Farewell Ceremony of the Technical Cooperation Project - Phase 1 (TC1)

With the aim of supporting the implementation of "Can Tho University Improvement Project" to upgrade CTU into an excellent, internationally recognized university in agriculture, fisheries, environment and related fields, the TC Project "Building capacity for Can Tho University to be an excellent institution of education, scientific research and technology transfer" using non-refundable aid from the Japanese Government has been implemented since March 2016 to December 2021. The important components of the TC Project are the implementation of a model joint research projects conducted by researchers from CTU and Japanese partner universities, and the development of new training programs and accreditation of training programs according to international standards.

After nearly six years of implementation, the TC Project has achieved major outputs such as 4 model joint research projects were carried out; 19 students were participated in a short training course on operation and management of advanced laboratory equipment; 16 trainees were taken and completed the management courses; 172 experts participated in short-term support at CTU; 25 conferences and workshops were held with more than 5,000 participants, contributing to strengthening the cooperation network between the University - Industries - Localities; three master's programs which were developed and lectured in English include Climate Change and Sustainable Tropical Agriculture, Climate Change and Integrated Management of Coastal Aquaculture and Fisheries, and Climate Change and Delta Management, after 3 years nearly 200 students were enrolled. For the project's achievements, the active and tireless contributions of the members of the JICA-CTU Project Office were recorded. The success of the project is also a premise for the CTU Improvement Project to be implemented effectively as planned.

During the implementation of the Project, JICA experts as well as members of the JICA-CTU Project Office have contributed to strengthening cooperation between CTU with Japanese universities to develop three new master's programs related to Climate Change, to support the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of joint research programs. Since 2020, despite being affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, with the flexible coordination of the experts, many model seminars and lectures have been taken place. In particular, surveys were administrated to understand the impact of research programs under the Project on education and to establish strong research teams. The training courses are organized to share knowledge and experiences, aiming to empower the capacity of our staff to reach out and become more accessible to the global academia networks. the workshop on intellectual property rights, which is a deep concern in our university, was successfully organized. The video conference system has been invested for online seminars and conferences to be held, helping the University adapt to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TC Project is not stopping there, the TC2 was approved and SDMD 2045 Office (Sustainable Development of the Mekong Delta) was established, which is expected to be the foundation for CTU to contribute greatly to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta as well as other regions of the world. On behalf of the University's leaders, Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan, Rector of CTU, acknowledged the efforts and important contributions of JICA experts as well as members of the JICA-CTU Project Office, and affirmed that CTU will constantly make more efforts so that its lecturers, scientists and students are equipped with facilities, their capacities are strengthened to break new limits. It is wished that JICA experts would return to join the University for successfully implementing the TC2 Project, accompanying the development of CTU in the coming time.

(Can Tho University Journal of Science)