I. Introduction

The Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI) is proud to announce the launch of its ENVISION Grant Program. ENVISION stands for ” “ENVironmental Innovation for Sustainability and Intelligent solutiONs”, reflecting our commitment to fostering innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable development.

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) saw Vietnam make a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, without immediate action, Vietnam is projected to lose approximately 12 to 14.5 percent of its GDP annually, according to the World Bank, due to the impacts of environmental pollution and climate change. Environmental stewardship — encompassing adaptation to climate changes, mitigation of emissions, and fostering a sustainable culture — is quickly becoming a key prerequisite for Vietnam’s growth strategy.

Acknowledging the urgent need of this new era to be both technologically creative and environmentally responsible, the Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI) focuses on understanding and addressing environmental and sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary approaches. These approaches integrate insights from fields such as environmental sciences, computer sciences, economics, and green technology. CEI strives to drive transformative solutions for a sustainable future and facilitate connections among experts from around the world to collectively solve sustainable development issues on a global scale.

The Center focuses its resources on three main pillars: (i) Environmental Monitoring; (ii) Sustainable Urban Development; and (iii) Smart Energy Systems.

II. Funding Opportunities

ENVISION Grants: Up to USD 300,000 per project, supporting larger-scale, high-impact interdisciplinary research initiatives.

III. Eligibility

All full-time faculty members at VinUniversity are eligible to apply. In cases where there is insufficient funding available to support all high-scoring proposals, priority may be given to funding proposals submitted by early career, research-active faculty members.

Mandatory requirements

• Include 01 full-time postdoctoral researcher.
• Involve at least one distinguished professor from CEI Advisory Board or a VinUniversity partner institution (e.g., a QS Top 100 university, or a President’s Chair Professor, Provost’s Chair Professor, or equivalent) serving as an Advisor or Co-PI.

Priority consideration

• Projects that provide training opportunities for at least one VinUniversity PhD student and one VinUniversity Master’s student will be given priority.

Encouraged

• Collaborate with at least one research faculty member from a Vietnamese university that has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with VinUniversity (e.g., VNU, HUST).

IV. Application Process

• Prepare Your Proposal: Develop a proposal that includes:
  • Project title and team members
  • Executive summary (1 page)
  • Project description (up to 5 pages)
  • Budget and justification
  • Timeline and milestones
  • Expected outcomes and impact
• Submit via Email: Send your complete proposal as a single PDF attachment to cei@vinuni.edu.vn. Use the subject line “CEI ENVISION Grant Proposal – [Your Name]”.
• Template: Template_VinUni-Research-Proposal-CEI

Important note: Provide a detailed budget breakdown appropriate to the funding category.

V. Application Review Process

Each proposal will undergo a comprehensive review process, which includes:

• Evaluation by the CEI Scientific Board
• Financial review

VI. Timeframe

Research projects are expected to be completed within 2 years. Extensions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

VII. Reporting

• Progress reports are required every 6 months.
• A final comprehensive report is due at the project’s conclusion.
• Research teams will present outcomes in a workshop, symposium, or conference.

VIII. Submission and Contact Information

For any questions about the application process or the CEI ENVISION Grant Program, please contact: 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	Stanford University	Environmental economics, Energy economics, Transportation economics	Profile
15	Prof. Mônica Alonso Cotta	University of Campinas, Brazil	Nanomaterials, Semiconductor nanowires, Bacterial biofilms‬, Biomaterials‬	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	Johns Hopkins University	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 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
21	Prof. Alexandre Bayen	University of California, Berkeley	Control and Optimization Modeling, Large-scale infrastructure systems, Automation of transportation	Profile
22	Prof. Rajib Shaw	Keio University	Disaster governance, Community-based disaster risk management, Climate change adaptation, Urban risk management, Disaster and environmental education	Profile
23	Prof. Yinyu Ye	Stanford University	Linear and Mathematical Programming, Optimization Algorithm Design and Analysis, Operations Research Models and their Applications, Computational Complexity and Algorithmic Game Theory	Profile
24	Prof. Marina Freitag	Newcastle University	Chemistry, Solar Cells, Coordination Complexes	Profile
25	Prof. Francis Bach	INRIA	Machine Learning, Optimization, Graphical models, Sparse methods, Kernel-based learning, Large-scale convex optimization, Computer vision and signal processing	Profile
26	Prof. Yong P. Chen	Purdue University	Quantum materials and quantum devices, Quantum transport and quantum photonics, Scanning probe microscopy, Topological materials and topological physics, Magnetism, spintronics, and superconductivity	Profile
27	Prof. Bin Yu	University of California, Berkeley	Veridical data science (PCS), Trustworthy AI, Interpretability, Deep learning theory, Tree-based methods, Interdisciplinary research in medical AI, Computational biology and genomics, Neuroscience	Profile
28	Prof. Michael I. Jordan	University of California, Berkeley	Computer science, Artificial intelligence, Computational biology, Statistics, Machine learning, Electrical engineering, Applied statistics, Optimization	Profile
29	Prof. Jintao Xu	Peking University	Comparative studies of forest management system in developed and developing countries, Transportation Management Policy, Economics of Climate Policy and International Negotiation, Water Rights and Water Pricing Reform in China, Household Survey and Household Behavior Analysis	Profile