Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Fulbright University Vietnam and Nuoc.Solutions announced today that they are a winner of a Grand Challenges grant – an initiative fostering innovation to solve pressing global health and development problems funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The two organizations will pursue an innovative AI project, titled NướcGPT: Decoding Mekong Delta Salinity.
When harnessed equitably and responsibly, AI has incredible potential to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges and reduce global inequity.
The team of AI and environmental experts from both organizations will create a chatbot “NướcGPT” (Nước means water in Vietnamese) that combines cutting-edge AI tools with a user-friendly interface in the local language to support the management of salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta. This region, home to 21.5 million Vietnamese, is suffering from increased saltwater intrusion due to multiple factors, including climate change. They will utilize Large Language Models (LLMs) using data in English and Vietnamese collected from diverse sources, including published data, local reports, peer-reviewed literature, and field studies of water-related problems. This will bridge the gap between complex scientific knowledge and practical decision-making, empowering users, such as local officials, farmers, and business owners, to make informed choices.
The team would like to express their sincere appreciation to Vietnam’s Department of Water Resources Management and Vietnam’s National Innovation Center (NIC) for their invaluable support in our application process.
About Grand Challenges
Grand Challenges stem from the idea that crowdsourcing a defined set of unsolved problems can spark innovation and accelerate progress. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its Grand Challenges funding partners use Challenges – launched in 2003 as open requests for grant proposals – to focus attention and effort on solving pressing global health and development problems for those most in need. Together they have awarded over 3,600 grants engaging a diverse pool of problem solvers in over 100 countries and fostering a global innovation ecosystem where it will have the most impact. The foundation and its Grand Challenges partners will continue to launch RFPs to support innovators from around the world in tackling the hardest, most urgent, Grand Challenges. To learn more, visit grandchallenges.org.
About Nuoc.Solutions:
Nuoc.Solutions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization born in the heart of Silicon Valley. We aim to create and foster innovative, sustainable, and efficient solutions to pressing water problems in Vietnam, from salinity intrusion to sustainable water management. With cutting-edge technology like AI and strong local partnerships, we strive to create lasting impact, covering both immediate relief and long-term sustainability.
But we cannot do it alone. You can be part of the solution. Your support, whether financial or volunteer time, accelerates our mission and magnifies our impact. Your donation can catalyze groundbreaking research. Volunteering with us offers you a chance to be on the front lines of water innovation and community betterment. Together, let’s create a future where clean, accessible water is not just a privilege for a few, but a right for all. Click here to see how you can help us make a difference.
About Fulbright University Vietnam:
Fulbright University Vietnam is Vietnam’s first independent, not-for-profit, liberal arts university. Comprising a growing global team of educational pioneers deeply connected within Vietnam and worldwide educational affiliations, we champion collaborative, transdisciplinary thought and boldness. Placing students at the core, we embrace the synergy of global integration and local immersion. Employing cutting-edge approaches in institutional design, pedagogy, technology, and more, we forge an innovative, globally significant institution. To learn more, visit https://fulbright.edu.vn/