The VinUni-Illinois Smart Health Center (VISHC) is pleased to share that Dr. Thai Mai Thanh, Principal Investigator at VISHC and faculty member of the College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) at VinUniversity, is leading a newly funded international research project titled “VietFruitRise: Smart Pollination Management to Improve Fruit Production in Vietnam.”
Dr. Thai Mai Thanh, Principal Investigator at VISHC and faculty member of the College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) at VinUniversity, leads the VietFruitRise project funded under Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants Round 5.
Under this project, VinUniversity serves as the Vietnamese Lead Entity and co-leads implementation with Dr. T. Thang Vo-Doan from The University of Queensland, the Australian Lead Entity. With total funding of AUD 544,240 and an implementation period of 19 months beginning in April 2026, VietFruitRise will develop AI-powered digital tools and advanced sensing technologies to improve pollination efficiency in durian and mango orchards across the Mekong Delta.
Illustration of the VietFruitRise project’s smart pollination management approach, integrating AI-powered insect monitoring, advanced sensing, predictive analytics, and a digital advisory platform to support fruit production in Vietnam.
By addressing agricultural challenges intensified by climate change, the project aims to improve fruit yield, quality, and resilience, particularly for smallholder farmers and local communities. The research will deploy integrated monitoring systems, develop predictive analytics, and deliver a bilingual digital advisory platform for farmers and agricultural stakeholders. The project also adopts a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) approach to help ensure accessibility and inclusive impact throughout implementation.
The project has been awarded support under the Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants Round 5, a program that supports high-impact collaborations between Vietnamese and Australian institutions. The initiative is part of a 10-year program (2018 – 2028) funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), co-funded and managed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and delivered in strategic partnership with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
This achievement marks the first time VinUniversity has secured funding from an Australian Government agency. To be managed under the VinUni Center for Environmental Intelligence (CEI), the project reflects growing international recognition of VinUniversity’s research capabilities and highlights the value of interdisciplinary and cross-border collaboration in addressing real-world challenges through innovation.
For VISHC, this milestone is also closely connected to the Center’s broader research mission. The project builds on a research direction advanced through VISHC, where Dr. Thai Mai Thanh has served as Principal Investigator, and demonstrates how research originating within the Center can evolve into impactful initiatives with broader applications and societal benefits.
👉 For more information, please visit: https://research.csiro.au/aus4innovation/
