An international workshop on improving the measurement and assessment of science, technology and innovation kicked off in Hanoi on November 24.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh said the workshop provided a chance for domestic and international experts to share their experience and different approaches, and make recommendations for Vietnam, thus helping to increase its awareness of measuring and assessing science and technology.

Experts from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the US, Germany, Finland, and the Republic of Korea shared international experiences in evaluating the efficiency of research and development in the public and private sectors and in analysing the innovation gap in Vietnam.

Victoria Kwakwa, the WB Country Director in Vietnam, stressed the importance of increasing the productivity and quality of Vietnam’s economy by improving the efficiency of scientific research and the application of technology.

To strengthen competitiveness on the world market, Vietnam should help its businesses improve their position in the global value chain by investing in the development of modern technologies, she added.

At the workshop, OECD released its report on science, technology and innovation in Vietnam, which clarifies the country’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and challenges for its science and technology sector.

The workshop marks the debut of the FIRST–NASATI sub-project, part of the WB-funded “Fostering Innovation through Research, Science and Technology” project for 2013-2019.-VNA