Research institutes and universities play a key role in fosteringtechnology transfer for rapid but sustainable human and economicdevelopment.
The point was stressed at a workshop inHanoi on March 13 jointly held by the Vietnam Academy of Science andTechnology, the Wallonia Foreign Trade and Investment Agency andWallonie-Bruxelles International in the presence of Her Royal HighnessPrincess Mathilde of Belgium .
At the event,Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung emphasised thesignificant contribution of technology transfer offices to economicsuccess, saying that "it is a real necessity for prosperousdevelopment".
The sector has forecast that the valueof high-tech products will make up 45 percent of the country's grossdomestic product (GDP) by 2020.
For the goal to befulfilled, research institutes and universities as well as theirtechnology transfer offices will be key players in providing training,consultation, innovation and entrepreneurship.
VicePresident of Wallonia and the Federation Wallonia-Brussels Jean-ClaudeMarcourt agreed that the offices will help reinforce regionalcompetitiveness and on the world market.
Anothermatter addressed is the protection and enforcement of intellectualproperty rights in order to encourage research, development andtechnology transfer, he said.
According toProfessors Puttemans and Kapetanaki from the Universite Libre deBruxelles, the situation of intellectual property violations recentlybecomes worse in Vietnam along with economic development.
Strong measures were recommended, such as closing retails outlets, forinstance, to prevent intellectual property-related violations andencourage researchers.
Professor Bart De Moor fromthe Katholieke Universiteit Leuven said that clear incentives areimportant together with modern research instruments to encourageresearchers and research groups.
About 3,000enterprises operating in science and technology will be established by2015. Of those, 70 percent will be developed from research institutesand universities.-VNA