The Viet Nam Fund for Supporting Scientific and Technological Creations (VIFOTEC) has honoured 35 award-winners of its 2008 competition for technical creativity in Ha Noi.

Addressing the award ceremony on April 15, Professor To Huy Rua, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Commission for Information and Education, commended scientists and entrepreneurs on their prizes at local and international contests.

He also hailed the important contributions made by the Viet Nam Union of Scientific Technological Associations over the past 14 years to stimulating scientists’ creativeness in research and development for application in life and production.

VIFOTEC prizes include two first prizes, eight second prizes, 12 third prizes and 13 consolation prizes covering six categories: mechanics and automation; materials technology; information technology, electronics and telecommunications; applied biology; technology for environmental protection and rational use of natural resources; and energy technology.

The same day, VIFOTEC also announced Vietnamese individuals and organizations who won the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 2008 prizes.

The Tan Hiep Phat Trade Service Ltd. Co. took WIPO prize for its outstanding application of intellectual property system in production.

The excellent WIPO prize in mechanics and automation was awarded to doctor Pham Hong Quang of the Automatic Controlling Software Joint Stock Company.

Meanwhile, Le Thi Thanh Binh from the Ho Chi Minh City Agro-Forestry University took the top WIPO prize for women in applied biology.

Students Nguyen Hong Phuong, Phan Anh Dung, Ngo Duc Thuan from the Hanoi University of Technology won the WIPO prize for young creators for their invention of measures to check Vietnamese language spelling mistakes.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister decided to award certificates of merit to eight individuals and collectives for their top prizes at last year’s technological creation competition and international contest in the Republic of Korea./.