The VinFuture Prize, a Vietnam-based international award, has demonstrated its ability to identify groundbreaking scientific research, including those later honored by Nobel. Its fourth season, with nearly 1,500 nominations from over 80 countries, highlights its global reach and influence.

Scientists Sir Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper, recent Nobel laureates in Chemistry, have been in the spotlight before. Two years ago, they won the $500,000 VinFuture Prize for “Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields”—not in Sweden, but in Vietnam. Founded by Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong and his wife, Madam Pham Thu Huong in 2020, the VinFuture Prize has since gained global recognition.

Hassabis and Jumper aren’t the first VinFuture winners to later receive a Nobel. In 2022, Dr. Katalin Karikó and Prof. Drew Weissman were honored for their mRNA vaccine breakthroughs, and a year later, they won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Is it a coincidence that the VinFuture Prize has twice anticipated Nobel winners? Perhaps. But it aligns with the same spirit of recognizing innovations that bring meaningful change to people’s lives. As it enters its fourth season, attracting 1,500 nominations from over 80 countries, Prof. Sir Richard Friend, Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council, noted that the rising number of nominations highlights Vietnam’s growing role as a global hub for top scientific talent.

“I believe this year’s Laureates will bring delightful surprises,” he added.

VinFuture honoring breakthroughs that go beyond the lab

As the Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council since the first season, how have you seen the Prize evolves over the years?

It is encouraging to see the growing recognition of the VinFuture Prize within the global scientific community. This year’s nominations not only increased in number but also expanded across a wider range of fields such as materials science, regenerative medicine, and computer science.

This reflects the scientific community’s increasing awareness and understanding of the values that VinFuture upholds: innovations and discoveries that make a tangible difference in the everyday lives of millions. The prize not only celebrates groundbreaking scientific advancements but also acknowledges practical solutions in crucial fields such as healthcare, sustainable food supplies, and climate.

As the Prize Council, we are always seeking groundbreaking innovations, discoveries that may be lesser-known or not yet widely applied but have the potential to drive transformative breakthroughs in the future.

Could you give us a hint about the specific areas of research that might be particularly highlighted this year?

While I can’t disclose specific details, I can assure you that the global impact of these works will undoubtedly be a central consideration. We not only celebrate groundbreaking scientific and technological achievements but also assess the real-world impact of the winning contributions. Though the fields may vary, each contribution will enhance the quality of life in meaningful ways. After completing the reviewing process in September, we are confident that the winning works will offer compelling stories and inspiring messages for the public. When the prize winners are revealed at the VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony in December, I’m certain they will bring exciting surprises to the audience.

VinFuture’s Nobel “Connection” Elevates Vietnam’s Scientific Reputation

Given the global reach of the innovations that VinFuture honors, how do you envision their impact on the world?

At VinFuture, we aim for prizes that illustrate how scientific and technological advancements’ impact can happen on a global scale. Therefore, the primary goal is to achieve global recognition for the awarded research, while also raising awareness of the pressing challenges facing humanity.

Looking back at previous seasons, we can see that the honored innovations contributed to solutions for global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic or energy decarbonization through battery technology.

Another encouraging aspect is that the public is increasingly aware that these issues affect not just individual countries or societies but the entire world. That sense—often an overused expression—the global village, and the idea that everything is interconnected, is such an important message. No one can escape the consequences of wrong actions or inaction. Conversely, every society, every nation has an opportunity to work together to create right and good things.

As a person who has accompanied the VinFuture Prize for a long time, witnessing the evolution from the pandemic-era challenges of 2021 to the ‘resilient rebound’ of 2024, how do you assess the importance of the VinFuture Prize moving forward?

I believe the VinFuture Prize has had a tremendous positive impact globally. I think the big message that I hope will emerge is that there is no one thing that solves all problems. The challenge is finding the most efficient way to use materials, from generation to energy storage to use.

We have also witnessed significant advances in solar energy utilization. In the 2023 season, we honored an invention that significantly improved the efficiency of silicon solar cells. However, there is still much potential to improve the efficiency of these panels through the use of new materials. Certainly, this will be a focal point of the upcoming “Science for Life” Symposium at the VinFuture Sci-Tech Week in early December.

And for Vietnam specifically, how do you see the VinFuture Prize as a catalyst for Vietnam’s advancement in the international scientific community?

Vietnam’s growing reputation and appeal within the global scientific community are becoming increasingly apparent. The VinFuture Prize has attracted attention from many places, and we are honored to welcome outstanding scientists to Vietnam. For example, in the first season, Dr. Katalin Karikó and Prof. Drew Weissman, who were awarded the VinFuture Prize for their pivotal role in developing the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, made a visit to Hanoi. Two years after receiving the prize, they were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The 2022 VinFuture Special Prize Laureates (second season) – Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper also recently won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Earlier this year, we were also delighted to hear the news that the 2023 VinFuture Special Prize Laureates for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields – Prof. Daniel Joshua Drucker (Canada), Prof. Joel Francis Habener (USA), Prof. Jens Juul Holst (Denmark), and Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Mojsov (USA) – were named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and the list of 100 most influential people in health. They were also honored with other prestigious international awards this year, such as the Tang Prize and the Lasker Awards.

We have been very pleased to welcome our prize winners to Hanoi where they have interacted with the Vietnamese scientific community and students. This is truly inspiring and proves that Vietnam is gradually becoming one of the destinations that attract top scientific talents in the world.