Despite being established only in March, ViLaB has quickly brought together a network of Vietnamese experts and scientists working across Europe, especially in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France in an effort to promote knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and multi-sectoral cooperation between Vietnam and the EU.

During the conference, ViLaB held working sessions with central and local government delegations, as well as representatives from key ministries and institutions. These meetings underscored ViLaB’s proactive efforts to foster substantive cooperation in support of Vietnam’s development priorities.

Nuclear energy has emerged as one of the core focus areas. At a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dr. Phung Quoc Tri, ViLaB President and a senior researcher at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), emphasized the readiness of Vietnamese experts in Europe to contribute to Vietnam’s civil nuclear power program through policy consultation, safety standard development, and workforce training.

SCK CEN currently produces 65% of the world’s radioisotopes used in medical diagnostics and cancer treatment,an area where ViLaB aims to support Vietnam in promoting both civil nuclear energy and nuclear medicine.

In the field of precision medicine, Le Nguyen Tung, ViLaB Secretary and founder of the Vietnam–Belgium Hospital of Andrology and Infertility in Hanoi, stressed the need to apply modern reproductive technologies more widely in Vietnam to reduce treatment costs and improve care quality. The hospital is partnering with leading global medical technology companies, including those in Oxford, and is building a scientific database to support multi-center studies in line with international standards. Tung highlighted the importance of government backing and collaboration with top Vietnamese hospitals, such as the 108 Military Central Hospital, in carrying out these efforts.

On biotechnology, Dr. Nguyen Ninh Thuan, a ViLaB board member, proposed three areas of cooperation based on Belgium’s successful model. These include supporting biotech startups emerging from universities and research institutes through public–private partnerships, with the state covering up to 80% of early-stage investment; developing interdisciplinary tech clusters equipped for advanced research, data analysis, and bioinformatics; and improving legal frameworks related to intellectual property, biosafety, and commercialization to ensure sustainable value recovery.

ViLaB is also expanding co-operation in finance, information technology, advanced materials, and digital transformation. Dr. Nguyen Duy Cu, ViLaB Vice President and a senior expert at POST Luxembourg, joined discussions with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City officials, and the Military Bank on key topics such as green finance, strategic technology transfer, and digital infrastructure.

Luxembourg is a global hub in these areas, with advanced capabilities in fintech, satellite communications, artificial intelligence, and green data centers powered by renewable energy.

The country is also investing heavily in research on next-generation materials such as graphene and nanomaterials-fields that are expected to underpin future industries.

To fully tap the potential of Vietnamese intellectual resources in Europe, ViLaB has called for flexible cooperation mechanisms to enable its participation in policy consultation and the organization of regular workshops and forums.

At the conference, the association signed several memoranda of understanding with Vietnamese ministries and provinces, thereby opening new avenues for cooperation in smart agriculture, education, culture, tourism, environment, science, and technology.

With strong connections to leading research institutes, universities, and companies across Europe, ViLaB aims to serve as a long-term bridge, bringing advanced scientific and technological achievements back to support Vietnam’s modernization and sustainable development.

Vietnam, Belgium strengthen cooperation in education, research

As part of the ongoing State visit to Vietnam by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, a delegation of Belgian ministers, regional governors, and leaders from universities and research institutions visited the Vietnam National University (VNU) in Hanoi on April 1.

Vietnam Intellectual Association in Belgium, Luxembourg launched

The Vietnam Intellectual Association in Belgium and Luxembourg (ViLaB) made its debut in Luxembourg on March 20 with the presence of Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Nguyen Van Thao, and a large number of financial experts.