The first prize of the Ministry of Science and Technology to honor and encourage basic science researchers in the field of natural sciences named Ta Quang Buu was announced on October 30 in Hanoi.
At the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Viet Thanh said that there are many great awards and prizes on science and technology such as the Ho Chi Minh Prize, the State Prize … in Vietnam, but all of theseawards were only focus on the practical application. Basic research is the foundation for S&T development, but the honor that given for those who do basic research has not been satisfactory so far. And that is why the Ministry of Science and Technology proposed to the Government to establish the Ta Quang Buu Prize, he said.
Prof. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the Physical Science Committee of National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED), said unlike the Ho Chi Minh Prize or the State Prize on S&Twhich focus on works and authors’ groups, the Ta Quang Buu Prize is an honor for individual scientist and individual scientific work. Thus, in comparison to other awards, its role recently gets welcomed and acknowledged among Vietnam scientific community.
According to the Prize organization committee, the Prize worth at least VND 200 million will be awarded annually to one to three individual scientists with excellent research published in prestigious international journals, especially in the fields of Mathematics, Information and Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biology.
Moreover, there is a Prize worth at least VND 100 million, will be presented to Vietnamese scientists working abroad, foreign scientists in Vietnam who have contributed positively to supporting and promoting basic research and the development of Science and Technology human resources in Vietnam.
There is also a Prize worth at least VND 50 million, will be awarded to a young scientist who is the main author of outstanding scientific work.
NAFOSTED is The Standing Office of the Prize who take responsible in evaluating and proposing nominees to the Prize organization committee to be considered and awarded.
The deadline for submitting application for the 2013 Ta Quang Buu Prize is from October 30th 2013 to the end of January 20th 2014. The Prize ceremony is expected to held on May 2014.
Deputy Minister Tran Viet Thanh said that Mr. Ngo Viet Trung, former Director of the Vietnam Mathematics Institute, was nominated as the Chairman of the Prize organization commitee.