UNamur on state visit to Vietnam

On April 1, an official signing ceremony was held in Hanoi, helping to strengthen academic ties between the two countries with the signing of two agreements.The first, a mobility agreement signed with Can Tho University and its rector, Professor Tran Trung Tinh, will promote exchanges of students and researchers. And the second, a framework agreement signed with the Vietnam National University of Agriculture in the presence of its president and member of the National Assembly, Professor Nguyen Thi Lan, will pave the way for new collaborations in research and innovation.

On April 2, a seminar was organized in collaboration with the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA). Dedicated to 30 years of cooperation between the 5 universities of the Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles and Vietnamese universities in the field of teaching and research, the seminar highlighted the added value of long-term, two-way research cooperation with partners in the Global South. A fine example of this are the projects that Patrick Kestemont and UNamur's Institute of Life, Earth and Environment (ILEE) have developed over the past 20 years in collaboration with his Vietnamese colleagues and colleagues from the Universiteit Gent and the University of Liège. "Generally speaking, the research focuses on finding alternatives to the use of fish meal and oils, chemicals and antibiotics in aquaculture, concentrating on local species such as Asian catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), but also globally distributed species such as common carp," Professor Patrick Kestemont recalls.

On April 3, during the Forum on Women Leaders for Innovation, organized by hub.brussels, a workshop dedicated to women and innovation took place in Ho Chi Minh City. Annick Castiaux participated as a panelist alongside Leen Govaerts and Florence Skwyrzinski, an opportunity to offer a stimulating platform for exchange on the role of women in research and innovation.

Finally, the delegation visited the University of Can Tho (CTU), where Professor Kestemont has maintained numerous collaborations for over 20 years, thanks to funding from BELSPO and ARES-CCI. The Namur delegation was warmly welcomed by Professor Nguyen Thanh Phuong, President of Can Tho University, at an alumni event for former Namur doctoral students. These exchanges also served to reaffirm the shared desire to perpetuate and intensify the collaboration, initiated in 2004 by Patrick Kestemont, between UNamur and the University of Can Tho in the field of environmental and evolutionary biology, and aquaculture in particular. The ambition is to extend this partnership to other disciplines, consolidating a sustainable research and innovation network.

Marked by fruitful exchanges, UNamur's mission to Vietnam is part of a promising dynamic for the future of scientific cooperation with its Vietnamese partners.