UEH College of Technology and Design – Member of the Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University

UEH College Of Technology And Design (CTD) is a member of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) with the mission of providing high-quality human resources, meeting the requirements of the international labor market in technology, design and innovation, promoting research results transferred from universities to serve the community and sustainable development and inspiring art and action thinking for learners and the community. After two years of operation, CTD has gained impressive achievements, contributing to the overall development of the UEH Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University strategy.

UEH College Of Technology And Design (CTD) is a member of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) with the mission of providing high-quality human resources, meeting the requirements of the international labor market in technology, design and innovation, promoting research results transferred from universities to serve the community and sustainable development and inspiring art and action thinking for learners and the community. After two years of operation, CTD has gained impressive achievements, contributing to the overall development of the UEH Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University strategy.

Training activities with multidisciplinary orientation and technology integration

UEH College of Technology and Design focuses on developing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs incorporating many fields of research and application, integrating math, technology, smart management, innovation and artistic inspiration into training and research programs. CTD focuses on developing undergraduate and postgraduate programs (Masters and PhD) according to international standards awarded by UEH and international partner universities with a training scale of more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students. These programs are open and highly interconnected with UEH member colleges and with universities around the world. To date, CTD has 22 integrated multi-disciplinary undergraduate programs exploiting and applying new technologies in artificial intelligence, data science, robot interaction, blockchain technology, and big data in the fields of economics and administration. In addition to traditional programs (Business Statistics, Financial Mathematics, Risk Analysis and Actuarial Insurance, Management Information Systems, Software Engineering, E-commerce), CTD has successfully built and recruited new programs including Digital Communication and Multimedia Design, Technology and Innovation, Architecture and Smart Urban Design, Data Science, Robotics and Intelligence Artificial Intelligence, Financial Technology, Logistics Technology, Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Security, etc. that anticipate training trends and domestic and international labor needs in the fields of science, technology and digital economy.

Since 2023, CTD has reached cooperations in dual undergraduate degree programs in Robotics and AI with Kangwoon University (Korea) and Digital Communication and Design with Dongseo University (Korea). In addition, other academic activities, research, combined teaching, and capacity building listed as lecturer-student exchange and doctoral programs for lecturers in the fields of Media Design, Smart City, AI – Robotics, government, big data, and Korean study are also planned for implementation.

In order to develop CTD’s learners’ capacity and thinking, teaching and learning activities with the participation of international lecturers and students in exchange, for dual degree joint programs as the Master of Smart and Innovative Urban Management, students can study at prestigious universities around the world as follows: Hasselt University (Belgium), Handong Global University (Korea). Learners are empowered to become global citizens through regular international competitions that attract domestic and international students: Reimagining Cities Towards Carbon Neutrality (2023), Smart City + (2022), UEH BizTech Hackathon (2022, 2023), or summer exchange semesters with international students from Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Belgium, Japan.

With strengths in technology application and design, CTD students are involved in the project-based learning model and gain practical working experience in 09 laboratories/practice rooms in the Eco-Studio Lab system equipped with modern machines and learning tools as VR glasses, 3D printers, material design kits, robots, specialized design computers, and design tools. Students can develop their basic skills in the working environment (problem-solving skills, teamwork and communication skills) and have the opportunity to learn about working cultures and specific competencies according to each profession.

Exhibition of K48 projects of the Institute of Smart Cities and Management

With the goal of encouraging life-long learning, the Academy of Technology and Design (ATD) has developed diverse programs and intensive short-term courses for students and professionals to equip them with additional knowledge and working tools to meet the needs of businesses. The number of classes has made remarkable progress and the quality of training has been improved. Some outstanding programs include Data Query with Power Query and SQL, Data Visualization with Power BI, Data Analysis with Python programming language, Enterprise digital transformation, Motion Graphic, Application of design thinking in enterprise product development, etc.

“Accelerate Your Career in Digital Era” Workshop series – Academy of Technology and Design

Significant advances in research and science and technology transfer 

In recent years, CTD has always strived to maintain academic research activities, which have been the strengths of the School of Mathematics – Statistics, School of Business Information Technology and Institute of Applied Mathematics. Research activities of students are also a concern and have remarkable achievements. More than 50 research works by lecturers and researchers of the School of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Business Information Technology and Institute of Applied Mathematics have been published in ISI/Scopus journals (Q1, Q2, Q3) with a significant number of citations. Besides, research activities are spread to students, and high achievements are also gained in annual competitions organized by UEH for students’ research activities such as the “Young Economist Award” with 9 topics winning A prize, 25 topics winning B prize, 30 topics winning C prize. Excellent and quality projects of CTD students were also nominated to present at City-level research awards and at the ministerial and national levels listed as the “Eureka Research Student” award from the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union and National University Ho Chi Minh City, the Research Student Award from the Ministry of Education and Training and the “Econometrics and Applied Economics Olympic” award organized by the Central Vietnam Student Association.

CTD’s community of scholars, researchers, and experts has grown stronger through scientific events, international conferences, and a series of international events held in the past two years. CTD welcomed nearly 50 educational organizations, universities and international experts coming to work, exchange academically, teach and research at the school. Some activities have become trademarks of UEH College of Technology and Design such as RTD – Resilience by Technology and Design; ArtTech Fusion series; Bayesian Statistics and Computation Summer School; Smart Urban Intervention – Smart City Living Lab. Furthẻ details are listed as follows:

– The series of “National Innovation Startup Festival” and “HCMC Innovation Startup Week” (TECHFEST – WHISE 2021) were organized in November 2021 by CTD in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology Technology, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology to introduce and spread CTD’s brand, image and science – technology activities to a large number of startup communities, science and technology organizations in the country.

– The 4th national conference on “Modern Math – Statistics Tools: Theory and Application” chaired by the School of Mathematics – Statistics in collaboration with the National Economics University, University of Economics – The University of Danang, Quy Nhon University (November 2022) with the participation of 137 researchers, academicians, fellows and students. 18 reviewed and accepted articles were published in the proceedings of the conference with an ISBN number.

– The national conference on “Data Analytics and Innovation” hosted by the School of Business Information Technology in collaboration with the Institute of Innovation, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Institute of Smart City and Management and Universities across the country (December 2022) attracted the participation of more than 100 interested researchers, lecturers, fellows and students.

– The national conference on “Bayesian Statistics and Computation” organized by CTD, School of Mathematics and Statistics in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Research in Mathematics with the participation of 08 domestic and foreign speakers, along with the participation of 150 interested researchers, lecturers, and students (July 2023).

– The Ready for Next 2022 series includes 04 international conferences and exhibitions and art activities taking place from December 4 to 11, 2022, with the co-organization participation of 10 universities and international organizations, 01 Vietnamese university and the People’s Committee of Vung Tau, Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province.

Ready for Next 2022 

– International conference ICSEVEN 2023 (April 12-16, 2023) in Hyogy, Japan was co-organized by CTD, COB in collaboration with the Taiwan Association for Academic Innovation (TAAI). The conference had the participation of more than 120 scientists and researchers from 8 countries; more than 200 research manuscripts were registered; and 104 articles were published with companionship and sponsorship from 11 journals in the SCIE, Scopus and major publishers.

– The international conference on South East Asian Urbanisms to address Global Warming (SEAUS) on May 29 – 30, 2023, coordinated by ISCM and University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City and KU Leuven University (Belgium) with more than 150 attendees and more than 20 articles accepted for publication in the journals.

– Smart City Development Seminar on August 14, 2023 with the participation of professors, experts on Smart Cities, Traffic Planning, Urban Planning and doctoral students, as well as students from Seoul University (Korea), University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City and Hasselt University (Belgium).

– Artificial Intelligence for Vietnam 2023 (AI4VN) was directed by the Ministry of Science and Technology and coordinated by VnExpress Newspaper on September 21 and 22, 2023. CTD brought to the festival 03 meaningful technology products including Piano Robot Project (from the Institute of Intelligent and Interactive Technology); Virtual reality technology simulating the experience of traffic situations R2S VR Cycling (from the Institute of Smart Cities and Management) and the GrandAR Piano augmented reality project (from the Institute of Innovation) that attracted the attention of a lot of attendees.

– The Annual international art exhibition, conference, and art series integrating art and technology – ArtTech Fusion 2023 took place from October 13 to 15, 2023 with the theme “Inspiration for People to Act on Sustainability” attracted the participation of 07 international universities in the Asia-Europe region and more than 2,000 scientists, experts, visual artists, domestic and international students. This event inspired sustainable action for the environment, education, and society through the intersection of art and technology.

– The series “Accelerate Your Career in the Digital Era” organized weekly by the Academy of Technology and Design (ATD) helped students and employees open up the ability to self-study, evoking the passion for equipping themself with knowledge related to technology and digital transformation and helping to accelerate their career.

Efforts to transfer knowledge and science and technology to the community

CTD’s team of lecturers and researchers always proactively seek opportunities to cooperate in research and consulting according to business orders and social problems such as research projects, construction proposals for a Living Lab model in a highly interactive creative urban area in the East of the city (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science & Technology), GrandAR Piano for Kids (AEON Shopping Center Tan Phu District), designing programs and teaching according to orders from localities and businesses, FinTechNovation Credentials program (UOB Bank).

With the motto of “Think Global, Act Local”, CTD’s science and technology activities received the participation not only of UEH lecturers, researchers, and representatives of local Departments/Agencies but also international experts and organizations to together come up with new international solutions that can be applied in Vietnam. A typical example is the series of educational seminars: Smart Urban Intervention – Smart City Living Lab (SCLL) organized by the Institute of Smart City and Management in collaboration with Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University (China), Sungkyunkwan University (Korea). The conference had the participation of professors and experts from units, agencies, departments, universities, research institutes and organizations in Vietnam, Korea, and China. Throughout the program, difficulties in the process of improving the intelligence index of an urban area wre shared and analyzed, as well as solutions proposed by experts directly involved in smart urban projects in Seoul (South Korea). In addition, the speakers also mentioned opportunities for urban improvement in Vietnam, and especially mentioned the Living Lab model – a new project model with the goal of promoting ideas to improve and develop a sustainable urban area in the face of unforeseen difficulties in the future.

Educational seminar series: Smart Urban Intervention – Smart City Living Lab

Launched in 2022, ArtTech Hub has achieved some positive progress, marking the beginning of the journey of incorporating art and technology at UEH, thereby, inspiring for sustainable development, combining art and technology to solve the problems of modern society and comprehensively improving the quality of life. Regarding research, ArtTech Hub has supported interdisciplinary research by connecting with researchers around the world, and is implementing many research projects related to ArtTech such as VR/AR, Virtual Human, Visual Art, Interactive Art, Digital Art, Metaverse, and Sustainable Material. ArtTech Hub also organized the first short-term technology course on “Application of virtual reality and augmented virtual reality in design” (August 1 – 30, 2023 ) in Rome, Italy within the framework of cooperation between ArtTech Hub and Pantheon Institute of Technology and Design, organized a short course on Technology Application in Creativity with Holography with the instruction of experienced experts from Kangwoon University (Korea). ArtTech Hub coordinated with UEH Units to organize multidisciplinary courses such as Motion Graphic and Fashion Stylish to equip students and the creative community with in-depth knowledge and skills about ArtTech. Currently, ArtTech Hub has established links with 20 universities worldwide with training programs related to ArtTech, 30 domestic and international organizations and businesses, and many leading artist experts in the field.

Training class on Applying technology in creativity with Holography

Hologram exhibition at Art Tech Fusion 2023

With the contribution of UEH College of Technology and Design, UEH’s innovation startup ecosystem has developed comprehensively in terms of the quality and quantity of startup communities, with 02 incubators in Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh Long. As of June 2023, the Institute of Innovation has incubated around 100 startup projects, including 19 company establishment projects with more than 7,600 participants and a total venture value of 350,000 USD. UEH was voted as the Top 10 Universities with the best innovative startup incubation programs in Asia. The Institute of Innovation carries out consulting and support activities for student startups through sharing and training sessions with high schools and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, and students from Partner schools listed as Singapore Management University. It also coordinates and implements an innovation program for 50 students who are businesses, managers, innovative start-ups, young people, and interested students in Hau Giang province.

UEH BizTech Hackathon 2023

In 2023, CTD coordinated with local Departments and Agencies in Vinh Long and Khanh Hoa to organize training courses for teachers, and middle and high school students in these provinces on classes using STEM to advance teaching and learning within the framework of the UEH Global 2023 project. The program attracted the participation of 164 students and teachers in Vinh Long province, and the participation of 136 teachers and students in the Khanh Hoa province.

Final of the UEH Robot Dancing Contest and Closing of the STEM Learning Program in Vinh Long

Ready for the Multidisciplinary and Sustainable UEH University journey

The recent achievements will be the foundation for UEH College of Technology and Design to develop the strategy “Transforming for Sustainability” according to 5 pillars: Training, Research, International Cooperation, Social Influence Strategy and Operations Management. By 2030, CTD will become a leading educational, research and consulting institution on design and technology application in planning, management and administration in Vietnam and has a reputation in the Southeast Asia region. In particular, it will focus on building a sustainable learning and research environment “Research for All”. Components of the research ecosystem include lecturers, researchers, research fellows, graduate students and students participating in research, consulting and transferring science and technology in the CTD’s Eco-Studio Lab system. At the same time, the College will coordinate with scientists and experts from universities, companies, and technology enterprises domestically and abroad to spread knowledge, inspire creativity, and transfer research, technology solutions and innovation, to increase flexibility and adaptability, towards a smart life and a sustainable community.

On the journey of more than 47 years, UEH has created many milestones of achievements. Now, with a new position and stature – the Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University needs greater determination and efforts from the entire UEHer, with the important role of UEH Member Colleges, to jointly realize the mission of contributing to human knowledge and the country’s socio-economic development./.

News and photos: UEH College of Technology and Design