Cadence Makes Multimillion Dollar In-kind Donation to HEEAP to Help Prepare Engineering Students in Vietnam

HEEAP is a collaborative program of the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (ASU), Portland State University’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science (PSU), Intel Corp., Siemens, Danaher Corporation and other industry partners with the top technical universities in Vietnam. The goal is to advance electrical and mechanical engineering curricula and support the country’s growing high-tech industry.

“Cadence believes that innovation begins in education and is committed to preparing students with the tools and training they need to thrive in the competitive semiconductor and electronics marketplace,” said Charlie Huang, senior vice president, Cadence Worldwide Field Operations. “Our customers are expanding into emerging countries such as Vietnam and we are pleased to be a part of developing their engineering work force.”

HEEAP works closely with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and university leadership in Vietnam to put in place the programs and infrastructure that support faculty training, curricula development and hands-on student learning experiences. Students will have the opportunity to gain the technical expertise as well as the competencies needed to succeed in a global economy.

Under the auspices of HEEAP, Cadence will provide future engineers in Vietnam with access to cutting-edge IC design software and will help instructors develop a curriculum that applies design theories to real-world engineering challenges. For nearly 20 years, Cadence has worked with academic institutions and government organizations around the globe to enable them to build and implement design engineering education programs and support developing the global electronics marketplace.

“Cadence Design Systems brings critical expertise to HEEAP, helping us advance the applied lab experiences for engineering students to better prepare them to succeed in the burgeoning high-tech electronics industry in Vietnam,” said Jeffrey Goss, director of HEEAP and assistant dean, Global Outreach and Extended Education, for ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

“This alliance, which is focused on improving the quality of Vietnam's future engineers and technicians, continues to grow and is an excellent example of industry and academic linkages,” said Francis Donovan, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director.

The HEEAP initiative in Vietnam was initiated in 2010 with initial grants of USD $5 million funded from USAID, Intel and ASU.