HCM CITY — A centre that co-ordinates work between universities, research institutes and companies can speed up development of hi-tech products in the country, according to a workshop yesterday.
Dr Nguyen Thanh Nam of the Viet Nam National University, HCM City (VNU-HCM City), said the centre would be a place to conduct research as well as train human resources for companies producing hi-tech products. The centre could be a highly profitable venture, he said.
Through the centre, companies could help universities and research institutes know of their demand as well as invest in hi-tech research, he added.
Dr Dang Van Nghin, deputy head of the Viet Nam Mechatronic Association, presented other solutions to speed up development of hi-tech products in Viet Nam.
Universities, research institutes and companies should develop hi-tech products at many levels, he said. They should import highly sophisticated products and study them, he added.
Priority should be given to developing hi-tech that meet important socio-economic needs as well as enhance national security, he said.
The production of hi-tech products that were likely to have a large consumer base should also receive due attention, Nghin said, adding that constant attention needed to be paid to world developments in this field in order to adopt the latest technological advances.
With the State issuing regulations as well as incentive policies for developing the hi-tech industry in Viet Nam, it was a good time to invest in the field, he said.
Several workshop participants mentioned the need for developing hi-tech products such as robots to find and destroy unexploded ordnance (UXO) because more than 66,000sq.km of Viet Nam's land surface area was affected by it. It would take more than 300 years to locate and destroy rogue explosives in Viet Nam without producing these robots, said Dr. Bui Huu Phu of HCM City Natural Sciences University. — VNS
