Concordia University in Montreal is known for its innovative research in sustainability, energy efficiency, and smart technologies. With the support of the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), Concordia is now forming impactful partnerships in Vietnam, driving clean technology initiatives on both sides of the Pacific.
Building a greener future together: Concordia University and Vietnam join forces on cleantech innovation
Sowing environmental impact through seed funding
Since 2023, Concordia has been fostering strategic ties with key Vietnamese institutions working on cleantech. At the centre of this effort is a growing research network focused on solar energy and net-zero buildings. Concordia’s Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies is working closely with the Department of Heat and Refrigeration Engineering at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMCUT) and the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) to develop next-generation solutions for sustainable infrastructure.
The project received support from the Concordia-Vietnam Seed Grant for Collaborations in Sustainability, which was launched to help develop the international partnership focused on addressing global sustainability challenges through research.
How the TCS helped grow results
The TCS team in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for this successful partnership. Trade Commissioners Tu Nguyen, leading on education, and Ngan Hoang, leading on cleantech, provided Concordia with valuable market insights that identified Vietnam as a promising partner for cleantech research. The team also connected Concordia with leading Vietnamese research institutions and partners, including a professor at HCMCUT.
The partnership is already producing tangible results:
- Formal agreements signed with HCMCUT and HUST
- Joint research launched on solar and net-zero building technologies
- Seed funding secured to support early-stage projects with high-impact potential
- Reciprocal visits between Canada and Vietnam to strengthen ties and develop future research plans
- Over 75 researchers engaged, including over 25 emerging scholars
- Projects aligned with urgent global challenges, including:
- sustainable water resilience
- climate-resilient infrastructure
- advanced compostable materials
- reducing carbon emissions from organic waste
A word from Concordia University
"Concordia University is excited about its relations with Vietnam. What began as seed funding to support individual research collaborations has flourished into a network of institutional partnerships, paving the way for larger academic and industrial initiatives between Vietnam and Canada."