On 9 September 2026, the 2nd Vietnam–Czech Roundtable on Higher Education, Science & Technology, and Innovation was held at the Embassy of Vietnam in Prague, bringing together representatives of 16 Vietnamese and Czech universities, with nine universities participating in person in Prague and seven joining online. The Roundtable marked an important transition from academic networking and exchange towards the development of concrete programmes, projects and cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.
The Roundtable was jointly organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in the Czech Republic and Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU), with the participation of university leaders, government representatives, research organizations, business associations and innovation partners from Vietnam and the Czech Republic. The official programme took place from 14:00 to 16:30, followed by a Networking Dinner that provided additional opportunities for direct exchanges among the participating partners.
EXPANDING THE VIETNAM–CZECH UNIVERSITY COOPERATION NETWORK
Opening the Roundtable, H.E. Mr. Duong Hoai Nam, Ambassador of Vietnam to the Czech Republic, emphasized the importance of moving cooperation between educational and research institutions in the two countries beyond individual exchanges and isolated projects towards long-term, substantive partnerships focused on concrete outcomes.
In the context of the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, higher education, science and technology, and innovation are well positioned to become one of the new pillars of bilateral relations. Areas with significant potential include artificial intelligence, digital transformation, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, energy and green technologies, biotechnology and other emerging technologies.
Representing the Czech Government, Dr. David Müller, Director General at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, confirmed the Czech side's readiness to strengthen connections among universities – research institutions – industry in the two countries. Also attending the Roundtable from the Ministry of Industry and Trade were Mr. Michal Prokop, Deputy Director of the Department of Non-European Countries, and Mr. Jiří Černohous, Desk Officer in the Department.
The Czech industrial sector was represented by Mr. Lukáš Martin, Director of the International Relations Section at the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, together with representatives of business and innovation-support organizations. Their participation helped broaden the scope of the Roundtable beyond university cooperation towards applied research, technology transfer and commercialization, innovation, and university–industry cooperation.
SIXTEEN UNIVERSITIES DISCUSSING THE NEXT STAGE OF COOPERATION
A key feature of the second Roundtable was the expansion of the cooperation network to 16 universities from the two countries, with nine participating in person and seven joining online.
During the discussion, university leaders reviewed existing cooperation and focused on proposing concrete activities for the 2026/2027 academic year and the subsequent period, including student and staff mobility, doctoral education, joint research, scientific publications, technology transfer, innovation and engagement with industry.
The discussion was facilitated by the Organizing Committee, providing universities and partners from both countries with an opportunity to directly exchange views on their needs, strengths and potential for developing concrete cooperation programmes.
Representatives of Czech universities and organizations presented a number of new proposals. Prof. Petr Sáha proposed expanding cooperation with Vietnamese universities and companies in areas including green energy, battery storage systems, healthcare and dual-use technologies.
The Roundtable also discussed the potential development of a part-time doctoral training model, enabling Vietnamese university lecturers and researchers to pursue doctoral programmes at Czech universities in accordance with the regulations of the respective institutions, while combining research activities in Vietnam with periods of study and research in the Czech Republic.
This model is expected not only to contribute to the development of highly qualified human resources for Vietnamese universities, but also to create long-term research bridges between scientific teams in the two countries.
CVDI HUB – FROM RESEARCH TO TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION AND INNOVATION
One of the strategic highlights of the Roundtable was the Czech–Vietnam Deep Tech Innovation & Impact Hub (CVDI Hub).
During the Roundtable, Dr. Vít Dočkal, Director of INDRC, presented the vision, operating model and implementation roadmap of CVDI Hub as a long-term platform for cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic in deep tech and innovation.
CVDI Hub is conceived as a Vietnam–Czech innovation corridor, leveraging the complementary strengths of Vietnam's engineering talent and innovation ecosystem together with the research infrastructure, access to the EU market, and technology venture-development capabilities of the Czech Republic and Europe.
A key distinguishing feature of CVDI Hub is that it goes beyond academic and research cooperation. The next step is commercialization: transforming the foundations of research cooperation built over many years into a practical programme for technology development and commercialization, as well as the creation of deep-tech projects and ventures.
Accordingly, CVDI Hub aims to connect universities – research institutes – companies – investors – regional authorities – innovation-support organizations in both countries. Promising ideas, research outcomes and technologies will be progressively supported from research, testing and technology development through to real-world application, commercialization, investment attraction and technology venture development.
In other words, CVDI Hub seeks to establish a connected pathway:
Research → Technology Development → Prototype/Pilot → Commercialization → Venture Creation → Investment → International Market
Through this process, research outcomes will have opportunities to move beyond scientific publications and be transformed into products, technology solutions, start-ups/spin-offs and investment projects capable of generating economic value and societal impact.
In its initial phase, CVDI Hub will focus on four priority technology areas: Healthcare; Agriculture & Drones; Robotics & AI; and Green Energy, with specific applications including AI-assisted diagnostics, precision agriculture, UAVs and autonomous systems, machine vision, navigation, microgrids, battery analytics and digital twins.
The long-term vision of CVDI Hub also sets ambitious quantitative objectives for incubating advanced technologies originating in Vietnam, mobilizing venture capital investment in the Czech Republic, and developing these technologies through Czech legal entities and the Czech–European technology ecosystem.
CVDI Hub is therefore expected to become a “Lab-to-Market” bridge, bringing research and technologies developed by Vietnamese and Czech partners closer to industry, investors and international markets.
FIVE COOPERATION DOCUMENTS SIGNED AND COMPLETED AT THE ROUNDTABLE
One of the most tangible outcomes of the Roundtable was the signing or completion of the signing procedures for five cooperation documents, including:
- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hanoi University and the University of South Bohemia;
- Student Exchange Agreement between Hanoi University and the University of South Bohemia;
- Memorandum of Understanding between Hanoi University and Tomas Bata University in Zlín;
- Memorandum of Understanding on the Czech–Vietnam Deep Tech Innovation & Impact Hub (CVDI Hub);
- Memorandum of Understanding between Ton Duc Thang University and the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe.
The signed documents reflect three important directions of cooperation emerging from the Roundtable: expanding university-to-university partnerships; building a platform for science, technology, innovation and the commercialization of research outcomes; and mobilizing the resources of Vietnamese intellectuals, experts and communities in Europe to support cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic.
In particular, the Memorandum of Understanding between TDTU and the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe is expected to create an additional bridge for Vietnamese intellectuals and experts across Europe. Through this mechanism, the Vietnamese intellectual and professional network in Europe will have opportunities not only to strengthen its connections with TDTU, but also to expand cooperation with other universities and research institutions in Vietnam.
At the same time, TDTU and the European Cooperation Center (ECC) will contribute to connecting European universities, research institutes, companies and experts with suitable partners in Vietnam, thereby promoting direct cooperation in education, research, technology transfer and innovation.
MOVING TOWARDS CONCRETE RESULTS IN 2026–2027
The Roundtable reflected a shared understanding that, following the development of the cooperation network, the partners should now move decisively towards implementation and the evaluation of concrete outcomes.
During 2026–2027, the partners are expected to further advance the CVDI Hub, with particular emphasis on developing technology projects with potential for practical application and commercialization; developing education and academic mobility programmes; establishing joint research teams and projects; expanding university–industry cooperation; and preparing for the International Competition on Research and Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – International UAV Competition 2027, expected to be held at TDTU in September 2027.
In his closing remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Trong Dao, President of Ton Duc Thang University, emphasized the importance of moving from dialogue and signed agreements towards practical implementation during the 2026/2027 academic year, continuing the development of CVDI Hub and preparing joint international cooperation activities for 2027.
The Roundtable also set the direction towards organizing the 3rd Vietnam–Czech Roundtable at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City, tentatively on 23–24 September 2027, in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Ton Duc Thang University.
The 2nd Vietnam–Czech Roundtable therefore represented more than a meeting between universities from the two countries. It contributed to the gradual development of a broader Vietnam–Czech cooperation ecosystem connecting education – research – technology – innovation – commercialization – industry – investment – expert networks, with the aim of developing sustainable programmes and projects capable of delivering concrete and mutually beneficial outcomes.
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