Science and technology innovation (STI) will play an important role in ensuring sustainable development in the current era, told an international conference in Hanoi on October 5.
The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Study (NISTPASS), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The conference aims to create a forum of exchange on the future of Vietnam’s STI system, with a particular emphasis on contents to the draft Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy in the 2011-2020 period, policy issues, awareness creation, and networking among international experts and Vietnamese stakeholders.
It is designed to enhance the capacity of Vietnamese organizations and agencies to achieve socioeconomic development goals.
In his opening speech, Dr. Ta Doan Trinh, Director of NISTPASS, underlined the importance of technology innovation in promoting the national economy. It is essential to maintain sustainable development rather than reaping rapid growth without paying due attention to sustainability, he added.
Addressing the event, Prof. Carlos Aguirre Bastos, Chief Advisor to the Vice President of the Republic of Bolivia, highlighted the increasing role of technology innovation in boosting national development. He also stressed the need to increase competitiveness and productivity which he described as a vital element in ensuring sustainable development.
He appreciated Vietnam’s remarkable socioeconomic achievements during the past decades. “Future achievement of high growth rates will strongly depend on the quality of the institutions and their capacity to master new technologies and participate in technological innovation,” he said.
Dr. Shin Taeyoung, Vice Chairman of the Republic of Korea’s Science and Technology Committee, shared experience from his country’s development strategy, saying that Vietnam has great potential for development in various fields.
However, he said, the country should focus on human resource development, especially engineers, and apply the latest technology to aid further growth.
Leading economists and policy-makers, who participated in the conference, concentrated on discussing policy strategy toward science and technology development, building a STI framework and analyzing Vietnam’s science and technology position and structure. They also emphasized the necessity to strengthen public-private sector partnership for innovation by providing more incentives to stimulate innovative ideas and behavior among researchers, students and staff of research institutes and universities.
Source: VOV