Academy of Public Administration and Governance promotes cooperation with the University of the Philippines

Attending the working session, on the side of UP-NCPAG, were Dr. Kristoffer B. Berse, Dean; Dr. Alder Delloro, Head of Bilateral and International Cooperation; Prof. Zita Calugay, expert; Ms. Edith Miranda, program officer; and Prof. Dr. Cristina Salvosa, President of the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP), who also attended to discuss connecting the Academy with the network of public administration training institutions in the Philippines.

On the side of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, participants included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, President of the Academy; Ms. Pham Thi Quynh Hoa (MSc), Acting Director of the Scientific Management and International Cooperation Department; Dr. Le Van Hoa, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Administrative Science; Ms. Le Thi Tuyet (MSc), Vice Director of the Scientific Management and International Cooperation Department; along with specialists from the department.

Operationalizing signed agreements

The working session was organized to operationalize the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Academy of Public Administration and Governance and the University of the Philippines on June 1, 2026, in the Philippines. Under the MoU, both sides agreed to cooperate in the fields of public governance; local governance, decentralization, and delegation of power; research and international publication; human resource training and development; policy advisory and critique; cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA); and academic exchange.

Building on the signed contents, both sides focused on discussing priority activities for immediate implementation, primarily joint research; exchange of faculty, researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates; co-organization of executive training programs, conferences, and specialized seminars; and sharing experience in scientific research and publication. In research cooperation, both sides expressed mutual interest in emerging public governance issues in Vietnam and the Philippines, such as local governance, decentralization, delegation of power, administrative reform, development governance, and public sector innovation, thereby enabling comparative studies between the two countries and within the ASEAN region.

One key direction discussed during the meeting was establishing joint research groups comprising faculty and scientists from APAG and UP-NCPAG to select research topics, conduct studies, organize thematic seminars, and aim for joint publications. Rather than remaining limited to academic exchanges, this approach allows faculty and researchers from both sides to work directly together and produce concrete research outputs.

In education and training, both sides discussed the possibility of exchanging faculty and experts and co-organizing short-term programs in areas of mutual strength. Details regarding content, target participants, formats, and resource allocation will continue to be negotiated by focal departments to select suitable and feasible programs. Both sides also exchanged views on sharing experiences in academic journal development, elevating research quality, and enhancing international publication, including expertise in editing, peer review, and connecting scholar networks.

Expanding connections with Philippine Public Administration Training Institutions

A notable topic of the working session was the potential establishment of a cooperative relationship between the Academy and the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP). With the participation of Prof. Dr. Cristina Salvosa, President of ASPAP, the parties held preliminary discussions on connecting the Academy with the member training and research institutions of the Association.

Through ASPAP, the Academy can expand exchanges of faculty and researchers, co-organize academic activities, share training experiences, and connect with suitable partners for joint studies in public administration and governance. Therefore, the relationship with ASPAP can complement the direct cooperation between APAG and UP-NCPAG while broadening the Academy's partner network in the Philippines.

Cooperation within the Framework of EROPA

Cooperation within the EROPA framework continues to be an area of mutual interest and represents one of the domains identified in the MoU. Both sides discussed possibilities for joint research, training, conference organization, and expert networking through the EROPA network, particularly regarding comparative studies and academic exchanges on public governance in the region.

Both APAG and UP-NCPAG have a history of active participation in EROPA activities; Dr. Kristoffer B. Berse, Dean of UP-NCPAG, currently serves concurrently as the Deputy Secretary-General of EROPA. This provides a favorable foundation for aligning direct cooperation activities between the two institutions with EROPA's programs and expert networks.

Concluding the session, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien highly appreciated the proposals from UP-NCPAG and Philippine partners, requesting focal units of both sides to maintain communication, select key activities for early implementation, and develop concrete plans detailing content, timelines, and implementation leads.

The working session on August 24, 2026, marks a subsequent step in operationalizing the MoU signed between the Academy of Public Administration and Governance and the University of the Philippines, translating agreed cooperative domains into actionable, real-world activities. In the immediate term, both sides will prioritize joint research, faculty and researcher exchanges, joint education and executive training, enhancing research and publication capacities, and leveraging the EROPA and ASPAP networks to expand regional professional cooperation.