VinFuture Awards: Recognizing innovations for a sustainable future

In 2020, Vietnamese conglomerate VinGroup’s Chairman Phạm Nhật Vượng and his wife, Madam Phạm Thu HÆ°Æ¡ng founded the VinFuture Foundation to promote STEM among its citizenry. In 2021, the VinFuture Prize recognized the first set of innovators that have and will change the world’s future

THE VinFuture Prize, a recognition given to proponents of technological solutions that address global challenges, will hold its third awarding ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, on December 20, 2023.

Though held annually, the first award was given in January 2023, and the second set in December 2022. This year will be the third awarding ceremony.

On December 19, the organizers, Vietnamese conglomerate VinGroup, opened up by invitation public symposia to students, academics, employees, and executives of various companies and other interested parties. Topics included artificial intelligence, sustainable infrastructure, green transportation, and the future of energy.

A day before, a truly interesting discussion called “The Science for Life” symposium tackled the complexities of autoimmune disorders through precision immunotherapy. This vital event fosters global knowledge exchange and collaboration, with experts in immunology, genetics, and more aiming to bring hope to patients worldwide, especially those in Vietnam. Through joint efforts, they seek advancements in diagnosis and treatment, paving the way for a brighter future for those facing these challenging conditions.

“The VinFuture Awards are a testament to the power of innovation to make the world a better place,” –Vingroup Chairman Phạm Nhật Vượng

VinFuture organizers brought together leading scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from around the world to hold discussions and sessions on breakthroughs in areas such as climate change, healthcare, and education.

In 2020, Chairman Phạm Nhật Vượng and his wife, Mrs. Phạm Thu HÆ°Æ¡ng, founded the VinFuture Foundation as an organization independent of their vast holdings in VinGroup. They set as their mission bringing notice and honoring breakthrough innovations in science and technology–past and present that will determine a course and have the potential to change the lives of millions of people in Vietnam and around the world.

The couple believes that by promoting innovation in a big way, solving global challenges can be a direct result. Currently, the awards are the largest of their kind in the world, and they have quickly become a major event on the global innovation calendar.

The VinFuture Prize made its inaugural event and awarding ceremony in January 20, 2022. The event theme then was “Reviving and Reshaping,” pointing to the redirection of the world in post-COVID times.

In 2021, VinFuture grand prizes went to Dr. Katalin Karikó and Professor Drew Weissman (USA) for their pioneering research on nucleoside modifications, which played a crucial role in the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. And Professor Pieter R. Cullis (Canada) for his breakthroughs in developing lipid nanoparticles, essential for delivering mRNA vaccines.

Notably, for the impact of their work, Dr. Karikó and Professor Weissman were later awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine, further solidifying the significance of their research acknowledged by the VinFuture Prize in 2021.

In 2022, the winners were recognized for “ground-breaking research on global network technology, allowing all forms of information to be reliably communicated, transferred, and shared at the speed of light.^”

Grand Prize Awardees were Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the known inventor of the World Wide Web and HTML, recognized for laying the foundation for the global network we know today; Dr. Vinton Gray Cerf and Dr. Robert Elliot Kahn who together co-developed TCP/IP protocols, crucial for internet communication; Dr. Emmanuel Desurvire who is the pioneer in optical fiber communication technology, enabling high-speed internet transmission; and Professor Sir David Neil Payne a leading researcher in optical fiber technologies, enhancing data transmission capacity.

For 2023, the roster of winners is long and the nomination and awards committee has been doing exhaustive research and discussion on the winners.

“The VinFuture Awards are a testament to the power of innovation to make the world a better place,” said Vingroup Chairman Phạm Nhật Vượng said in a press statement. “We are proud to support the work of these brilliant minds, and we hope that their solutions will help to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.” — with Ludi Escolano