Budget: From 05/2005 to 04/2008 - CHF 1'125'000 (approx. USD 865'385)

Cumulative Budget: From 05/1996 to 04/2008 - CHF 5'065'000 (approx. USD 3'896'154)
 
Line Agency: Ministry of Education and Training (MoET)

Partners:

Institute for the Environment and Resources (IER) under Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE), Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), City and provincial People’s Committee including Department for Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE) and Department for Science and Technology (DoST) of South Vietnam, in especially Hochiminh city & Binhduong, Dongnai, Longan, Tayninh and Baria-Vungtau provinces.

Implementing Agencies:

Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) – Chair MIR, Management of Network Industries – Switzerland, Lausanne.
 
Project Location: Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

Background:

Contributing to environmentally sustainable development in Vietnam, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has supported since 1993, scientific capacity building for key Environmental Science and Technology Centers both in Northern and Southern Vietnam, bringing them to international standards and adequately training environmental scientists and engineers. Given the increasing proliferation of more complex toxic substances (such as Persistent Organic Pollutants, Polychlorinated Biphenyl, heavy metals etc.), capacities in analytical chemistry and ecotoxicology are particularly urgent.

The Institute for Environment and Resources (IER) of the Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City has been supported by SDC since 1996.

Overall Goal:

According to international standards – both in academic and practical terms – IER is among the leading Environmental Science and Technology Institutions of Southeast Asia by 2008.

Current Objectives:

• Facilitate the consolidation of the achievements in the scientific field and in organizational development within IER;
• Enable a managed handing-over of  responsibilities towards the Vietnamese partner;
• Facilitate a controlled phasing-out of SDC’s support.

Approaches:

The project has identified three components which constitute a detailed framework to assess the achievements of the project. The focus remains on improving the capacities and performance of IER. The project has devised an organizational set-up with clear management responsibilities to guide the implementation of the project and its components and enable the managed handing over of responsibilities and the controlled phasing out of SDC’s support.

The three components are:

Component 1 (IER Capacities): Strong internal capacities enable IER to successfully implement its mandates in the scientific and academic domains, its management, and the provision of services to the public and private sectors;

Component 2 (EPFL Guidance): The provision of guidance and demand oriented support in the fields of research, training, OD and project management has strengthened the internal capacities of IER;

Component 3 (Scholarship Program): Know-how, knowledge and academic level of staff meet IER's requirements and market standards.

Results Achieved and Expected:

Through developing IER laboratories, delivering PhD and Master training programs and short courses, establishing and maintaining a comprehensive management system, IER can successfully implement its mandates and become a competent provider of consulting services. The internal capacities of IER are strengthened with quality improvement of analytical work monitored and supported, academic program development observed and demanded support delivered, practice oriented management and organizational development support given. Scholarship program for at least four IER staff is organized and implemented.

Highlights:

• 2nd Asian Pacific International Conference on Pollutants Analysis and Control, 1st–3rd December 2003, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• National Conference "Green Cities–2005: Sustainable Development of Green Cities in River Basins", 30th–31st May 2005, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• 3rd International Symposium “GeoInformatics for Spatial-Infrastructure Development in Earth and Allied Sciences (GIS-IDEAS)”, 9th–11th November 2006, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Information and Publications: website:  www.hcmier.edu.vn

Contact:

Institute for the Environment and Resources 
Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City 
142 To Hien Thanh Street, Ward 14, District 10 
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
 
Tel.:         +84 8 856 11 32  
Fax :         +84 8 865 56 70 
E-mail:      thanhthuy@hcmier.edu.vn