VietNamNet Bridge - A project to enhance Vietnamese scientific researchers’ ability to support effective policy-making was inaugurated in Hanoi yesterday.

The US$3.5 million initiative, announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) with support from the Spanish Government, will help VASS in three key areas: research management, human development research and policy advocacy.

The three-year project will also provide researchers with opportunities to apply practical skills in the preparation of a National Human Development Report for Viet Nam in 2010, according to UNDP Viet Nam acting country director Christophe Bahuet.

"In an increasingly complex and changing world, it is important that policy formulation initiatives are grounded in sound scientific evidence and processes," said Bahuet.

He said this was even more pertinent in the case of Viet Nam which was facing new challenges as it undergoes a rapid transformation from low-income country to middle-income level by 2020.

"These new emerging challenges cannot be addressed by simply replicating past policies and practices, nor can they be resolved by replicating the approach taken by another country," said Bahuet.

"Viet Nam’s future challenges will best be addressed with solid research and analysis that offer a sound understanding of all new social and economic realities, and deep knowledge of emerging tendencies in the world economy and international politics."

Professor Do Hoai Nam, VASS president, said the project would make a significant contribution to strengthening the organisation’s capacity. This would enable it to better fulfil its responsibilities of conducting fundamental research and providing the academic foundations for Government plans, strategies and policies.