A major new scientific prize based in Vietnam is changing the relationship between the scientific community and international development.
The most prestigious prizes and awards in science and technology, such as the Nobel Prize, the Turing Prize, and the Field Medal, all celebrate ground-breaking innovations, which advance the future of their fields. Yet the way this connects to potential benefits to society is not always so clear. Research agendas and scientific investment are not typically seen to address humanity’s development needs, and yet, it is innovation that is key to addressing many of the issues limiting global development.
Sustainable new crop varieties, breakthrough medical treatments, water filtration methods, communications systems — all of these vital development tools have required immense amounts of scientific research before their application into the development space. The VinFuture Prize, however, differs.
About the author
Sir Richard Henry Friend
Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS, is the chair of the VinFuture Prize Council and holds the Cavendish Professorship of Physics at the University of Cambridge. He is one of the world’s most influential physicists and serves as director of the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability.
