On January 13, 2025, VNU held a summary meeting for 2024 tasks and outlined the 2025 plan. The Information Technology Institute (ITI) proudly had two strong research groups recognized for their outstanding achievements in scientific research and innovation in 2024. They were honored with Certificates of Merit by the VNU President, among 18 distinguished research groups.
The first honored group is the “Smart Integrated Systems Research Group (SISLAB)” led by Prof. Tran Xuan Tu. SISLAB consists of 7 experts, 5 Ph.D. students, and over 20 students focusing on research in areas such as system-on-chip, network-on-chip, hardware architecture and platforms for IoT, AI, and cybersecurity. In 2024, SISLAB published 17 WoS/Scopus papers (over 2.43 papers per core member) and filed 4 patent applications. Their research involved effective collaboration between domestic members and international experts. The group successfully secured numerous research projects, including Horizon Europa (EU), national key projects (KC01), VNU-funded projects, and business collaborations. The group also contributed significantly to the VNU and Vietnam’s Semiconductor Chip Program and actively organized international conferences such as ICDV 2024 and ISCAS 2024.

The second honored research group is the “Smart Solutions and Platforms in AI 4.0” group, led by Assoc.Prof. Le Hoang Son. Recognized as a strong research group at VNU on April 12, 2023, it comprises 10 experts, both domestic and international. In 2024, the AI 4.0 group published 18 SCIE papers in Q1/Q2 journals, achieving a rate of more than 2 papers per core member (with international members serving as adjunct faculty). The group effectively collaborated between domestic members and 5 internationally renowned professors from top universities worldwide. Research focused on four key areas: (1) Soft Computing Foundation, (2) Knowledge-Based Systems with Big Data, (3) Integrated Machine Learning for Multimedia Intelligence, and (4) Multi-modal & Environmental AI.
These publications established a solid theoretical foundation for smart solutions and platforms in AI 4.0, leading to intelligent applications in fields like education and healthcare. Some technology products, such as behavior analysis of students in classrooms via camera data, multimedia data annotation, and activity analysis using facial expression evaluation, have already received attention for deployment. In 2024, the AI 4.0 group at the AIRC center, Institute of ITI, was tasked by VNU with preparing the “Annual AI Report for Vietnam.” This critical task will guide research and innovation activities at VNU for 2025-2030.

During this event, Assoc. Prof. Le Hoang Son was honored by VNU as an outstanding scientist with global influence for six consecutive years from 2019 to 2024. This recognition reflects his persistent efforts in scientific research and technology development at the Information Technology Institute. His achievements highlight the Institute’s core research pillars: (1) Applied Artificial Intelligence, (2) Microchip Design and Applications, and (3) Information System Security.
