I. Introduction

At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Vietnam pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Failure to address environmental pollution and climate change could result in economic losses equivalent to 12–14.5% of Vietnam’s GDP annually (World Bank). Consequently, fostering environmental stewardship through adaptation, emissions reduction, and sustainability is imperative for Vietnam’s sustainable development strategy. 

The Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI) addresses these critical challenges through interdisciplinary research integrating environmental sciences, computer sciences, economics, and green technologies. CEI’s core research priorities include: 

1. Environmental Monitoring 
2. Living Labs: Smart Cities, Energy Efficiency, and Green Technologies
3. Digital Materials Science and Design 

Priority Research Areas for Flagship Projects (Grassroots projects are open to broader topics): 

• Green computing and energy-efficient technologies
• Artificial intelligence for pollution control and disaster response
• Precision agriculture with community-centric solutions
• Smart cities, energy efficiency, and green technologies

CEI strongly encourages the formation of multidisciplinary research teams, preferably mentored by distinguished professors or internationally renowned scientists. Researchers may consult the list of eminent professors affiliated with VinUniversity, provided below, as potential advisors or collaborators. 

CEI invites VinUniversity faculty to submit proposals under the following categories: 

• Flagship Projects: Up to $350,000 per project 

• Grassroots Projects: Up to $20,000 per project 

The submitted proposals should align with CEI’s thematic priorities and will undergo rigorous review and oversight by CEI leadership. 

II. Proposal Guidelines

• Template: Use the designated proposal template (Template_VinUni-Research-Proposal-CEI). 

• Length: Proposals should not exceed 10 pages, including references. Clarity and conciseness are strongly encouraged. 

• Collaboration: Interdisciplinary collaboration across colleges is highly encouraged to maximize research impact. 

• Flagship Requirements: Proposals must include participation from at least one internationally renowned scientist affiliated with a Top 100 QS-ranked university, who is committed to a minimum of one month of research residency at VinUniversity. 

• Team Information: Include comprehensive public profiles for all team members (e.g., Google Scholar, ORCID). 

• Research Scope: Proposals must address critical and unmet environmental challenges, offering pragmatic and scalable solutions. 

• Expected Deliverables: Clearly define anticipated outcomes, such as patents, technology transfers, high-impact publications, and external funding opportunities. 

• Submission Limits: Faculty may submit multiple Grassroots proposals or one Flagship proposal, provided all commitments and deliverables are met. 

• Compliance: Only complete and fully compliant applications will be considered for review. 

III. Review Criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated on the following dimensions: 

• Innovation: Originality, creativity, and intellectual property potential of the proposed solutions. 

• Impact: Alignment with national and global priorities to mitigate environmental and climate challenges. 

• Funding Potential: Feasibility of securing external funding and achieving substantial outcomes. 

• Scholarly Contributions: Potential for high-impact publications, patents, and policy briefs. 

• Collaboration: Strength and depth of academic, corporate, and international partnerships. 

IV. Funding and Budget Oversight

• Presentation: All proposals will be reviewed by the CEI director and selection committee. 

• Budgeting: Proposals must include a detailed and justified budget, proportionate to the proposed outcomes, covering personnel, materials, equipment, and travel expenses. 

• Project Timeline: Projects may extend up to 36 months for Flagship proposals and up to 24 months for Grassroots initiatives. 

• Reporting: Awardees must provide regular progress reports to CEI management, adhering to the terms of the grant agreement. 

V. Submission and Contact Information

Submission Deadline: Submit a single PDF file no later than March 14, 2025, to cei@vinuni.edu.vn with the subject line “CEI Flagship Proposal” or “CEI Grassroots Proposal.” 

Inquiries: For questions, please contact CEI Office at cei@vinuni.edu.vn. 

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List of distinguished professors currently affiliated with VinUniversity who may serve as advisors or collaborators: 

#	Distinguished Professors	Organization	Expertise	Links
1	Prof. Konstantin S. Novoselov​	Nobel Laureate in Physics, University of Manchester​ and NUS, VFP PC	Graphene and 2D materials, nanotechnology, condensed matter physics	Profile
2	Prof. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen ​	University of California, Santa Barbara​, VFP PSC	Organic semiconductors, solar cells, conducting polymers	Profile
3	Prof. David Reibstein ​	University of Pennsylvania​	Marketing strategies, competitive analysis, brand management	Profile
4	Prof. Ozan Tonguz​	Carnegie Mellon University​	Wireless networks, vehicular communication systems, optical communications	Profile
5	Prof. Omar M. Yaghi​	UC Berkeley,​ VinFuture Prize Laureate ​	Reticular chemistry, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs)	Profile
6	Prof. Helen Nguyen​	University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign​	Environmental engineering, water quality, pathogen transport in water systems	Profile
7	Prof. Nitesh V. Chawla​	University of Notre Dame​	Data science, machine learning, network science, healthcare analytics	Profile
8	Prof. Khalid M. Mosalam​	University of California, Berkeley​	Structural engineering, earthquake engineering, structural health monitoring	Profile
9	Prof. Stephen P. Boyd	Stanford University	Convex optimization, control theory, signal processing, machine learning	Profile
10	Prof. Ronald S. Fearing	University of California, Berkeley	Robotics, bio-inspired engineering, micro-robotics, tactile sensing	Profile
11	Prof. Sheri Weiser	University of California, San Francisco	Public health, social determinants of health, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS	Profile
12	Prof. Arianne Teherani	University of California, San Francisco	Medical education, curriculum development, educational assessment	Profile
13	Prof. Murat Arcak	University of California, Berkeley​	Nonlinear systems, control theory, networked control systems, biological systems modeling	Profile
14	Prof. Shanjun Li	Cornell University	Environmental economics, energy economics, transportation economics	Profile
15	Prof. Mônica Alonso Cotta	University of Campinas, Brazil	Semiconductor nanomaterials, from synthesis to biosensor fabrication, and applications of optical, electronic and scanning microscopy in the investigation of biomaterials and biological systems	Profile
16	Prof. Ermias Kebreab	UCDavis	Sustainable agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, energy and nutrient utilization/requirement models in cattle, swine and poultry	Profile
17	Prof. Xuedong Huang	Zoom Video Communications	Speech Recognition, Machine translation, Natural Language Processing, AI, Computer Vision, Software Development	Profile
18	Prof. Jennifer Tour Chayes	University of California, Berkeley	Machine learning, including applications in cancer immunotherapy, ethical decision-making, and climate change	Profile
19	Prof. Daniel M. Kammen	University of California, Berkeley	Public policy, nuclear engineering, energy, resources, risk analysis as applied to global warming, methodological studies of forecasting, hazard assessment, renewable energy technologies, environmental resource management	Profile
20	Prof. Sir Konstantin Novoselov FRS	University of Manchester and National University of Singapore	Condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics and nanotechnology	Profile
21	Professor Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS	National University of Singapore	Optoelectronics, Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes, Thin-Film Field-Effect Transistors, Time-resolved optical spectroscopy, Perovskite solar cell, Photovoltaics	Profile