With USAID Partnership for Higher Reform project’s support, from June 28 to July 7, 2023, Dr. John Baumann, the Associate Vice President for Research Compliance of Indiana University, had several coaching sessions on Research Compliance at the 3 Universities: Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU HCMC) from June 28 – 30, 2023, The University of Da Nang (UD) from July 3-4 and Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU HN) from July 6 – 7, 2023.

In each session, Dr. John shared his experience and consulted the 3 Universities establishing Academic Integrity regulations, defining procedures to establish the Research Ethics Committee and the Committee’s operating mechanism. After the onsite coaching sessions, Dr. John and the 3 Universities will continue having online working sessions to finalize the drafts documents.

With technical assistance, it is expected that in 2023 VNU HCMC will officially issue the Academic Integrity regulations and Research Ethics Committee’s operating mechanism; UD will officially issue the Academic Integrity regulations and University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU HN will officially issue the Research Ethics Committee’s operating mechanism.

In the next year’s activities, the project will continuously support the 3 Universities on Research Ethics Committee establishment and operation through building the capacity of Research Ethics Committee members, lecturers, researchers, managers and staff members at scientific management units.

Additionally, the project will support the Research Ethics Committees of the 3 Universities to be recognized internationally toward promoting the academic integrity culture in doing research and strengthening the quality of research in the three leading universities of Vietnam.