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CAPACITY BUILDING
for the Institute for Environment and Resources (IER)
funded by
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Background
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Contributing to environmentally sustainable development in
Vietnam, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
has supported since 1973, scientific capacity building for key
Environmental Science and Technology Centres 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 of Environment
and Resources (IER) (often in the past called by its old acronym CEFINEA)
of the Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City has been
supported by SDC since 1996.
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Overall Goal
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Enhance in the long run the sustainable management of natural
resources in Southern Vietnam through training, basic and applied
research related to environmental protection, and through
reinforcing the linkages between national, regional, and
international environmental centres.
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Current Objectives
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- Detect, analyse, understand and monitor complex environmental problems,
and propose solutions to these problems;
- Offer high standard training and education in theoretical and applied
science and technology for both members and students of the institution;
- Implement environmental science and technology service contracts;
- Disseminate research results, advise governmental institutions
on policy formulation, develop an institutional development strategy that is responsive
to external challenges and opportunities.
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Approaches
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Since the start of the project in 1996, the IER has been given
assistance to improve curricula and teaching methods, and to implement new research
methodologies. In addition, technical support is given to strengthen laboratories? equipment,
while information management and computerised tools are fostering local, national and
international networking. Furthermore, since 2001, institutional and organisational
development has become an important component of the project.
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Results Achieved and Expected
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The project has provided IER staff with short courses as well as
guidance on Master and Ph.D. training. New laboratories have been created
and support has been given to scientists to undertake Ph.D. and MSc. studies
(at EPFL, Asian Institute of Technology, and Sheffield). IER has
implemented environmental science research projects such as an
interdisciplinary pilot research programme on micro-pollutants and
environmental toxicology in Dong Nai and Saigon River basins.
IER will have the capacity to detect, analyse, understand and monitor
complex environmental problems, and propose solutions to these problems.
The centre will be capable of offering high standard training and education
in theoretical and applied science and technology for both members and
students of the institution. Furthermore, the centre will be competitive in
obtaining and implementing environmental science and technology service
contracts compared to national and international institutions/firms. In
addition, IER will play an important role in disseminating research
results, advising governmental institutions on policy formulation, and
developing an institutional development strategy that is responsive to
external challenges and opportunities.
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Highlights
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IER has become one of the leading centres on environmental
science and technology in the country.
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