The Austrian Federal Minister for Science and Research Beatrix Karl on February 16 signed a memorandum of understanding for another four years of mutual cooperation with the Vietnamese Minister for Education Pham Vu Luan in Hanoi.

The successful cooperation between Austria and Vietnam in science and research will be continued, said the Austrian Minister.

“In the last few years Austria and Vietnam were able to establish a strong network in university-level education, which will be intensified now. Science and research are the main driving forces for increase in prosperity and growth, from which both countries benefit a lot,” said Ms. Karl.

She visited the University of Commerce, which holds strong ties with the IMC University of Applied Science in Krems, as part of the Vietnamese-Austrian Business Administration Programme.  After talking to Rector Nguyen Bach Khoa, the minister attended a meeting with Rector Nguyen Trong Giang of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

She then met with Vice Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan and Minister for Education Pham Vu Luan.

In the meeting, she highlighted the successful cooperation of Austria and Vietnam within the framework of EU-programs in food safety, chemistry, mathematics and modern automotive engineering.

The number of Vietnamese students in Austria has gradually increased over the last few years. In the 2010/2011 winter term Austrian universities hosted 91 students from Vietnam. 

Since the early 1980s both countries have started numerous co-operation projects, also within the framework of ASEA-UNINET. For instance, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna works closely with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology as well as with the Institute of Geology of the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology.

The Vienna University of Economics and Business organises an annual summer school as part of its cooperation programme with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the University of Economics. The University of Innsbruck and the Hanoi University of Science and Technology are also linked through a summer school program.

During the Minister’s stay in Hanoi, an agreement was also signed by the representatives of Vietnam International Education Development and the Austrian Agency for International Mobility and Cooperation in Education, Science and Research (OeAD ltd) to give financial support to PhD students. 

The International Management Center (IMC) at University of Applied Sciences Krems cooperates with the University of Commerce Hanoi in the field of business administration and with the University of Hue in tourism training.

The three-term training course of the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems started in October 2010 with 20 students, who will be prepared for a national and international career in the area of business management.

The course is taught entirely in English its core modules include statistical management, leadership coaching and company take-over.

(VOV)