In March 2024, the USAID Partnership for Higher Education Reform project organized a series of activities to improve research compliance at partner universities, offered by the project’s expert, Dr. John Baumann, Associate Vice President for Research Compliance at Indiana University, United States.
With the project’s support, in November 2023, the VNU-University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH) officially issued Regulations on Organization and Operation of the Research Ethics Committee (REC). In continuing the support for VNU-USSH in finalizing the forms and review process of the REC, the project had a technical support session with around 30 unit leaders, lecturers, and relevant staff of the university on March 18. It is expected that in 2024, the university will officially issue these forms and review processes along with the issued regulations so that staff, lecturers, and researchers inside and outside the university can submit their documents for review by the REC.
Also, as part of the project’s series of technical support activities on research compliance, a Workshop on Research Compliance was held on March 19 at VNUHN to improve participant understanding of the roles and duties of REC members, the REC operating procedures, and issues related to research integrity. The workshop garnered the attention of management units of VNUHN and member universities, with the participation of around 50 participants who are VNUHN’s leaders as well as leaders of scientific management departments, lecturers, and researchers.
Participants actively engaged in discussions and exchanged experiences about current research compliance practices at various universities in Vietnam, thereby working towards promulgating and implementing regulations on academic integrity in science and technology activities at their respective institutions.
