Within the scope of the working visit between the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Planning and Investment on the development orientation and plan for public investment in science and technology for the period 2021-2025 at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung visited the construction site of the Vietnam - Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST).
Attending the meeting, on the side of the Ministry of Science and Technology, there were Minister Chu Ngoc Anh and Deputy Minister Le Xuan Dinh and leaders of some units under the Ministry. For Ministry of Planning and Investment’s side, there were Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and representatives of some Departments, Agencies and Institutes. Especially, Mr. Cho Han Deok, General Director of Korea International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam (KOICA) also attended the event.
Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Planning and Investment visited the VKIST construction site
At the meeting room of VKIST construction site, Dr. Kum Dongwha - President of VKIST - introduced VKIST’s role, mission, model, the ODA project to establish VKIST and current progress of project implementation. Accordingly, VKIST is a leading public research Institute for applied sciences and advanced industrial technology development fused with sustainable economic growth. It is financial autonomy as a R&D contract agency with R&D friendly environment and system, R&D management according to global practice. In 2020, the main tasks of VKIST include completing all construction and moving into the new headquarters on time; capacity building; recruiting and training high-quality administrative staff and researchers; organizing laboratories and initiating R&D projects; developing a set of major management guidelines; and test operating VKIST model.
In addition, Dr. Kum Dongwha presented about Plan for the Phase 2 of the ODA project, which is an important content to enhance VKIST’s sustainability. Two Ministers and Director of KOICA in Vietnam expressed their support for the implementation of this second Phase.
Dr. Kum Dongwha presented at the meeting
Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh affirmed that VKIST, which has been built and operated based on model of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is the symbol of S&T cooperation between Viet Nam and Korea. The strength of VKIST is the high quality and experienced human resource, who having long time to study and work abroad. Before initiating R&D projects, VKIST carried out a number of market survey to ensure application-oriented, immediately applicable to industries and meet market needs. However, the difficulty lies in the compensation mechanism of the Government. Currently, the salary level at VKIST hasn’t been competitive, plus a lot of barriers on institutional regulations towards research activities. Therefore, The Ministry of Science and Technology commits to always accompany and direct VKIST in each specific task.
The meeting overview
On behalf of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Minister Nguyen Chi Dung expressed the gratitude to the Korean Government and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for their support and funding for the VKIST ODA establishment project. MPI fully understands the institutional and systemic challenges facing VKIST. According to the Minister, in the coming time, VKIST needs to speed up the construction progress and the procurement of modern equipment for R&D activities. However, the biggest challenge is how to retain high quality human resources. In his opinion, VKIST needs to carry out R&D activities, at the same time establish a specific operating mechanism and recruit more staff. The Ministry of Planning and Investment promised to support the VKIST establishment project to complete successfully and become the symbol of the good cooperation between the 2 countries.
The meeting ended successfully./.
