Vietnam needs more skilled workers

The science and technology sector had made great achievements in the last five years, but it needed to continue developing the country's professional workforce to meet the nation's socio-economic development demands, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on Nov. 10.

Nhan made the comment at a national conference in Hanoi to review the development of science and technology from 2001 to 2010 and the sector's 2010-20 development plan.

He also said that the integration of science and technology in enterprises had been limited and researchers' salaries were still low.

"National research and technology application centres should focus more on developing science and technology that can be realistically applied," said Nhan.

In the last five years, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has researched and selected 14 projects that would receive funding and support. The ministry has also implemented projects to address urgent socio-economic issues, including programmes to develop genetically engineered crops, research avian influenza A (H5N1) vaccines, shipbuilding projects, and energy projects.

MoST deputy minister Le Huu Quoc said during the last five years, several projects dealing with digital telecommunications, optical fibre communication, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and third-generation (3G) technology had been successfully implemented in the country.

"Vietnam has made good use of the VINASAT-1 satellite and is preparing to launch VINASAT-2 in 2012," Quoc added.

In the agricultural sector, scientists had created 142 new plant breeds, 100 of which were productive rice breeds.

Quoc also reported that the highly educated workforce in the science and technology sector had grown in the last five years. There were more than 1,500 science and technology organisations in the country, and about 6,000 employees working in the science and technology sector.

He admitted that there was a lack of qualified engineers in the country. Many national science and technology plans had been carried out slowly because of bureaucratic red tape. The Government's investment in technology was still limited, Quoc said.

In the next five years, the Ministry of Science and Technology aims to improve the quality of national research projects in the natural sciences sector and will concentrate on developing applied technology./.

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Science key to development

Le Thi Thuy became one of just a few female researchers to have been awarded the Kovaleskaia Prize following her work in agriculture. The Ministry of Science and Technology has launched a five-year programme in which up to 10,000 businesses will participate in the application of modern science and technology. — VNA/VNS Photo Thai Binh

HCM CITY — Viet Nam will have up to 10,000 businesses that participate in application of modern science and technology achievements by 2015 if an action programme by the Government succeeds.

The programme, initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, seeks to create an impetus for the development of science and technology in upcoming years.

It also seeks to help provinces and cities draft their own science and technology application development plans and provide financial support to 50 science and technology transfer centres to help them realise their business well.

To achieve the objectives, the ministry plans to set up a national fund to help small and medium-sized enterprises obtain and upgrade technologies and train their scientific and technical workforce.

The fund, to use money from the state budget and voluntary contributions by organisations and individuals, will also help speed up technology transfers in poor rural and mountainous areas.

It will offer loans at low or no interest to eligible enterprises and provide them guarantees if they borrow from other sources for renewing technologies.

Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Van Phong says to foster science and technology development, it is necessary to improve scientists' research capabilities and that of enterprises to obtain and apply technologies.

Science and technology will only develop when there is widespread use by enterprises, Phong says.

Innovation

According to the ministry, there are nearly 1,500 scientific research institutes and centres in the country which employ 2.6 million people, including 60,000 those who directly doing research.

They have made a significant contribution to the country's socio-economic development, defence, political security, and social order.

They have managed to make cutting-edge innovations, including diagnostic equipment for diseases caused by viruses.

They have also provided domestic shipyards the technologies required to build ships of up to 100,000 tonnes.

The country has managed to send the Vinasat 1 satellite into space and has become the world's second biggest exporter of coffee and rice.

Despite such successes, there are barriers to the transfer and application of scientific and technical advancements, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Dinh Tien says.

They are mainly the result of the low investment in science and technology by the Government while the corporate sector seems to ignore research and application, he says.

The quality of science and research personnel is modest, with the country having few top experts, he says.

Most science and technology research institutes lag behind international and regional standards, he adds. — VNS

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Vietnamese brothers win Australian science award

Profs Vo Ba Ngu and Vo Ba Tuong get the 2010 Eureka prize in Sydney. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Two ethnic Vietnamese mathematicians at the University of Western Australia have won this year’s Eureka Prize for their mathematical innovation to determine how to measure the margin of error in systems tracking multiple targets.

Profs Vo Ba Ngu and Vo Ba Tuong, also brothers, along with Prof Antonio Cantoni won a cash award of AUD10,000 (US$9,000) along with the prize given annually by Australia’s Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO).

Prof Robert Clark of Australia’s defense ministry said the team led by Ngu has helped significantly improve the ability to trace multiple incoming projectiles while using less computer power compared with previous methods.

In urban areas, the invention will help protect military vehicles, he said, adding it will be a great contribution to Australian defense and security by improving the identification of long-range objects.

The invention can also be used in traffic management, monitoring crowd behavior, sports analysis, and medical research.

The Eureka Prize is awarded in the fields of scientific research and innovation, science leadership, science communication and journalism, and school science.

The DSTO is the lead agency charged with applying science and technology to defend Australia. 

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