Quang NinhVietnamese scientists have the opportunity to access Horizon Europe's 95.5 billion euro budget, while researching advanced materials and solving global challenges.

The information was given by Ms. Leonie Nagarajan, Regional Representative of the EURAXESS ASEAN network specializing in connecting and supporting Southeast Asian scientists, at the Vietnam - European Union Science and Technology Cooperation Forum, October 29. The event was held within the framework of Vietnam International Digital Week 2026, chaired by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

According to Ms. Leonie Nagarajan, Horizon Europe's research and innovation funding programs are open to Vietnamese institutes and schools. With a budget of 95.5 billion euros for the period 2021-2027, Horizon Europe allocates large resources to solving global challenges and enhancing industrial competitiveness, of which advanced materials is a cross-cutting area.

Ms. Nagarajan recommended that Vietnamese research institutes, universities and scientific organizations proactively seek partners and participate in international research consortia with at least three independent organizations, chaired by a European unit or affiliated country, to participate in the Horizon Europe program.

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Gonzalo Serrano, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Vietnam, assessed that 2026 marks a remarkable development in bilateral relations after the two sides upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

According to him, cooperation in the field of advanced materials takes place at the right time. The EU is preparing to pass the Advanced Materials Act, while Vietnam is also building a materials industry development strategy.

"The two sides aim to minimize dependence on exclusive sources of supply and limit the risk of supply chain disruption," he said.

Professor Mangala Srinivas, of the European Commission's Scientific Advisory Group (SAM), believes that all civilizations are associated with the development of materials, from the Bronze and Iron Ages to today's era of semiconductors and quantum materials. However, the development of new materials must be accompanied by safety and sustainability standards right from the design stage to avoid repeating environmental consequences such as asbestos or microplastics.

Ms. Srinivas also drew attention to Vietnamese businesses about the Digital Product Passport tool, which is starting to be deployed by the EU on a rolling basis for resource-intensive industries such as batteries, electronic components, textiles and packaging. This digital memory will store information on durability, recyclability and proportion of strategic raw materials, requiring suppliers to be data transparent to maintain the ability to export to the European market.

Previously, in his opening speech, Mr. Nguyen Dac Binh Minh, Deputy Director of Technology Applications (Nacentech), said that Vietnam is facing an urgent need to shift from a model of resource exploitation and low-cost production to development based on technology and knowledge.

To realize this goal, Nacentech proposes three focuses for coordination with the EU including: focusing on material flows for semiconductors, clean energy and circular economy; promote joint research groups participating in the Horizon Europe program; and expand technology testing to soon commercialize research results.

Consider establishing the Vietnam - EU Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials

At the in-depth discussion session, Mr. Chu Xuan Quang from Nacentech pointed out the big "bottleneck" of domestic materials research, most of the new topics stop at the technology readiness level and laboratory scale. To bring the product to market, Nacentech is setting up a shared testing laboratory model, acting as a bridge for small batch testing (pilot) for universities and supporting businesses in perfecting biodegradation and mechanical properties standards according to ISO and European standards.

Sharing the same perspective on the problem of overcoming the distance from the laboratory to the factory, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa, from the School of Materials (Hanoi Polytechnic University) emphasized that materials are always the "key" that shapes every industrial revolution.

Citing practical lessons from the successful cooperation of the International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS) with European universities through doctoral training programs, Professor Hoa said that Vietnam can completely become a base for high-tech research and production if it knows how to take advantage of the complementary strengths between the two sides.

According to him, the biggest bottleneck for domestic scientists is not the research capacity or the number of publications or patents, but the ability to commercialize. He proposed that the two sides consider establishing the Vietnam - EU Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials to focus resources on talent incubation and technology transfer.

The research team of Hanoi University of Science and Technology has currently mastered smart sensor prototypes used in disease diagnosis through breath and environmental monitoring, and is actively calling on European businesses and investors to participate in expanding large-scale production.

Besides the field of green materials, the trend of applying nanophysics to high technology is also introduced through the research of Dr. Nguyen Van Quynh from Hanoi University of Science and Technology - USTH. The USTH research team and its French partner have mastered the technique of using light to activate the plasmon resonance effect to control directional growth of materials at a few nanometer level without the need for an optical mask or photocatalyst. This solution paves the way for the manufacture of ultra-sensitive nano sensors for applications in environmental monitoring, semiconductor technology and smart glass development.

Liu Quy