Since 2016, several units under the Vietnam National University – HCMC have successfully signed over 3,000 contracts to transfer cutting edge technologies and scientific services, earning the total revenue of more than VN250 billion (approx. US$10.8 million). Along with that are hundreds of products being registered for intellectual property (IP) rights, 60 percent of which are practical solutions and integrated circuit board designs.
According to Dr. Lam Quang Vinh, Head of the Department of Science and Technology in this university, his organization is considered one of the national leaders in the quantity of scientific announcements, especially in prestigious global journals listed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases.
The Vietnam National University – HCMC has also been chosen as one of the three IP HUBs in Vietnam, passing a strict interview with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). These HUBs are going to cooperate with the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (under the Ministry of Science and Technology) to establish a network to further increase the number of IPs while promoting commercialization from domestic IPs, connecting them with their regional and international counterparts.
“The Vietnam National University – HCMC has formed 13 global-leveled research teams in the fields of material science, nano-material, metal-organic framework (MOF), stem cell applications, gene preservation, molecular biotechnology, big data, artificial intelligence, economy – law / finance – banking, social sciences and humanities, international affairs, tourism, pharmaceuticals, microchip, high performance computing, mechanics – automation, environment, water management and climate change”, said Dr. Vinh.
In a similar effort to focus more on technological development, the investment stimulus program was launched on October 30, 2015 as a result of Decision No.50/2015/QD-UBND, approving 281 projects. Among them are 17 and 15 projects in the hi-tech and agriculture fields (with a total investment of over VND3,000 billion – or US$129.2 million and VND1,400 billion – or US$60.3 million).
This stimulus package was able to unite various investment resources in the society, especially in the domestic private business sector. It effectively contributed to the economic restructuring and competitiveness boosting of HCMC through upgrading machinery and equipment as well as improving working performance and expanding possible markets.
Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Ky Phung stated that the prominent result of the above program is to create a connection among the three partners of the government – businesses – educational institutes.
He added that this is not the best achievement yet as there exists a fierce competition between domestic technologies and those imported from other nations. In addition, the introduction of legal documents cannot keep up with the swift development of new products and technologies, severely downgrading the competitiveness of national ones. The last factor is that many businesses are still not used to the Intellectual Property Law or their responsibilities in this matter.
Therefore, Dr. Vinh suggested that HCMC should build certain organizations and research institutes that are capable of performing high-level studies in key scientific-technological fields as soon as possible. This will enable them to answer urgent demands of the socio-economical growth of HCMC. A mechanism to attract the talented to the city must also be carried out. Other highly recommended programs such as ‘National Staple Product Research Program’, ‘Support Program for Small- and Medium-scale Businesses to Select Suitable Technologies’ should be launched simultaneously.
