Ho Chi Minh City, September 29, 2025 – AstraZeneca Vietnam officially announced the winning teams of Project iDEA 2025, an initiative dedicated to nurturing young talent. The competition attracted more than 300 students from leading universities across the country, including both medical and non-medical students, reflecting the strong interest of the younger generation in addressing rare and underserved diseases in Vietnam.
The iDEA Project (Innovation, Development, and Empowerment in Asia) is an AstraZeneca initiative across the Asia region, implemented in seven countries including India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The project aims to create equal opportunities for learning and development for students entering the pharmaceutical and public healthcare sectors. The iDEA 2025 project, themed “Tackling the Challenges of Rare Diseases,” addresses a specialized medical field with significant challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and awareness-raising in Vietnam. Competing teams were required to develop comprehensive plans to enhance community education on rare diseases, focusing on three key pillars: (1) Building patient support networks, (2) Advancing scientific and systemic interventions, and (3) Implementing diverse advocacy and outreach campaigns.
After three months of implementation with over 300 student submissions, six talented teams advanced to the national finals held at AstraZeneca Vietnam in late August 2025. Through innovative approaches and creative problem-solving backed by rigorous research, the top three teams were HPLC, Senium, and Raredi. Among them, Team HPLC, comprising four students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Hanoi Medical University, emerged as Vietnam’s national champion.
The winning teams will receive internship opportunities at AstraZeneca Vietnam, mentored by senior leaders. Notably, the first-place team will have the opportunity to participate in the Asia Regional Finals in September 2025.
The winning team, HPC, shared that they were initially overwhelmed as this was an entirely novel subject. However, as they delved deeper into their analysis, they recognized something extremely important: despite being “rare diseases,” the need to “raise community awareness” becomes even more critical to ensure patients receive greater attention and access to advanced treatment methods.
“The challenge became increasingly difficult as creativity had to be brought to the forefront. Countless ideas were developed and discarded because they seemed to follow familiar patterns. Connecting awareness-raising strategies with creative and impactful execution felt like a daunting puzzle—but in the end, we brought our brainchild, ‘Gifted Doll,’ to life. From the moment the idea was born to the time we presented it before AstraZeneca’s judging panel, we were filled with excitement and anticipation. We are truly happy to have been able to voice such fresh ideas into which we poured all our passion.” Team HPLC reflected on their experiences over the past three months.
Commenting on the competition and the students, Mr. Atul Tandon, Country President of AstraZeneca Vietnam, shared: “We are truly impressed by the creativity and eagerness to learn demonstrated by the students, especially their strong interest in the field of rare diseases – an area that requires much greater attention from both the community and the government. Through the iDEA Project, we believe these students are the ones writing the next chapter of change – by transforming knowledge into innovative solutions to raise public awareness. iDEA is not only a competition but also a vivid testament to AstraZeneca’s commitment: empowering the young generation to tackle healthcare challenges, connecting science with people, and contributing to the sustainability of Vietnam’s healthcare system.”
The project attracted more than 300 student registrations, with over 90% coming from medical universities across Vietnam. This demonstrates not only the strong appeal of the program but also the growing interest of young people in the healthcare sector. The program’s success reaffirms AstraZeneca Vietnam’s role as a pioneer in nurturing young talent while investing in building a sustainable healthcare ecosystem. This commitment is further underscored by the company’s recognition as one of the Best Places to Work in Asia (HR Asia Award 2025) – a testament to AstraZeneca’s efforts in fostering an inclusive workplace that values diversity, creates growth opportunities, and encourages innovation, where every individual is empowered to fulfill the mission of “Unlocking the potential of science, transforming healthcare practices” for the benefit of the community.
AstraZeneca Vietnam believes that the hands-on experiences and networks gained through the iDEA 2025 project will serve as a solid springboard for students’ future careers. The company remains committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, accompanying every individual to unlock their full potential while co-creating sustainable value for the community.