The Schaffhausen Institute of Technology (SIT) and Jacobs University Bremen (JUB) are partnering with FPT University in an effort to recruit Vietnamese students and increase technical expertise in the country, offering a large variety of opportunities for the new students.

On April 12th, both schools have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an in-person session in Hanoi, Vietnam. This MoU ensures a mutual future between the institutions, enabling them to exchange and share students, programs, information, and many other offerings and services. This partnership agreement was signed by Rector of FPT University Dr. Nguyen Khac Thanh and Dr. Serg Bell, founder of both SIT and Acronis, a global cyber protection company.

“I’m honored to be a part of this historic partnership,” said Dr. Bell. “Introducing the exchange programs in Vietnam will bring a great pool of talent for SIT and JUB, and develop more IT professionals in Vietnam.”

SIT and Jacobs University Bremen (JUB) delegates alike will be touring FPT University campuses in Vietnam and speaking before students on April 12th and 14th,, recruiting future talent, promoting the upcoming partnership and its benefits for students, as well as giving them an understanding of the various programs being offered. According to several national reports, there are currently only 10,000 IT jobs in Vietnam – in a job market that nourishes the economy while bringing better and safer technology to the general public. The demand for IT industry grows every year – according to Gartner forecasts, worldwide IT spending would grow up to $4.5 trillion in 2022.

Aiming to bridge the cybersecurity talent gap further, FPT has signed another MoU this week with Acronis, a cyber protection unicorn company with global outreach, also founded by Dr. Bell. To further grow the local talent pool, Acronis is exploring opening a local research and development (R&D) center in Vietnam by 2023. Working in close collaboration with its largest R&D centers in Bulgaria and Singapore, the local team in Vietnam would be developing cutting-edge cyber protection solutions for Acronis.
As for the partnership with SIT, not only will it enable the exchange of information and students, but it will lead to development of joint doctoral degree programs, as well as joint educational, research, and engineering projects. Through joint seminars and workshops, internships, academic meetings, it will help raise global awareness of modern educational programs.

SIT and JUB also recently announced that they will join efforts in delivering a career-oriented Master in Computer Science and Software Engineering program (MSc CSSE). This program is dedicated to fostering future leaders in technology, helping them develop specialized knowledge as well as the creative and constructive skills necessary to produce, develop, and evaluate solutions to technical challenges. To help students with covering program fees and tuition, SIT and JUB hold an annual STAR contest – an online programming competition that offers full scholarships for that they will join efforts in delivering. This year’s contest will be held on April 26th, 2022.

“We’re excited to see how this is going to play out and impact students from each university,” said Dr. Nguyen Khac Thanh. “Leaders are created on campus, and this is the perfect chance for Vietnamese students to show their potential. Technology drives innovation, there will be many more great technological breakthroughs in the coming years, so we need all the talent we can get.”