Dr. Nguyen Doan Quoc Anh wins the 'Science Innovation 2023' competition

On May 17, under the guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, VnExpress newspaper organized the Young Scientists Conference and the award ceremony for the "Science Innovation" competition in 2023.

The Organizing Committee, the Jury, and the Prize-Winning Teams in the "Science Innovation 2023" competition

This is an activity to celebrate Vietnam's Science and Technology Day (May 18) and it is also the second year that VnExpress newspaper has organized the competition to provide a platform for science and technology enthusiasts, attracting both professional and non-professional scientists to participate in creating valuable solutions and products for real-life applications.

Officially launched on December 2, 2022, the competition is aimed at various fields with broad applications, including biotechnology, technology, agriculture, environment, and new materials. Particularly, this year's competition introduced a new category for innovation awards dedicated to special research projects serving people in remote and mountainous areas.

The competition has garnered the attention of a wide range of researchers, scientists, students, and scholars from all over the country, attracting over 130 entries, a 20% increase compared to 2022.

Mrs. Bui Thanh Van, Editor-in-Chief of VnExpress newspaper and Head of the Organizing Committee of the competition, said: "Through the competition, we have witnessed a great passion for science among the youth in Vietnam. The competition will serve as a bridge to connect the innovations of young participants with investment funds and manufacturing companies. This, in turn, will help scale up product development and production models to reach the places where they are needed. Additionally, honoring outstanding innovations can inspire and motivate young scientists across the country to engage in research".

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Nguyen Hoang Giang,presentedthe first prize in the "Science Innovation 2023" competition to Dr. Nguyen Doan Quoc Anh

Through the evaluation process, the Organizing Committee of the competition awarded six prizes. The outstanding winner is the innovation titled "New TIR Lens for High-Power LED Lamps" by Dr. Nguyen Doan Quoc Anh, the inventor of TIR lens technology, together with his colleagues from the Power System Optimization (PSO) research group at the Faculty of Electrical-Electronic Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University.

The project honored the first prize which is worth 70 million Vietnamese Dong, involving a total internal reflection lens (lampshade) attached to LED lamps, which helps direct all the light forward and distribute light more evenly. The new TIR lens technology reduces costs, increases efficiency, and provides uniform illumination, thereby improving the quality and application of LED lamps. The research group has also optimized the technology to be applied in various LED lamp products used in residential, industrial, agricultural, and fisheries lighting. The new TIR lens innovation has also received a USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) patent in 2022.

The second prize was given to to the product "3D Surgical Navigation Equipment for Knee Replacement Surgery" from the 3D LAB VINUNI research group at VinUni University's 3D Medical Technology Center. The third prize was awarded to the solution "Ready-to-Germinate Seeds" by the author Luong Van Truong, from the Nam Dai Duong Youth Cooperative.

The encouragement prize was presented to two authors: Dao Van Minh (40 years old, Hanoi) for the product "Rescue and Spare Tire Replacement Vehicle for Cars," and Dinh Van Trung (12th-grade student at Dien Chau 2 High School, Nghe An) for the "Mobile Hanging Spraying System for Crop Protection.

The innovation prize was awarded for the project "Production of Natural Fiber from Tiger Tongue Plant Leaves" by Tran Thi Quynh, a student at Muong Ne High School, Muong Ne District, Dien Bien Province. Quynh is also the youngest contestant in this year's competition.

Quynh came up with this idea while watching a program about cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with her teacher, Nguyen Thi Cam Nhung. She noticed that the patients lost their hair and couldn't afford expensive wigs. Quynh pointed out that real hair wigs are expensive, and synthetic fiber wigs have an environmental impact during production. The 18-year-old student's project was evaluated by the judging panel as having a good and humanitarian idea. Although the technology is not highly advanced, the innovation is particularly aimed at supporting remote areas and serving people in remote and underserved regions.

The entire prize fund for the competition is sponsored by the Hope Foundation. The Hope Foundation is a non-profit, community-oriented, and charitable organization operated by VnExpress newspaper and FPT Corporation. The foundation has two main goals: to support those in difficult circumstances and to inspire development. One of the foundation's activities is to promote the application of technology and provide sustainable development tools for individuals and communities, especially through knowledge enrichment in education.