On 12 October 2026, VNUHCM–University of Science (HCMUS) welcomed and held a meeting with Mr Mika Tirronen, Counsellor for Education and Science at the Embassy of Finland in Singapore, to discuss cooperation in education and scientific research, as well as future collaboration with Finnish partners.

Representing HCMUS at the meeting were Dr Cao Minh Đại, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, and Dr Nguyễn Thị Kim Dung, Head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, who also serves as the Vietnamese contact person for the BIO-BRIDGE project.

During the meeting, both sides discussed cooperation established since 2018, including collaboration between VNUHCM–University of Science and the University of Turku (Finland). Activities have included co-teaching, joint supervision of undergraduate dissertations and postgraduate theses, academic staff exchanges, visiting professorships and collaborative scientific research. Building on these activities, the two sides explored future opportunities for cooperation with the University of Turku in particular and Finnish partners more broadly.

 

Mr Mika Tirronen (middle image) in discussion with Dr Nguyễn Thị Kim Dung (first image), Head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Dr Cao Minh Đại (last image), Vice Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology at VNUHCM–University of Science.

As part of the programme, Mr Mika Tirronen also met with the Vietnamese BIO-BRIDGE project team to learn more about the progress of ongoing project activities. BIO-BRIDGE (Bridging Finnish and Vietnamese Higher Education in Biodiversity Sciences and Sustainability) is a project approved for funding under the Team Finland Knowledge (TFK) programme. The project aims to strengthen cooperation between Finnish and Vietnamese higher education institutions in biodiversity sciences and sustainability. Planned for the 2026–2028 period, the project will include activities relating to curriculum development, academic exchange and research capacity-building.

Following the meeting, the Vietnamese and Finnish BIO-BRIDGE teams held an online meeting to discuss project implementation. The project team includes Sanna Huttunen, University Research Fellow in the Department of Biodiversity Sciences at the University of Turku, Finland. Her research focuses on bryophyte taxonomy and evolutionary biology, particularly moss evolution, as well as the application of molecular systematics to biodiversity research. Under the VNU350 Visiting Professorship Programme of Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM), Professor Sanna Huttunen has also delivered lectures at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, VNUHCM–University of Science.

The meeting helped sustain and strengthen cooperation between VNUHCM–University of Science and Finnish partners, while opening up further opportunities for collaboration in education, scientific research, biodiversity and sustainability.