HCMCity (VNA) - HCM City authorities are helping companies access newtechnologies by promoting linkages between researchers and businesses, butmore collaboration is needed, speakers said on May 28 at a meeting in the city. 

Trieu Thanh Son, deputy head of the Research Management and CooperationDepartment under the HCM City Institute for Development Studies, said the cityhas been offering assistance to companies in registration ofintellectual property rights and fostering linkages between researchers andbusinesses. 

“HCM City is now promoting the science and technology market to enablecompanies to adopt new technologies and increase their labourproductivity.” 

More collaboration between academia and businesses, however,is needed so that research results can be converted intopractical technology, he added.

Nguyen Anh Ngoc, deputy director of HCM City Investment and Trade PromotionCentre, noted that the Government provided support to businesses andscientists for research, but there were no tools to foster links betweenscientists and businesses.

“There is a big gap between schools and research institutes and enterprises.”

The city has fostered linkages between researchers and businesses, but theresults have not met expectations, he said.

When researchers try to find partners to commercialise their researchideas, they often encounter resistance because of policy-related issues,he added. 

Another obstacle is that businesses too often focus on short-termcommercial goals instead of long-term investment in technology and research.

Nguyen Khac Thanh, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology,said the department has offered numerous programmes and State policies toresearchers and businesses.

The department helps businesses improve their technologies andproducts and assists them in working with scientific andtechnological organisations. 

The department also offers support to start-ups, fostering incubation andadoption of technologies, and organises exhibitions, scientific andtechnological transfer conferences, and business networks.

The department has established a Scientific and Technology Business Club tofacilitate networking and exchange, and technology transfer. Its board ofchairmen includes six members from formally recognised scientific andtechnology businesses.

However, enterprises need to be more proactive and innovative, and takepart in networking events, he said.

Doan Thanh Khe, director of Phat Viet Food Technology Ltd Company, said thecompany regularly invests in high-quality modern facilities and equipment aswell as a trained workforce and scientific research.

HCM City has more than 74 recognised science and technology businesses outof around 200 nationwide. Ninety percent of enterprises in HCM City are micro-or small-sized enterprises and lack the financial and human resources forR&D.

The city has approved a science and technology market development programme,which targets increasing the value of science and technology products andservices by 15 percent annually in the next five years and 20 percent in thecase of key technologies./.