Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat receives Australian Ambassador

Raise AU$3.5 million for phase 1 of the Aus4Innovaiton Program

At the meeting, Ambassador Robyn Mudie congratulated Minister Huynh Thanh Dat on his new position and continued to affirm that Australia is a reliable partner of Vietnam, especially with the Ministry of Science and Technology in the field of innovation. create.

The Ambassador was pleased to share the good results of the Aus4Innovation Program and emphasized that the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has decided to increase the budget for Phase 1 of the Aus4Innovaiton Program by AU$3.5 million, raising total Program budget to AU$13.5 million for the period 2017-2022, while reaffirming the Program’s Phase 2 implementation to 2035.

Minister Huynh Thanh Dat thanked the Ambassador for sharing and good evaluation of the cooperation relationship between the two countries in the fields of science, technology and innovation, especially the impressive results of the Program. Aus4Innovaiton for Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem.

The Minister also emphasized, in the context that Vietnam and Australia have elevated the strategic partnership since March 2018. With the view that knowledge and innovation have become one of the three important pillars of cooperation between the two countries (besides economy and defense – security), up to now, the efforts of the two sides in promoting cooperation between the two countries. promote partnerships in the field of innovation has been built and implemented in a qualitative and effective way through the Aus4Innovaiton Program.

Promoting innovation ecosystem in Vietnam

At the meeting, Minister Huynh Thanh Dat shared with the Ambassador’s evaluations about the positive results of the Aus4Innovaiton Program, which had a fairly comprehensive and substantive impact, promoting capacity and cohesion, cooperation. between elements of the innovation ecosystem in Vietnam and with Australian partners.

Over the past three years, the two innovative forces of Vietnam and Australia within the framework of the Program have co-created and achieved many outstanding marks, from designing the Vietnam Digital Economy Future Report to to econometric models measuring the impact of technology on economic growth; promote the commercialization of research results in Vietnamese universities and research institutes with this Operational Manual to be published soon.

Along with that is the support of Australian experts in designing assessment indicators for the development of Vietnam’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy to 2030. Innovation projects of Vietnam Institutes, schools and enterprises of the two countries in the two funding rounds in 2019 and 2020 have also initially brought results to contribute to socio-economic development, improving the quality of people’s lives in the area. judgment.

The most recent are initiatives to promote the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, organize the Vietnam AI Festival 2020, support innovative AI startups and propagate and build building capacity to implement Vietnam’s AI Strategy in the coming time.

The Minister also acknowledged and highly appreciated the role of the Program Steering Committee, which has always been flexible, adaptive, closely followed and effectively implemented the contents of the signed Program. The Australian Science and Industry Organization CSIRO has provided international experts with good expertise, accompanied the Vietnamese partners to implement the Program, and at the same time praised the active participation of the leaders of the Ministry and units under the Ministry to inspire innovation for the community and society.

In the 10-year development orientation of the country from 2021-2030 and a vision to 2045, science, technology and innovation have been identified by the Party and Government of Vietnam as a strategic breakthrough and a key driving force contributing to national development. Part of helping Vietnam achieve the goal of becoming a modern industrialized country by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045.

International cooperation and integration is one of the important solutions to help Vietnam quickly improve its scientific and technological potential and level. With that orientation, Australia is one of Vietnam’s important strategic partners in science and technology cooperation, especially in the field of innovation.

Sharing about the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s decision to increase the budget by AU$3.5 million for phase 1 of the Aus4Innovaiton Program, the Minister affirmed that this is really a valuable resource to help realize reality. catalyze innovation initiatives in the Program’s transition period to 2022 and create stronger premises for Phase 2 of the Program to 2025.

Since the two countries have elevated their strategic partnership based on knowledge and innovation, the Minister and Ambassador expressed their strategic trust and commitment to continue to pay attention to support and promote further activities. cooperation in the field of innovation, together creating conditions for the Aus4Innovaiton Program to be deployed smoothly, achieve great success, and make more practical and effective contributions to economic development goals. – sustainable society of both countries.