MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it is helping Vietnam to raise the technology and research levels of its higher education sector.
The regional lender said, Japan Special Fund, through ADB, will provide 1 million U.S. dollars in technical assistance to finance a feasibility study that will pave the way for an ADB loan in 2009to build two model research universities.
The project will focus on science and technology in the cities of Hanoi and Danang. The Vietnamese government will provide an additional 200,000 U.S. dollars.
The project is expected to help design a policy and regulatory framework for future research universities, in line with the government's aim of making higher education more innovative, internationally competitive, and relevant to labor market needs.
Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, with its gross domestic product expanding at an annual average of about7.5 percent over the last decade. It aims to become an industrialized country by 2020.
The project, which will run for eight months, will be designed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training, the model research universities, the private sector, and development partners, including the World Bank.
The World Bank will support two model research universities in Ho Chiminh City and Cantho.