Mekong Organics supports Tien Giang University (TGU) to develop an international multidisciplinary research team to solve the local problems.
Invited by A/Prof Dr Vo Ngoc Ha, rector of Tien Giang University (TGU) through Mr Doan Huu Duc, an entrepreneur as the member of the Tien Giang University Committee in early October 2021, Dr Van Kien Nguyen and his team members from Mekong Organics has had the first warm meeting the Rector Board members and faculty members of the TGU on 27 Oct 2021.
Initially, both parties presented what they have, and what they need to improve the research for development capacities in the context of the small, provincial univerty in the South, the Mekong Delta of Vietnam?
An interesting discussion was emerged by TGU members after Dr Van Kien Nguyen shared his research career experience from a small university such as An Giang University where his education and research career were developed. Now Dr Kien is the Diector of Mekong Organics based in ACT Canberra Australia, but he is still supporting An Giang University, and other universities in Vietnam and the Mekong region to undertake research for development. Together with him, Mr Le Ngoc Hiep and Van Thai Nguyen, who are early career researchers, both from An Giang University, shared their practical experience in doing research at the small university.
We identified the gaps that TGU should develop a multidisciplinary research team to solve the local problems in Tien Giang province such as the climate change issues as well as organic agriculture initiative.
Mekong Organics is happy to share their experience with the diverse network of expertise from Australia, the UK, the USA, and other Asian countries to support the TGU research team, to start with small research grant writing and application. Through this process, both parties can learn from each other, build trust, and develop research projects to solve the local problems. In particular, both TGU and Mekong Organics will adopt a co-design process for 1) identifying the resources of the TGU, 2) opportunities, and 3) challenges at the community that researchers wish to engage in solving the problems. The output of this collaboration is to co-develop a strategic research development plan in a period of three to five years for the TGU team. The outcome of this collaboration is to improve and change their research for developing capacities for young, early researchers at the TGU. Other early researchers in the region will be also benefited from this proccess. This offer is voluntary from the Mekong Organics team.
