Australia funds digitally transformative tech projects in Vietnam

Adapting the most advanced technologies developed and tested in Australia, these projects are expected to deliver practical values to the innovation ecosystem and create lasting socioeconomic impact in Vietnam.

The four projects, selected from nearly 70 applicants who responded to the call for proposals from Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants Round 3 – “Enhancing Digital Transformation” – will be implemented through well-established partnerships between leading universities in both Australia and Vietnam, together with industry partners and local government agencies. These projects include:

• Augmented reality to improve access to healthcare in remote areas – an initiative to employ augmented reality technology to improve the effectiveness of remote tele-mentorship between experts in urban centres and less-experienced healthcare staff in remote areas. Ultimately supporting better outcomes for urgent and complex patient cases, the project will be delivered through a partnership between the University of Tasmania and Bach Mai Hospital (AUD387,245 – $285,435);
• Smart Eye to improve sugar industry productivity – a project to develop a system incorporating drone technology and artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) to allow local farmers in Thanh Hoa province to monitor the nutrition levels and disease prevalence in sugarcane fields, thereby improving productivity and reducing production costs. The grant will be delivered through the University of Wollongong and VIGREEN, a tech startup (AUD300,000 – $221,180);
• AI/IoT Technology to enhance search and rescue capacity – a project that aims to enhance search and rescue operations in Vietnam during natural disasters by using the latest digital transformation technologies, including (unmanned?) aerial vehicles (UAVs), AI, and remote sensing technology. The initiative will be delivered collaboratively by the University of Technology Sydney and Le Quy Don Technical University (AUD440,000 – $324,460);
• AI-powered dashboard for environment ecosystem management – an initiative that brings together leading experts in AI, machine learning, IoT, environmental engineering, and conservation biology to transform the environmental management of Tram Chim National Park. Work will be led by the University of Wollongong and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (AUD250,000 – $184,420)

Congratulating the winners, Robyn Mudie, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam said: “Building on the success of previous Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants, we’re delighted to continue supporting initiatives that address Vietnam’s most pressing socioeconomic growth challenges. International collaboration in emerging areas of science and technology, like AI and IoT, will be especially important as the country recovers from COVID-19. The healthcare, natural disaster management, sustainable agriculture, and nature conservation sectors all provide opportunities for widespread digital transformation that will have a lasting positive impact.”

Vice Minister Bui The Duy from the Ministry of Science and Technology added, “This pandemic is reminding us that digital transformation is essential for future social and economic development. The projects selected for funding are not only practical in how advanced technologies are applied in areas of critical need in Vietnam, they are also very meaningful in today’s context. We look forward to embracing these state-of-the-art technologies into our innovation system, and the positive spill-over that they will facilitate here in Vietnam.”

Partnership Grants are an important part of the AUD13.5 million ($9.96 million) (2018-2022) Aus4Innovation Program. It is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), managed by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO in strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam.