On 6 July 2022, the workshop “Innovation in Higher Education and the Role of Women Leaders” was inaugurated at Phenikaa University. The workshop is part of the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Women Leaders in Higher Education towards the Era of Digital Transformation and Globalization,” funded by the British Council.

Project “Enhancing the Capacity of Women Leaders in Higher Education towards the Era of Digital Transformation and Globalization" The project is chaired and participated in by Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU); Coventry University (United Kingdom); Phenikaa University; and the University of Economics and Business – Thai Nguyen University. VNU Scientists Links is the lead unit responsible for the project’s academic coordination and expertise.

In her opening remarks at the workshop, Ms. Hoàng Vân Anh – Director of the Education and Society Programme at the British Council – stated that the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Women Leaders in Higher Education towards the Era of Digital Transformation and Globalization" aims to provide knowledge and skills for female leaders in higher education institutions in Vietnam, thereby empowering women leaders in higher education in the context of digitalization and globalization. The project’s objectives are aligned with the strategies of partner universities in achieving digital transformation goals and fostering innovation-oriented development.

A representative of the British Council added that the project includes a series of training courses, dialogues, and regular as well as annual workshops led by leading experts from the United Kingdom and Vietnam, as well as leaders from higher education institutions in Vietnam. In addition, by developing a digital platform that provides a virtual space, the project will create a network among female leaders in higher education institutions to engage in knowledge and idea exchange. Furthermore, experiences and knowledge in the fields of digitalization and globalization will be shared by professors from the United Kingdom, ASEAN leaders, and Vietnamese leaders to help female leaders enhance their capacity and better adapt to ongoing processes of digital transformation and globalization.

Speaking at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Đào Thanh Trường – Vice President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Head of the Executive Board of the VNU Scientists links – shared that VNU’s development strategy toward 2030 is to become an innovation-driven university. To achieve this goal, VNU is strongly transforming its university governance system toward globalization and digital transformation, integrating high-level knowledge values with socio-economic development, and promoting and disseminating these values to contribute to the knowledge economy and fulfill its national responsibility.

Head of the Executive Board of the VNU Scientists Links, Đào Thanh Trường, emphasized that in recent years, Vietnam National University, Hanoi has focused on promoting development with science, technology, and innovation as core values in all its activities, taking the lead in higher education reform in Vietnam. Thanks to this pioneering direction, VNU’s position has been increasingly affirmed, and it has consistently appeared and maintained high rankings in many prestigious global university rankings.

The Head of the VNU Scientists Links Executive Board highly appreciated the theme of the workshop, noting that its content is engaging and focuses on policies and the empowerment of women leaders in the higher education system, while also addressing the opportunities and challenges faced by female leaders in the process of higher education reform. In addition, the speakers are experts with deep understanding of the higher education system and the capacity to promote university–industry linkages nationwide in order to share and foster cooperation opportunities. This is also a key priority of Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the coming period, aimed at promoting the transfer and commercialization of its scientific and technological research outputs.

In her concluding remarks at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Trần Thị Thanh Tú – Head of the Project Team – expressed her gratitude to the speakers for their valuable and insightful presentations, which are highly relevant and beneficial to leaders and managers in the field of educational innovation from leading universities in the United Kingdom and Vietnam. She also highly appreciated the active and proactive participation of partner universities involved in the project, the coordinators, and especially the support and engagement of the British Council and the leadership of participating universities, all of which contributed to the success of the workshop and ensured the project was implemented on schedule and with high quality.

The workshop took place over three days, from 6 to 8 July 2022. Its main topics included: empowering women leaders in higher education through policies, processes, and practices; strengthening academic–industry linkages in higher education institutions; policy innovation within higher education institutions; enhancing the role of universities in training technology governance and disseminating technology to Vietnamese enterprises; educational innovation: opportunities and challenges for women leaders; enhancing research capacity for women as research group leaders in higher education institutions; and implementing university autonomy based on quality assurance activities.

The next workshop under the project is expected to take place in October 2022 at Thai Nguyen University.

Some images from the workshop:

Source: VNU Media