Việt Nam enhances international cooperation in science, technology, innovation

A delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) paid a working visit to France and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland from July 7 to 14 to promote cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

Minister Huỳnh Thành Đạt met with WIPO Director General Daren Tang on July 13 and addressed the 63rd Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the WIPO Member States on July 14.

At these events, Đạt underlined that as a WIPO member, Việt Nam is ready to join others in implementing the organisation’s common initiatives to support post-pandemic recovery, creating favourable conditions for relevant parties in the intellectual property (IP) and innovation ecosystem, especially small and medium firms and startups, and encouraging the engagement of women and the young.

Việt Nam will remain an active and responsible member of WIPO for the development of an inclusive, balanced, dynamic and future-oriented global IP ecosystem, helping enrich society's knowledge and culture and promote sustainable economic growth and development, he said.

Praising WIPO’s assistance to Việt Nam in effectively implementing cooperation projects and programmes on building the IP system’s capacity, he proposed the organisation continue helping the country carry out the national IP strategy and the revised IP Law; form and promote an IP culture in society; increase collaboration in IP training; and carry out the projects assisting businesses with innovation, technology transfer, IP development and protection to improve their resilience, adaptability, competitiveness and growth.

The minister witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in implementing the national IP strategy between his ministry’s IP Office and WIPO. A cooperation deal between the IP offices of Việt Nam and the UK was also extended.

In France, Minister Đạt had talks with the French Minister of Higher Education and Research and visited some agencies and organisations in the country’s national innovation system, including the National Centre for Space Studies, the Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission in Grenoble, the Inovalée science park, and Airbus Defence and Space.

The two sides agreed to seek an appropriate cooperation mechanism by upgrading the agreement on scientific and technological cooperation inked by the two Governments in 2007, setting up more connection channels to boost academic exchanges through Việt Nam’s return to the Hubert Curien programme of France, and opening a new corridor for promoting technology cooperation and transfer between Vietnamese and French innovation firms.

They agreed to work on connecting Inovalée of France with high-tech parks of Việt Nam to facilitate investment in high technology. They also looked into measures to enhance scientific and technological ties in areas like space, green technology and new energy, along with traditional fields such as biotechnology, health care and agriculture.

While in France, Đạt also attended the UNESCO-held opening ceremony of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022 and a high-level seminar on the role of science in policy-making./.