On January 5, 2025, VNUK Institute for Research and Executive Education (VNUK Institute) - UD organized the Final Round of the 7th National Science and Technology Innovation Competition for High School Students in 2024 (U-Invent-2024).

Attending the program were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh An - Acting Head of Policy Program, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Vietnam; Mr. Pham Tan Ngoc Thuy - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Da Nang City; Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hau - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Da Nang City; Dr. Tran The Vu – Vice Dean of VNUK Institute; representatives of the Department of Academic Affairs and Educational Quality Assurance, Center for Learning Information Resources and Communication of the UD; representatives of the Board of Principals of some high schools in the area, along with parents and students.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh An, this is an inspiring journey, awakening the creativity of young people to bring knowledge to contribute to changing lives, this year with the theme "A safer future". The program is within the framework of the project “A friendly city for chidren”, thereby helping students develop ideas, thinking and effective solutions to create a safe, convenient and healthy school and cyberspace.

According to Dr. Tran The Vu, U-Invent is an academic playground that inspires innovation and creativity for high school students nationally. This is also a model that connects STEM education with science and practical applications to serve the society; connects high school education environment with university.

The representative of the organizing committee said that after more than 3 months with the following rounds: Kick-off (October 13), Solution (November 3), Prototype (November 17), Semi-final (December 8), the 7 best teams were selected from 39 teams, gathering nearly 160 candidates from 21 high schools nationwide (most of whom came from Da Nang, Quang Nam and Ho Chi Minh city) to compete in the Final Round (January 5, 2025).

Candidates will experience, learn and be advised and trained by a team of nearly 40 experts, coaches and mentors from VNUK Institute and universities, businesses, and partner organizations of the program. Thanks to that, their solution ideas will be advised, developed and perfected, forming projects with products and services that can be applied to serve the needs of life, study and community activities.

The Jury of the Final Round gathered prestigious experts in related fields including: Dr. Nguyen Thi My Huong - former Dean of VNUK, Head of the Faculty of Economics and Business; Ms. Vu Thi Bich Hau - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Da Nang City; Mr. Le Van Hieu - General Director of Seatech Da Nang Machinery and Spare Parts Joint Stock Company; Mr. Nguyen Van Chuong - Manager of the SwissEp program in Da Nang and Ms. Tran Hanh Trang - Co-founder and CEO of ENOSTA Technology Company.

The teams participating in the Final Round went through exciting and enthusiastic competitions such as Product Presentation based on Project Overview Report, Project Illustration Poster and Test Product; Answering questions (10 minutes) from the Jury, thereby highlighting the topics, ideas and solutions, creative scientific products with their confidence and courage.

In the final result, the First Prize went to the Project "Landslide Detection and Warning System" of Team C.A.C (Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Da Nang) with a prize worth 20 million VND, a Medal, a Certificate, a Gift from the sponsor and a Support Package to attend the Invent for the Planet Competition (IFTP) 2024 in the United States worth $1,500 (equivalent to 36 million VND); the opportunity to receive a scholarship from VNUK and a full scholarship for the Indigo Research Intensive Seasonal (IRIS) Program worth more than 100 million VND.

The Second Prize went to the Project “Sign Language Website” of Bright Spark Team (Phan Chau Trinh High School and Hermann Gmeiner High School, Da Nang) with a prize worth 15 million VND, a Medal, a Certificate, a Gift from the sponsor and the opportunity to receive a scholarship from VNUK Institute.

The Third Prize went to the “Civil Firefighting Robot” Project of Arise Force Team (Hoa Vang High School and Nguyen Van Thoai High School, Da Nang) with a prize worth 10 million VND, a Medal, a Certificate and a Gift from the sponsor.

In addition, the Organizing Committee also has 2 Encouragement Prizes and 1 Creativity Prize for high school student teams.

The success of U-Invent-2024 not only fuels the creative dreams of high school students but also continues to develop, expand the scope, and enhance the reputation of a useful and meaningful playground in the context of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution; is a continued affirmation of the dedication and efforts of VNUK Institute and its partners to spread STEM education, fostering the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship for young students.

The ideas, solutions, and products of high school students from U-Invent are expected to be the launching pads for candidates to nurture their future talents, confidently preparing to continue to shine in national competitions such as the National Science and Engineering Competition (ViSEF) or international competitions such as Invent for the Planet (IFTP) in the United States, connecting university with high schools and businesses, bringing knowledge to serve the community.