At the assembly of the Standing Committee of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation on May 25, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasised that within the context of the world shifting strongly to competitors by information, technology, information and expertise, “basic scientific research needs to be viewed not only as academic activities, but as a component of national capacity”.
At the identical time, General Secretary and President To Lam additionally mentioned that the present limitations “not only lie in investment resources, but more importantly, have not yet formed a research ecosystem with depth, accumulation and the ability to create new knowledge in a sustainable way”.
That spirit is step by step current in analysis tasks, R&D facilities and new technology merchandise at many businesses. However, to deliver technology from laboratories to the market, businesses nonetheless face many challenges by way of mechanisms, capital, human assets and the power to join insurance policies with observe.
When Vietnamese businesses aspire to grasp core technology
In the campus of Phenikaa University, self-driving automobiles, taxi robots and supply robots are nonetheless quietly working day by day. That is the results of a few years of persistent analysis by Vietnamese engineers to resolve the high-tech drawback that was beforehand thought-about a privilege of world companies.
Phenikaa-X’s objective isn’t to cease at commercializing a product line, however to step by step grasp core applied sciences in synthetic intelligence (AI), sensors and automated management programs.
This breakthrough shift displays a brand new mindset within the technology group: shifting from the era of “applying, importing technology” to proactively “researching, creating technology”.
In that stream, SmartTech Group can be increasing funding in analysis and growth actions in fields equivalent to robots, unmanned aerial automobiles (UAVs), medical tools, vitality and sensible transportation.
According to Mr. Nguyen Luong Phuong – Chairman of the Board of Directors of SmartTech Group, the enterprise has participated in researching plenty of technology merchandise from the COVID-19 epidemic interval, together with ventilators and epidemic prevention assist tools. The experiences gathered in that course of have develop into the muse for the enterprise to proceed investing in new technology tasks.
Currently, SmartTech is pursuing plenty of analysis instructions associated to robots, vitality and sensible transportation options. According to businesses, the objective is to step by step put analysis merchandise into observe and search alternatives for cooperation with analysis institutes, consultants and technology items within the nation.
The distance from the laboratory to the market and institutional “bottlenecks
However, behind the technology projects being implemented is no small pressure that businesses have to face on the path of bringing products from research laboratories to the market.
For businesses developing new technologies such as self-driving cars, one of the biggest difficulties today comes from the legal corridor. Technology changes very quickly, but the process of building standards, standards and management mechanisms often takes longer. According to Phenikaa-X, self-driving cars are a completely new field while most current regulations are still built for the driver-driven vehicle model. This forces businesses to both research technology and find ways to adapt to the existing legal framework.
Not only is it a story about mechanisms, capital for research and development is also a constant pressure for many technology businesses. Unlike ordinary production and business activities, R&D is a long-term investment process that requires large resources but cannot bring immediate efficiency in the short term. For most domestic technology businesses, maintaining resources for research, testing and product improvement is always a difficult problem, especially when access to supporting capital sources is still limited.
Strategic vision from insiders: What do businesses need from the Government?
From the perspective of a business with more than 15 years of investment in R&D activities, Mr. Nguyen Luong Phuong – Chairman of the Board of Directors of SmartTech Group, said that Resolution 57 and recent innovation policies have breathed new life, creating strong motivation for businesses to bravely embark on long-term technology projects.
The duo Resolution 57 and Resolution 68 are strategic guidelines, opening the door to opportunities for science and technology enterprises.
In essence, Resolution 57 brings core benefits to businesses in two points: One is to remove bottlenecks of administrative and institutional procedures; Two is to create an official platform for businesses to organicly connect with research institutes, universities and national innovation programs. From there, businesses can absorb knowledge, shorten the time to master core technology and localize Make in Vietnam products” – Mr. Phuong emphasised.
However, from the truth of implementing technology tasks, Mr. Nguyen Luong Phuong believes that there’s nonetheless a sure hole between insurance policies and businesses. According to him, many businesses presently wouldn’t have sufficient info or have problem accessing assist applications for analysis and growth actions.
One of the problems talked about by Mr. Phuong is the necessity to quickly deploy extra broadly managed testing mechanisms (sandboxes) for brand spanking new technology fields. According to him, sensible testing fashions will assist businesses shorten the technology verification course of, enhance merchandise and convey analysis outcomes to the market sooner.
In addition, businesses additionally count on assist insurance policies for R&D actions to have clear standards and extra handy procedures in order that items with precise analysis capability can entry assist assets successfully.
According to Mr. Phuong, equally essential is to strengthen the connection between administration businesses, analysis institutes, universities and businesses. When events take part extra deeply in the identical innovation ecosystem, analysis outcomes can have extra alternatives to be commercialized and create extra financial worth.
We cannot simply sit and watch for insurance policies
Recommendations from businesses are not simply the non-public story of every unit. These are additionally points being raised within the strategy of realizing Resolution 57, from perfecting establishments, growing human assets to constructing an ecosystem connecting the State, analysis institutes, universities and businesses.
According to Mr. Vu Hong Quan – Delegate of the sixteenth National Assembly, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, Resolution 57 has clearly oriented: Shift the main focus from educational, primary, purely pure analysis to utilized science, taking socio-economic effectivity as a measure.
However, Mr. Quan emphasised that this transition course of requires self-reliance from businesses themselves, and can’t be “passively sitting and waiting for policies”. Currently, many Vietnamese businesses are nonetheless reluctant to put money into the long run, missing a staff of engineers with enough capability to consider, take in and check analysis outcomes transferred from universities.
To overcome these obstacles, many technology businesses are actively in search of connections with analysis institutes, universities and innovation assist organizations. According to Mr. Nguyen Luong Phuong, SmartTech is presently coordinating with analysis items and consultants within the strategy of deploying R&D actions, and constructing experimental fashions for some new technology merchandise.
Reality reveals that the technology race of Vietnamese businesses has began fairly an extended time in the past, however is getting into an acceleration part when science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are recognized as new progress drivers of the nation. From self-driving automobiles, robots, UAVs to new vitality options, increasingly more Vietnamese businesses are taking part extra deeply within the strategy of researching and mastering technology.
However, for analysis room concepts to develop into aggressive merchandise out there, extra applicable assist mechanisms, robust sufficient assets and nearer connections between the State, scientists and businesses are nonetheless wanted.
Resolution 57 has opened a brand new course for science and technology and innovation. However, the success of the decision is not going to be measured by the variety of pointers or insurance policies promulgated, however by the power to type new applied sciences, new technology businesses and excessive value-added merchandise owned by Vietnamese folks.