Yesterday, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology hosted a workshop titled 'Developing the Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange in the New Phase – A Driving Force for Innovation and National Digital Transformation'.
The event aimed to evaluate the role, necessity, and effectiveness of technology exchange in advancing innovation, facilitating digital transformation and technology transfer and contributing to socio-economic development.
In recent years, science and technology, along with innovation and digital transformation efforts, have drawn increasing attention across Vietnam. These sectors have made significant contributions to national economic growth and have emerged as key pillars in the country’s development strategy. Despite widespread implementation of science and technology initiatives in provinces and cities nationwide, the legal framework supporting technology exchanges remains incomplete. This lack of a comprehensive regulatory foundation poses challenges to ensuring operational efficiency, transactional transparency, and broader participation in technology transfer activities.
Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Kim Hue of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology emphasized that the city has already established and is actively operating its own technology exchange platform. Initial outcomes have been promising, with the exchange demonstrating potential as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration between research institutions, businesses, and investors.
Through this workshop, the department aims to gather input and recommendations from relevant stakeholders to shape a robust and adaptive model for the technology exchange in light of current socio-economic and technological developments. In particular, the department seeks to identify and apply suitable technology solutions that can enhance the exchange’s transparency, ensure proper handling of intellectual property rights, and support sustainable operations.
Additionally, proposals for policy adjustments and support mechanisms are encouraged to enable the exchange to function more effectively and contribute meaningfully to national goals for innovation and digital transformation.
A representative of the Center for Statistics and Science and Technology Information of Ho Chi Minh City (CESTI) under the Department of Science and Technology said that the Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange plays a pivotal role in facilitating consultation and brokerage services for the transfer of technology and equipment. Its responsibilities encompass managing the Techport platform, organizing product showcase seminars, hosting Techmart technology fairs, and connecting enterprises with potential partners.
Since its establishment, the exchange has showcased and introduced tens of thousands of technologies and pieces of equipment, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors and fostering a vibrant environment for direct interaction and exchange.
Despite these achievements, the exchange continues to face several operational challenges. A significant portion of participating enterprises are small and medium-sized, many of which are still unfamiliar with the concept and practical application of technology transfer. This limited awareness hampers the pace and effectiveness of commercialization efforts. Furthermore, current policies designed to incentivize deeper participation from businesses, research institutions, and universities remain inadequate.
Another persistent issue lies in the readiness and scalability of research outcomes. Most scientific results generated by universities and research institutes remain confined to laboratory settings, lacking the necessary development to reach commercial application. Moreover, intellectual property protection is often overlooked—many experts and researchers have yet to fully recognize the importance of registering intellectual property rights.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, a representative from the Ministry of Science and Technology, referenced a 2023 survey indicating that as many as 75 percent of businesses acknowledged their limited understanding of the significance of open innovation, resulting in a diminished drive to adopt innovative concepts. This highlights that businesses' comprehension of the need to actively pursue and exchange technology remains unclear.
He noted that even at the management level, technology exchanges are often seen merely as exhibition spaces for research products, rather than dynamic market services that generate significant value through consulting and technology transfer. Consequently, investment in these exchanges is undervalued, with few groundbreaking initiatives to encourage business participation.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized that building a technology exchange in Vietnam isn't merely about a name or a website; it's about creating vital market infrastructure for science and technology. This infrastructure aims to form a seamless technology trading ecosystem; therfore, if developed correctly, the exchange will serve as a launchpad for innovation, swiftly connecting ideas and solutions from labs to the market. It will also help small businesses find suitable technology for improvement and spread an innovative spirit throughout society.
According to experts in Vietnam, numerous existing technology exchanges primarily function as basic information portals, merely hosting databases related to technology, equipment, and experts. The majority of intermediary organizations within the science and technology market currently exhibit limited capacity, with a noticeable absence of reputable entities capable of effectively facilitating technology transactions.
As a result, the linkage between technology supply and demand consistently falls short of the expectations and needs of businesses. Consequently, the critical challenge lies in establishing a genuine technology exchange that serves as a robust market infrastructure for technology trading, rather than simply developing additional data-driven websites.
