• 30 Nov 2022
• 2022

Ready For Next program series: Ready to transform and act sustainably with multi-disciplinary knowledge values ​​(December 4, 2022 - December 11, 2022)

On December 4-11, 2022 University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) implemented the series of Ready for Next programs "Ready to transform for the sustainable development of the community". The program is a series of scientific and artistic activities with the participation of many prestigious universities and international organizations with many contents ranging from academics, exchange forums, and community connection hubs to creative, artistic inspiring activities.

Transforming for the sustainable development of the community - A common trend in the world

We live in an era where cross-disciplinary knowledge connectivity is increasingly important in solving the world's most pressing problems; When it comes to integrating technology with design, art promises to unleash magical possibilities and create impactful changes. This is also the time when higher education is required to actively transform, not only to train the next generation with multi-faceted, global thinking and action for sustainability but also to promote sustainable relationships between stakeholders, and jointly come up with integrated solutions to solve problems of the society.

Implementing the strategy of a Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University, UEH has gradually transformed the core functions of the university from training, research, and administration to community engagement with the principle of considering people and the needs of society as the center for sustainable action. Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and sustainable criteria have begun to be integrated into training programs, subjects, and extracurricular activities; in research topics and methods; in practicing right at UEH campuses and people, as well as actively contributing to the process of transforming awareness, spreading knowledge, and community to act sustainably.

In that spirit, UEH and many prestigious domestic and international universities and organizations held the "Ready for Next" program from December 4 to 11 with a series of events, scientific and art activities with content ranging from academics, exchange forums, community connection hubs to creative and inspirational art activities. There are 04 international scientific conferences with a fresh approach to multi-disciplinary knowledge, which are 25 intensive scientific seminars on Sustainability, Technology, Design, and Art. The program was attended and advised by professors, experts, and prestigious organizations such as Mr. Chung Un Chan - Former Prime Minister of Korea; Dr. Park Young June - Former Vice Minister of Knowledge Economy of Korea; Ms. Cao Thi Ngoc Dung - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company PNJ; Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc Trai - Chairman of Global Integration Business Consulting Company Limited (GIBC); Dr. Dosoung Philip Choi - Rector of Handong Global University, Dr. Jong Heon Kim - Rector of Kwangwoon University, Dr. Suh Soon Tak - Rector of the University of Seoul, Dr. Nam-Joon Cho - Rector of Nanyang Technological University (Korea); along with many leading professors and experts from more than 15 countries around the world.

Besides, with the motivation to create a community with the same mission of sustainable action, UEH officially launched 2 hubs connecting domestic and foreign communities, along with 6 creative activities, inspiring art, exhibitions on sustainable development, innovative technology, and smart city. This is an open series of activities for the community with the message "A sustainable society needs people who understand and act sustainably. Transformation for sustainability is no longer just UEH's story but the story of society and the world. With the responsibility of a key national university, UEH pioneers to learn, research, and bring innovative solutions to connect and spread the world's multidisciplinary knowledge to Vietnam, contributing to the transition for sustainable development, through the series of Ready for Next activities”. Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh - President of UEH emphasized.

Activities in various forms, connecting interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary knowledge to solve problems in contemporary society

An important highlight in UEH's Ready for Next series of activities is 04 international seminars, connecting academia to practices with the participation of leading domestic and foreign scientists, experts, and speakers in each field. Specifically:

The first international scientific conference "Resilience by Technology and Design 2022" (RTD) with the theme "Smart Living" from December 8 to 11, 2022: Identifying Technology and Design as a new driving force for the development of the Vietnamese economy as well as other countries in the new era, RTD will spread knowledge and propose tools and solutions in technology and human-centered design, increase enhance flexibility, adaptability, as well as lead a smart life in the context of a changing world. Within the framework of RTD, there will be important activities such as the contemporary sharing of leading speakers in the industry, special seminars to share scientific reports, and research results of domestic and international scientists, seminars, workshops, exhibitions of new research, products, applications and interactive experiences from businesses.

*Find out program details at LINK.

International scientific conference “Sustainable University Development: Opportunity and Challenge” (SUDOC) from December 7 to 10: A forum to discuss inevitable trends of sustainable university development, pillars and standards of sustainability, sustainable university building models as well as the opportunities and challenges facing the university. In particular, the conference will be a place to discuss the role of higher education institutions in implementing and linking with internal and external organizations to implement 17 global sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. It is also a forum for sharing research results, building and connecting multilateral networks among universities, businesses, and communities, local authorities, domestic and international public… to jointly implement, address and act towards sustainability goals.

*Find out program details at LINK.

ArtTech Fusion 2022 international conference (ATF) "Smart life: changing lifestyles towards sustainable development through the lens of Art - Technology" from December 4 to 11: ATF will introduce education and research activities in the field of ArtTech, creating connections between several domestic and foreign universities, scientists, expert networks and businesses in the field of ArtTech. The series of programs aims to spread new knowledge and experiences, pioneering today's combination of Art and Tech. At the same time, promoting the use of ArtTech as a tool to solve the problems of modern society, towards sustainable development, improving the quality of life, and building an innovative environment on the Internet through artistic and technological aspects of today's society. ATF will have Workshops, academic exchanges related to the fields of ArtTech and fashion; art creation camps and photo galleries; exhibition booths, products, interactive experiences from businesses; exhibitions introducing the results of scientific research works; fashion shows.

*Find out program details at LINK..

International scientific conference "A Future Resilience through Smart City Lens" (RF) from December 7-11: RF aims at city building Smart, the RF 2022 conference focuses on 2 main areas: Smart Living and Smart Education to introduce trends in design, planning, development, and management through the application of technology to develop a society that can adapt flexibly in the context of the changing world. RF will have exhibition activities and special discussion sessions with the participation of many professors and experts working at universities, research institutes, and state management agencies from many countries such as France, Italy, Korea, the USA, Australia…

*Find out program details at LINK. 

Establishing networks connecting schools - experts - businesses - domestic and international management agencies, solving contemporary issues

Carrying out the mission of "Connecting the community - Spreading knowledge - Sustainable action", within the framework of the Ready for Next program, UEH will officially launch two domestic and international connection networks including ArtTech Fusion Hub aims to focus groups of Technology and Arts application solutions, and IFS Hub - International Sustainability Forum focuses groups of sustainable development solutions for universities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) ). This will be the convergence of the community of scientists, researchers, and domestic and foreign experts with UEH to discuss, consult, research, and spread knowledge and innovative tools to solve specific and urgent problems of the times.

ArtTech Fusion Hub (ATFH) was established with the vision to become an internationally integrated platform that connects universities, industry, government, and local and international communities through education and training to develop creative activities, the intersection between art and technology ArtTech Fusion towards sustainability. ATFH will perform 3 main functions: Education and training support (Education), Research and local projects (R&D), and Networking and development (Networking). ATFH's activities revolve around the integrated research and education of Media (Media), Technology (Technology), Art (Art), and Design (Design).

The International Forum on Sustainability (IFS) was born with the mission of becoming an international platform for universities, research institutes, businesses, associations, and NGOs at home and abroad to together share and improve the capacity of universities in sustainable development, as well as jointly offer solutions to support and guide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to act sustainably. From 2022 to 2025, the IFS forum will be maintained with 03 main groups of activities including Connection; Research; Share knowledge with the community. The Advisory Council are experts on sustainable development from representatives of State agencies, international organizations, UEH, business associations, enterprises, and non-governmental organizations; together with the Steering Committee are UEH, Associations, prestigious business associations in the country and international universities.

*Find out program details at LINK.

Activities of a Community that inspires art and sustainable development

Performing an important role in creating a community that inspires art and changes for sustainable development, within the framework of Ready for Next, UEH will bring meaningful and unique activities that serve as a premise to develop a community that inspires art and sustainable action through ArtTech, including:

• New York Classical Music Society Asia: UEH collaborated with the New York Classical Music Association - Asia to organize a two-day concert program on December 8-9, 2022 at the New York Classical Music Association. Campus A - UEH will be a space to connect emotions - people - life with classical music performed by world-famous artists. At the same time, it is also a program to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Korea (December 22, 1992 - December 22, 2022).
• The art space “Voice from Ocean” from December 4-11, 2022 at campus B: a combination of an exhibition of waste products and music to send the message “Calling for actions of the global citizens in the face of a hurting planet”. With images and sounds, "Voice from Ocean" will bring the most artistic but practical perspectives, so that the younger generation can understand and deeply feel the problems that the planet is struggling to endure, therefore, raising awareness of green and sustainable living.
• Media Art - Beyond the Forest Exhibition from December 4-11, 2022 at campuses A, V: To bring new and exciting experiences about a new and unique art form to young people at Ho Chi Minh City on art combined with cutting-edge technology, UEH collaborated with Ulsan Art Museum to conduct an exclusive exhibition - Media art with world-famous artworks such as “Forest of a cage” by famous artist Nam June Paik and works by young Korean artists. Each work is a theme, a message about the harmony of technology with nature, between reality and the virtual world, a perspective on the modern city, a story of dreams, or hazards caused by climate change.
• Inspiring Sustainability Initiatives exhibition from December 7 to 9, 2022 at campus B: This is an inspirational space displaying sustainable products/projects/programs in different fields from the zero-waste university, sustainable fashion, sustainable packaging, sustainable banking, ESG/CSR in business to highlight the role of sustainability in the fields and efforts of each stakeholder.
• Fashion Show “The wow factor” on December 7, 2022, at campus V: With the spirit of being ready for a new development step, in the future, the development of the fashion industry must include community and support between businesses with training programs, the exchange of experiences between famous designers and young designers to create a sustainable fashion technology. Therefore, the fashion show "The wow factor" with the participation of famous designers will bring new ideas and perspectives to the fashion industry of Vietnam.
• Photo exhibition of ArtCamp contest from December 4-11, 2022 at campus B: To spread the message "Sustainable living in the digital age", UEH and Ho Chi Minh City Photographic Association (HOPA) launched the ArtCamp contest for art photography lovers (experts or beginner). The contest theme revolves around: Smart life and modern society; Sustainable lifestyle towards environmental protection, civilized society, prosperous community, and economic development; humans as the center of the digital rhythm of life; Global citizenship - sustainable action - community benefits; Leading change and inspiring art; From clean campus to green university.

*Find out program details at LINK.

“Sustainable action projects will always have the companionship of stakeholders, jointly implement and spread widely to the community and society, contributing to orienting the thoughts and actions of the next generations who will rule the country. Through the series of Ready for Next 2022 activities, UEH wishes to further promote its role - a center for connecting multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary knowledge, connecting resources, resonance, and spreading positive values, contributing to the general picture of sustainable development of the community. Together, we will give and receive positive values, spreading practical knowledge for a sustainable society.” - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dong Phong, Chairman of the UEH University Council shared.

News, photos: R4N Organizing Committee, Department of Marketing and Communication