Experts suggest that national science and technology programs can research and order tasks based on business needs to make topics more practical and applicable.
Viewpoints expressed by experts and managers at a workshop on evaluating the effectiveness of national science and technology research tasks organized by the Southern Office, Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology on June 6. 12 in Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Chief of Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Director of the Southern Office saidt In the model of linking scientists – businesses – the government, an intermediary organization has been formed to connect and consult on technology transfer. In fact, localities already have connecting organizations, however, he sees the activities taking place in the form of scientists introducing the technology they have.
Mr. Cuong proposed changing the method in the opposite direction. Businesses will mention their needs, scientists will listen and research appropriate technology solutions. “When businesses introduce needs, scientists with professional abilities will naturally grasp and think of research directions to meet the needs,” Mr. Cuong said. National science and technology programs can research in this direction to order topics that are more practical and applicable.
Deputy Chief of Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Cuong spoke at the conference on the afternoon of December 6. Image: Ha An
For many years working as scientific secretary for the Southwest program in the period 2014 – 2021, Associate Professor, Dr. Tu Diep Cong Thanh, Director of the Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said the Ordering scientific and technological tasks, although there is a program framework, when proposing tasks, each research group has different solutions. He took for example, the problem of landslides on the Tien and Hau rivers, each research unit proposed its own solution and when combined to solve a large problem, the feasibility was not high. Therefore, there is a need for an intermediary unit to evaluate the suitability of technological solutions.
In addition, technologies need to meet clear, transparent and quantitative criteria, with a score calculated for each solution. Research evaluation councils need to be required to be more accountable. The Council must take responsibility and even be punished if the research topic does not achieve the set results and goals.
Agreeing, Dr. Pham Ngoc Minh, Director of the Institute for Research on Innovation and Sustainable Development, said that scientific and technological tasks must come from practical needs of localities and businesses. To improve practicality, Dr. Minh proposed that projects with the same goal of solving a specific problem should be integrated and implemented by coordinating management agencies, to combine resources to increase the ability large scale application.