Participating in the Forum were Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Trần Quốc Khánh; Professor, PhD Dương Ngọc Hải, VAST’s Deputy Director; Mr. Lee Sang – Mok, Korea’s Ex-Minister of Science and Communication; Mr. Shin Hyung-Ho, Director of Korea Science and Technology Institute and leaders, research experts and scholars in S&T field of Vietnam and Korea.
Delivering a speech in the Forum, Deputy Minister Trần Quốc Khánh highly appreciated that Vietnam – Korea relations have achieved strong and thorough development steps in recent years. The Deputy Minister said that since the two countries established their strategic partnership relations in 2009, Vietnam and Korea signed the S&T cooperation agreement at Government level in 1995. On that basis, 7 meeting sessions of Vietnam – Korea Joint Committee on S&T have been organized, many tasks effectively carried out according to the Protocol since 2000. Through cooperation programs, Vietnamese scientists have had more opportunities to study and learn in Korea. S&T issues to which the two parties have paid attention have been solved, capacities of S&T staff improved. In addition to achieved results, cooperation potentials between the two countries are still very tremendous.
Together with the statement, Mr. Lee Sang – Mok, Korea’s Ex-Minister of Science and Communication said that relations between the two Governments have lasted more than the past 20 years. Specific contents of Vietnam – Korea S&T cooperation are mainly projects which have been carried out in the National University of Hanoi and Hanoi Science and Technology University mostly in fields of information technology, chemistry and medicine. In 2014, Joint Working Committee on S&T was organized, 48 research themes were identified. For joint scientific researches, the focus is given to some special agencies and research fields are focused on basic research, of which 68.3% are researches carried out with internationally joint forms.
Regarding the joint researches between the two countries, essential requirementsare to share with each other about cooperation vision as well as develop a roadmap for the cooperation. It is necessary to develop short-term, medium-term and long-term roadmap, especially to create regular interactions among scientists. According to experts, for the coming time it is necessary to develop programs which can reflect all basic researches, knowledge sources and resources to promote renovation and use the foundation for supportingjoint scientific researches between the two countries. That is the Joint Committee on S&T. In addition, it is necessary to consider resources, expand research fields and create common interests of the two countries.
Mr. Shin Hyung-Ho, Director of Korea Science and Technology Institute affirmed that Korea has experienced developing stages with Vietnam’s current similar conditions, which creates favorable conditions for Vietnam to refer and take advantages of Korea’s successfully lessons learnt for the S&T development as well as the socio-economic development. Especially, Vietnam has abundant and intelligent human resources, long history with remarkable victories. Korea alsohas developed from 60’s difficulties to become as it is now. Therefore, it is the time for Vietnam to take advantages of knowledge source to become innovation resources. I hope that resources which VAST has already gained for many years from doing researches so that it can continue its achievements, contributing to the country’s economic development.
Professor, PhD Dương Ngọc Hải, VAST’s Deputy Director said that hundreds and dozens of VAST’s staff have been trained and granted with Master and Doctor degree in Korea’s institute. This forum is to promote more S&T cooperation and economic innovation between Vietnam and Korean. Together with MOST and scientists, the Forum had the participation from representatives of Vietnam and Korea’s enterprises. VAST has promoted very strongly commercialization activities and introduced S&T into life, which would be one key tasks for the coming 5 years. Together with S&T research, high-level training in science would promote the commercialization, development and introduction of S&T products into life and the economic development is one of VAST’s key tasks.