Vietnamese university-developed Covid-19 initiatives receive sponsorship

They are among 92 projects from 87 institutions in 44 countries to be financed with a total one million euros from the agency.

Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City’s initiative allows laboratories to develop affordable Covid-19 test kits that swiftly produce accurate diagnosis results on the basis of recombinant protein technology.

This project was implemented in collaboration between Vietnam National University - HCMC and another biotechnology-specialized business.

With the idea of manufacturing a robot serving infected patients in quarantine areas, the University of Da Nang in central Vietnam is also developing medical equipment to help reduce the possibility of cross infection between patients and healthcare staff.

Hanoi Technology University is working with Bach Mai Hospital, formerly the country's largest Covid-19 hotspot, to develop a negative pressure isolation stretcher that will help medics avoid infection while transporting infected patients.

HCMC's Architecture University is developing a Foldable Aerosol Box variation to help prevent viral infection from aerosol droplets.

The four projects were selected out of 2,000 entries from 79 countries and territories within the international fund framework, designed by AUF, a multilateral institution that supports cooperation and solidarity between Francophone university institutions and promotes the development of higher education and research, used for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The goal of this fund is to accelerate the contributions of tertiary educational institutions to developing possible measures serviceable for the overall healthcare system and citizens in overcoming difficulties caused by the novel coronavirus.

Vietnam entered day 44 without community transmission of Covid-19 Saturday. It has reported 328 infections without any deaths. The number of active cases is currently 49.