Vietnam co-designs fellowship to local needs

Having worked on an ACIAR-supported project in improving the sustainability of coffee and black pepper farming systems and value chains, Dr Phan recognises that having a combination of technical expertise and ‘soft’ skills creates the best leaders.

Dr Phan says he wants to develop his leadership capacity substantively and effectively at an international level. ‘A leader needs to foster ties and collaborate with national and international partners to achieve a desired common goal,’ says Dr Phan.

Now, as a recipient of a John Dillon Fellowship (JDF) from ACIAR, he is participating in the program in the first JDF cohort tailored to Vietnam.

‘In Vietnam, we worked with a select number of institutions to co-design the program, consult on what the program should emphasise and identify participants,’ Ms Dean adds.

Moving to country cohorts reflects the long-standing and strong relationship between Australia and Vietnam and the 29-year collaborative relationship between ACIAR and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). ACIAR alumni in Vietnam are among the most active and well organised in the ACIAR alumni network.

The new JDF creates another opportunity to trial a partnership model with Vietnam that is not research- or project-based. This is also a feature of the ACIAR-MARD partnership that allows for flexibility to work together to address a common problem or deliver a shared objective such as capacity building.

The program is running 16 weeks of professional development distance training in which the fellows design and implement collaborative projects that address a pressing challenge in research, extension, policy or management. Travel restrictions permitting, a 2-week immersive workshop and study tour in Australia is also planned for late 2022.

For the Vietnam cohort there is a special emphasis on management and leadership issues that are most relevant to the country.

‘In my capacity where I connect and lead all scientific research and international cooperation projects of the Institute, I realise the value of having a good feedback mechanism among team members,’ says Dr Phan.

‘It stimulates more collaborative discussions that help develop strong mutual respect among all members and improve communication and work efficiency. Ultimately, it helps reach our goal: improve the quality of our research proposals and project management at the Institute.’

As part of the program, the Vietnam JDF recipients formed into small groups to develop and pitch a research proposal to ACIAR. With input from ACIAR, all proposals have now been funded – testament to the success of the collaborative approach.

‘The fellows will now spend several months together on their projects,’ says Ms Dean. It will put to the test not only their research skills but also their leadership and management skills as developed through the program.