The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) held a conference on June 24 in the northern province of Quang Ninh to collect ideas on the building of a network connecting overseas Vietnamese science and technology experts.

Speaking at the event, Tran Dac Hien, head of the MoST Department for Organisation and Personnel, said in order to build such a network, it is necessary to clarify prioritised areas in which experts are needed and define criteria for the experts in specific areas.

At the same time, it is crucial to design attractive preferential policies and create favourable conditions for the scientists to return and work in the homeland, he said.

Hien also pointed to the need to diversify and enhance the efficiency of measures to rally Vietnamese intellectuals abroad, especially the youth as well as prestigious scientists.

Statistics show that among about 4 million overseas Vietnamese, more than 400,000 are university graduates, many of them are working in universities, research institutes and large companies abroad.

Every year, about 200 overseas scientists return to Vietnam to teach or conduct joint research and do business.

The overseas Vietnamese intellectuals constitute a remarkable brainpower source for the country’s science and technology development as well as socio-economic growth.

Along with emphasizing the significance of the network, participants at the event also discussed its design, organisation and operation. The ideas will serve as foundations for Vietnamese policy-makers to complete mechanisms and policies to call on Vietnamese experts abroad to work in the homeland.

The conference was part of a project to foster innovation through research, science and technology funded by the World Bank.

The project aims to support the renovation and science-technology in Vietnam through policies mobilizing brainpower of the scientist community as well as connections between researchers and market.

In the project, businesses play the core role, while scientists in and outside the countries are trustworthy and effective partners assisting them in accessing advanced science and technology as well as innovation to deal with enterprises’ problems.-VNA