There were the participation of members of the NORHED Project Management Board, and representatives of related units at NTU, representatives of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) - the sponsor of the Project, representatives of partners including University of Tromso - The Arctic University of Norway, University of Bergen (Norway), University of Ruhuna (Sri Lanka), and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers,
An overview of the meeting
NORHED project has been coordinated by Nha Trang University since 2014, and most of project activities have been completed up to now. The project has developed and operated a new International Master’s Program in Marine Ecosystem-based Management and Climate Change, 46 master students around the world have been trained through three cohorts. Researchers of the project have conducted research and published many important research results on climate change, marine ecosystem management, and aquaculture management. These help contribute to adding more knowledge, data for management and policy-making in related fields. The project also performs well the objectives of ensuring gender equality, supports female scientists in career development, and appreciated by the sponsor.
Within the framework of the project, five PhD students are in progress. In which, one PhD student has completed her program, four PhDs are expected to complete by mid-2021. The sandwich training model requires the PhD students more time to complete their research, at the same time the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on their research progress.
At the meeting, the PhD students presented preliminarily their research activities as well as existing issues, and proposed solutions for support. Accordingly, the PhD students wish to extend research duration and get more financial support to complete the program.
The Project Management Board also reported in detail the progress of the project to Norad. On that basis, the involved parties discussed solutions to support and resolve the remaining issues of the project. Representatives of NORAD highly appreciated the results and achievements, stated that this is one of the most successful projects of the NORHED program on the global scale. The NORAD suggested NTU to coordinate with partners to urgently review the remaining activities, propose measures and adjust the budget to support the PhD students in completing their programs.
NORHED is a Norwegian Program for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development. In the framework of this program, Nha Trang University cooperates with University of Tromso - The Arctic University of Norway, University of Bergen (Norway), University of Ruhuna (Sri Lanka) to implement a project on “Incorporating Climate Change into Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Sri Lanka and Vietnam”.
Some pictures of the annual meeting:
