Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) is a transformative USAID-funded program that leverages a diverse consortium of government, industry and academic partners to enable inclusive, technology-driven economic growth in Vietnam. The program leverages partnerships between government ministries, higher education institutions and global industry leaders to link STEM instruction to industry needs, support high-tech workforce development and strengthen higher education institutions’ capacity for research and training. 

BUILD-IT is the most recent of three major USAID investments in Vietnam—totaling over $35 million—to be primed by ASU, building on the foundation laid by the Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP) and the Vocational and University Leadership and Innovation Institute (VULII). Collectively, these projects have transformed higher education in Vietnam, leading to partnerships with 11 Vietnamese universities that have reached 55,000+ participants; providing scholarships to 100+ women majoring in STEM; enabling the accreditation of more than 100 academic programs—including Vietnam’s first-ever ABET-accredited programs; and training 12,300 faculty. 

ASU has leveraged the impact of these programs by raising $50 million in cash and in-kind investment from 13 major private sector partners who provide expertise to support academic program development and create employment pathways for students (examples include Amazon Web Services, Dow Vietnam, Intel, Microsoft, National Instruments, Oracle and Siemens).