The mission of VinFuture has touched human hearts

HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach – 19 January 2022 – The VinFuture
Prize has hugely inspired all the scientists involved and it will go a
significant way to put
the country on the world’s science map and honour those willing to go the extra mile to make
scientific breakthroughs – those with endless curiosity that think outside of
the box.

“Talk with VinFuture Prize Council
and Pre-Screening Committee” in the morning of January 18th, 2022

“For
the community” prize

Talking
about the journey to VinFuture, Professor Albert P. Pisano (California
University, San Diego, USA), co-chairman of the VinFuture Pre-Screening
Committee spoke about his first time hearing about VinFuture. “The
first idea on my mind is that we rarely see a prize that can acknowledge
such devotion from scientists, since when the ideas were formed until
the realization is made, and impacting millions of people, as
with VinFuture,” said Pisano during VinFuture’s talk
with the public on the morning of January 18, 2022, at Almaz Convention Center,
Hanoi.

Professor Richard Henry Friend, chairman of VinFuture Prize Council, said he
still remembers the “excitement” when he heard about VinFuture.

Professor Nguyen Thuc Quyen, California University, Santa
Barbara (USA), co-chairwoman of VinFuture Pre-Screening Committee, said: “To me, this is
not simply a prize fund, it is the prize for Vietnamese
people.”

Professor Quyen is persuaded by the fact that technology all
over the world has not changed the lives of poor farmers and labourers. Born in
a small village in Việt Nam where there was no electricity for 16 years,
she knows better than anyone else. Accordingly, she wants to contribute a
scientific idea that can reach the majority, especially the poor. 

Quyen could not hide her happiness that there are almost
600 nominees for the prize. “The mission of the prize has touched the
hearts of many. There are plenty of candidates coming from various continents,”
she said.

Professor Richard Friend confirmed that the quality of entrants
was marvellous, and beyond the standards they were expecting. 

“If we don’t knock, no door is opened” 

A much-awaited part of the talk is the stories of popular
and learned “judges” about how they made breakthroughs in technology.

The journeys of the professors all came from a simple
thing: “curiosity.”

Nguyen Thuc Quyen loved literature and history, but
only when she turned 25 did she find her true calling, during a
science lesson.

Professor Albert P. Pisano accidentally met a
relative who made glasses and cups from different materials, which
ignited his curiosity and first steps in science.

“The aim of science, after all, is curiosity,
exploration, and the journey to walk on,” said Professor Nguyen Thuc
Quyen. 

Professor Dang Van Chi, Ludwig Cancer Research
Institute, told the story of his u-turn when he raised “a question that
never been questioned.” 

These questions can be doubted at first; some questions may be
wrong, but the important thing is that “among many wrong questions, there
will be a right question,” he said.

Professor Quyen believes the beauty of science originally
comes from the act of stepping out of your comfort zone, to be brave
enough to run and step into a new zone. 

“If we don’t knock, no door will be opened. No one can stop us
from dreaming and reaching dreams high above,” she said.

Professor Richard Friend thinks that we need the forum to
explore together and create a “can do” culture to inspire the
young. “Talents need to be inspired, authorised, and we must never stop exploring,” he
said.

Meanwhile, Professor Albert P. Pisano said that this prize was
a precious lesson to everyone, so scientists can show off their
potential, express their love to human beings, and be confident in
the way they choose. 

Professor Richard Henry Friend said: “We
must not judge young people when they are walking on different
paths of their own. The crucial thing is that we need to build a culture
of respecting education and training, to encourage the students to walk freely
with proper orientation. They can be outside regular standards, as long as they
are successful.”

“This is the only event that has had such a positive impact on
Việt Nam and the whole world.”

The VinFuture Sci-Tech Week shall have three more main
events:

• January 19: “Science for Life” Symposium.
• January 20: At 8:10 pm, the Inaugural Award Ceremony of VinFuture Prize shall
  be officially held live on VTV1, and other national and international social
  media channels.
• January 21: Talk with the laureates of VinFuture Prize.  

To ensure the safety of the world-class event, the organization board has carried out procedures for controlling and testing for COVID-19 under strict conditions.

#VinFuture