VietNamNet Bridge - Experts believe that few technology transfer cases have succeeded in Vietnam because of a lack of intermediary organizations.

For Vietnamese scientists, the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) technology transfer model is what they dream of. This explains why the Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology organized a workshop on commercializing technology in accordance with MIT’s model some days ago.

A scientist said he, like other Vietnamese scientists, long for a technology transfer market like the US’s, where even research works anticipated as unable to be used in 20 more years can still find sponsors.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, scientific research works with high applicability have been put into mothballs, while useful and cheap machines have never been manufactured on a large scale. 

According to Vo Hoang Doan, a master of technology trained at MIT, the co-founder of some technology firms in the US, the MIT commercialization model has great advantages.

Experts believe that few technology transfer cases have succeeded in Vietnam because of a lack of intermediary organizations.

Research institutes and enterprises are connected through Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or Technology License Office (TLO) – intermediary organizations which have been working very effectively.

As for potential research work, which can be applied in 3-5 years, TLO will connect  enterprises which have demand and invite them to cooperate for development.

For other research works which can only be applied after 20 years, or the works with unclear applications in the future, TLO will still try to look for investors. In case it cannot find investors, it will come forward and sponsor the research. 

With the model, the only thing scientists need to do is conduct research, while the transfer will be undertaken by TLO, and the application will be done by enterprises, while the public will give feedback.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, a report showed that hundreds of projects and research works are approved to be carried out at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology every year, but the number of technologies transferred remains very modest.

In fact, according to Phan Tien Dung, deputy head of the academy’s Technology Application Division, the academy has the organizations like TTO or TLO, but they have been operating ineffectively.

He said the Center for Training and Consultancy for Technology Transfer cannot represent the academy’s technologies to seek cooperation with enterprises. Therefore, the academy’s units have to do the work themselves. 

Meanwhile, the High-technology Development Center has been operating effectively, but it can only cover research works conducted by itself, i.e both research and application in production are carried out by the center. 

Vu Duc Loi from the Chemistry Institute revealed that a partner wants to buy technology on making steel from red mud invented by the institute in a contract worth up to $1.5 million.

KH & PT