Monsanto and VNUA reward best students in biotechnology for the second year

Five outstanding students and three research groups have passed the stringent review process to enter the second year of the award.

With the aim to nurture young talent in agricultural biotechnology and encourage future innovations in the field, the scholarship continues to provide tuition assistance worth VND42.5 million ($1,950) to individual students, and research funding of VND26.5 million ($1,220) to research groups. The awards are also accompanied by an internship opportunity at Monsanto Vietnam.

Commenting on the caliber of this year’s recipients, Harvey Glick, Asia regional director, Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs at Monsanto said, “Innovation is the key to progress and growth, and these young innovators are breaking new ground every day with research and development that can provide viable solutions to some of the greatest challenges we face today.”

“We hope that this scholarship, and the success stories that it nurtures, will provide further impetus for innovation from young talent in the field of biotechnology. We look forward to create sustainable platform for Vietnam home grown talents in biotech following their passion for innovation,” Glick added.

At the event, Nguyen Duc Bach, Biotechnology Department, VNUA, highlighted Monsanto – VNUA scholarship’s contribution in helping students with enhanced learning and research capabilities, as well as its impact on sparking students’ creativity.

The partnership with VNUA helps further the university’s strong heritage in fostering scientific agricultural research through supporting remarkable ideas that students have developed, which have the potential to transform the field of biotechnology in Vietnam, Bach noted.

In the first year of the scholarship, two awarded students had excellent academic records and the distinction of achieving the university’s highest ranking. The scholarship has also opened up new opportunities for the awardees to pursue overseas training courses via access to enhanced learning resources and research materials.

A standout example of the talented recipients of the scholarship, Nguyen Duc Chinh impressed the Review Committee with his innovative study on producing bio-fuels from freshwater green algae (Scenedesmus sp.).

With implications to further develop renewable technology and enhanced resource conservation, projects like these are pushing the boundaries of innovation in biotechnology today.

He also had the opportunity to intern at Dekalb Vietnam, gaining extensive insights into the company’s practices in corn cultivation and supply channels, while learning more about weeds and pests in corn farms.

Dekalb Vietnam is a subsidiary of Monsanto which focuses on seeds, crop protection and biotechnology.

He is also a role model to his fellow students, leading the English Club of Biotech Department for fellow VNUA students to improve their conversational and technical knowledge of English through offline activities.

Announced in September 2014, the Monsanto-VNUA scholarship is aimed at supporting excellence in agricultural biotechnology. Through the programme, Monsanto has granted financial support of $75,000 in five consecutive years to VNUA undergraduate students who have been selected based on their academic excellence in the field of biotechnology.