus on five strategic research domains: (1) Brain, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics;(2) Health Sciences; (3) Environmental Intelligence; (4) Intelligent Computing and Data Science; and (5) Policy Development and Sustainable Societies.
In terms of infrastructure, Vingroup has pledged up to USD 372 million in funding for this new phase. Of this, approximately USD 60 million will be allocated to expanding the campus, including new auditoriums, dormitories, sports facilities, and cutting-edge laboratories. Student enrollment will increase from 1,500 to 5,000, nearly half of whom will be postgraduate students—laying the foundation for VinUni's evolving research-intensive environment. A highlight of this expansion is the establishment of the VinUni Industry, Innovation and Research Complex on campus— an integrated research center that will house advanced technology laboratories, incubation for university-industry partnership, and a 1,000-seat international conference center. The facility is expected to regularly host over 600 scientists. 
At this complex, R&D professionals from industry, including subsidiaries of Vingroup —such as VinFast, Vinmec, VinBigData, VinRobotics, and VinMotion—will collaborate with VinUni faculty members and students in co-innovation studios. Together, they will develop high-impact, application-oriented research with strong commercialization potential, fueled by an entrepreneurial mindset.
In parallel, VinUni will strengthen international academic partnerships with leading institutions such as Cornell University (USA), the University of Pennsylvania (USA), and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), as well as with leading Vietnamese universities. These partnerships will facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary RISE (Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Excellence) research clusters, aimed at creating high-impact scholarly publications and tackling pressing issues at both the local and global levels.
To strengthen academic capacity, the institution is launching the "VinUni 500" program to recruit 500 top-tier scholars and researchers, including: 10 high-caliber academic leaders, 200 talented research-focused faculties, 200 outstanding early-career researchers, and 100 affiliated faculties.
To attract these scholars, VinUni will offer globally competitive remuneration and support packages. For instance, all faculty will receive a personal development grant of up to approximately USD 6,000 annually, and outstanding researchers may access seed funding of up to approximately USD 230,000.
Besides forging research and teaching excellence, "VinUni 500" serves as a bridge connecting the Vietnamese academics with international scholars as well as world-class scientists from the VinFuture Prize network—fostering impactful, cross-border research collaborations.
Dr. Le Mai Lan, President of The University Council, VinUniversity, shared: "VinUni is not just a university, but a vision to nurture a new generation of talent for the future. We believe that by building internal strength through talent-driven development, leveraging strong commitment from our founding ecosystem, and joining forces with local and global partners, VinUni will make meaningful contributions to the national development strategy in this era of Vietnam's rise."
Founded with the mission to build a world-class university in Vietnam, VinUni has, in just five years, emerged as a symbol of entrepreneurial spirit, agility, academic excellence, and global connectivity. It is the youngest university worldwide to achieve a QS 5-Star overall rating, affirming its accelerating progress in the global higher education landscape.
More information on "VinUni 500": https://legacyofexcellence.vinuni.edu.vn
Hashtag: #VinUniversity
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