Vietnam National University, Hanoi signs agreements to transfer science and technology products to 14 localities in the Northwest region.

Attending the concluding conference were Comrade Nguyen Van Binh - Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Central Economic Committee; Comrade Chu Ngoc Anh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Minister of Science and Technology; Comrade Hau A Lenh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, former Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Northwest Steering Committee; Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Head of the Northwest Program Nguyen Kim Son, along with representatives of leaders from central ministries/agencies and representatives of leaders from 14 localities in the Northwest region.

Nguyen Kim Son, Director of Hanoi National University and Head of the Northwest Program, delivered a speech at the conference.

In 2013, the Prime Minister approved and the Ministry of Science and Technology assigned the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) as the lead agency to implement the national key science and technology program."Science and technology serving sustainable development in the Northwest region"period 2013-2020 with the requirement “"Conduct research in a comprehensive manner to provide interdisciplinary and interregional scientific arguments and solutions, and transfer knowledge to contribute to the sustainable development of the Northwest region."This is an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, goal-oriented, and highly applicable science and technology program, aiming to provide scientific and practical arguments for solving the most fundamental and pressing issues facing the development of the Northwest region. The Northwest Program has four basic objectives: Providing scientific arguments to support the development and adjustment of strategies, plans, and sustainable development plans, ensuring national defense and security in the Northwest region; Identifying scientific arguments for socio-economic development models suitable to the specific characteristics of sub-regions and inter-regions, contributing to improving and gradually raising the living standards of ethnic minorities in the Northwest region; Proposing and transferring appropriate scientific and technological solutions for the rational use of natural resources, environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation; developing transportation and information infrastructure; promoting and preserving cultural values, contributing to ensuring national defense and security in the Northwest region; Identify human resource training needs and propose appropriate training solutions for human resource development to meet the requirements of sustainable development in the Northwest region.

The Director of Hanoi National University presented the technology transfer products of the Northwest Program to representatives of the provinces in the Northwest region.

In his opening remarks at the Conference, the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Head of the Northwest Program, Nguyen Kim Son, affirmed: After 7 years of implementation, the Program has achieved its set goals, making important contributions to the development and adjustment of strategies, plans, and sustainable human resource, economic, and social development plans in the Northwest region, focusing on environmental protection, natural resources, and ensuring security and national defense. The Program has coordinated and attracted 40 organizations and a total of 600 scientists from various science and technology organizations nationwide to register and lead research projects. 200 major scientific organizations participated in collaborative implementation, including 12 departments and agencies from the provinces in the Northwest region. All 58 projects under the program were conducted based on highly reliable databases, using diverse, modern, effective, and appropriate research and implementation methods and approaches tailored to the specific requirements of each task.

Comrade Chu Ngoc Anh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Minister of Science and Technology, delivered a speech at the Conference.

The program has yielded valuable scientific results, providing a basis for implementing pilot production projects and expanding research in the coming period. It contributes to building, developing, and effectively utilizing local human resources, attracting other human resources, and leveraging the strengths of natural resources in the sustainable development strategy of the Northwest region. Besides research providing scientific arguments to determine development strategies, plans, and breakthroughs for the region and its localities, the program has also achieved concrete and practical results in: applying science and technology to enhance the value of goods and growth models; developing education and training and human resources to serve socio-economic development; and developing culture and society while ensuring national security and defense. The research results of the Northwest Program serve as an important basis for investment and management, not only for the nation, ministries, and sectors, but also for the provinces, and are an urgent need for our country in the current period of reform.

Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh assessed: These are comprehensive, interdisciplinary programs encompassing the fields of social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, and science and technology, aiming to clearly identify fundamental values ​​for sustainable development in these three particularly important geopolitical regions during the period of accelerated industrialization and modernization of the country after 30 years of reform. The comprehensive, systematic, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary approach is reflected in the combination and integration of social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, and science and technology, based on a fundamental and consistent approach: using science and technology to serve the sustainable development of the region in terms of economy, culture, society, and environment, while ensuring national security and defense.

For the Northwest region, the program is "Science and technology serve the sustainable development of the Northwest region."The period 2013-2020 also has the important mission of contributing to the implementation of Conclusion No. 26-KL/TW dated August 2, 2012 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW dated July 1, 2004 of the Politburo on the direction of socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Northern Midlands and mountainous region until 2020."

However, the research results of the Program also indicate that the Northwest region has many potentials and advantages that have not been fully explored and utilized for sustainable development. The Northwest region still faces many socio-economic difficulties and is increasingly affected by climate change. In the coming time, the continued implementation of scientific research and technological development activities will contribute to creating a strong foundation and leverage of knowledge, technology, culture, and society, making a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the Northwest region and meeting the aspirations of the people of the ethnic groups in the region.

Comrade Hau A Lenh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, former Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Northwest Steering Committee, delivered a speech at the Conference.

Comrade Hau A Lenh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, former Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Northwest Steering Committee - suggested that in the coming time, the Program Steering Committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology and related units should propose to the Government to continue implementing phase 2 of the Program to create momentum for regional development as well as overcome existing shortcomings and limitations in local socio-economic development, thereby ensuring sustainable regional development. He particularly noted that the Northwest Program should focus on researching and developing applied science and technology products, exploiting the potential and strengths of the region, creating products with unique brands and characteristics, and aiming to develop local livelihoods.

Comrade Nguyen Van Binh - Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Central Economic Committee - delivered a speech at the Conference.

Comrade Nguyen Van Binh - Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Central Economic Committee - highly appreciated some of the results that the Program has achieved from 55 research topics and 3 pilot production projects, such as: 42 demonstration and testing models; 26 technologies and models transferred for application; 31 research topics with the participation of businesses and localities; a digitized interdisciplinary database of 14 fields; scientific arguments and recommendations... serving the construction and adjustment of strategies, plans and sustainable development plans, ensuring national defense and security in the Northwest region; livelihood models, farming, processing, production and business, training and human resource development,... which have been researched and promptly transferred to a number of Committees, Ministries, sectors, People's Committees of 14 provinces and businesses in the Northwest region.

The comrade also highly appreciated the fact that Vietnam National University, Hanoi had promptly compiled and selected the results achieved from the Program to contribute to the draft Political Report of the Party Congress of the 14 provinces in the Northwest region for the 2015-2020 term; provided advice on socio-economic development for the 2020-2025 period for the provinces in the Northwest region; in particular, the Program had put forward a number of proposals on “Perspectives and solutions for sustainable development of the Northern Midlands and mountainous region until 2030 and a vision to 2045."Serving the Project to Summarize 15 Years of Implementing Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW on “Directions for socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Northern Midlands and mountainous region up to 2010"This project is being implemented under the leadership of the Central Economic Committee."

Signing of documents transferring science and technology products of the Northwest Program to 14 provinces in the Northwest region.

In the spirit of a comprehensive assessment of the achievements as well as the difficulties and limitations of the Program in the past period, Comrade Nguyen Van Binh proposed:

First,,Despite significant investment in research during the 2013-2020 period, some studies remain largely academic; understanding of the region is not yet fully profound; models developed and implemented in the region have not had sufficient time to fully realize their value; and there is insufficient time and financial resources to implement technology transfer projects involving local authorities and businesses, following a regional and inter-regional approach. Tasks in the agricultural and forestry sectors that have been and are being implemented require more time to further develop and expand, maximizing the value of scientific and technological contributions.

Delegates visit the exhibition of science and technology products of the Northwest Program.

Second,The results achieved by the Program in the past period also show that the Northwest is one of the regions where development practices are posing many complex problems. These include the degradation and depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution due to inefficient exploitation and use of resources, especially minerals; the highest poverty rate in the country; the low quality of human resources; and the rapid increase in social evils and crimes such as drug trafficking, trafficking of women and children, and cross-border smuggling. The region also constantly harbors risks leading to discrimination, division, and conflict that hostile forces can exploit to undermine the regime and national security. This implies that continuing to organize and implement research stems from the practical needs of the region, and the sustainable development of the Northwest is also the sustainable development of the whole country.

Some herbal products are the result of component projects within the Northwest Program.

Third,in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,Science, technology, and culture have become the most direct and important resources for the rapid and sustainable development of all nations, peoples, regions, and localities. Similarly, for our country, especially for the Northwest region, to find the optimal and harmonious solutions to immediate and long-term development challenges; to maximize potential and advantages in order to quickly narrow the development gap with advanced countries in the region and the world, the only choice is to leverage intellectual and human resources, that is, to rely on the strength of science, technology, and culture.

Comrade Nguyen Van Binh at the exhibition of science and technology products of the Northwest Program.

Fourth isThe implementation period of the Program in the past phase has been short, while the area of ​​implementation is large and fraught with difficulties and complexities. The Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance need to consider continuing to prioritize investment in the Program for the 2021-2025 period, especially for projects and research topics that apply and replicate models for transferring scientific and technological products into production and daily life for ethnic minorities and agencies and businesses in the Northwest region. During implementation, it is necessary to mobilize diverse resources, both domestic and international; a clear coordination mechanism is needed to integrate the Northwest Program's projects and research topics with other socio-economic development programs, particularly from international cooperation resources.

Delegates pose for a commemorative photo at the exhibition.

Fifthly,In August 2019, the Central Economic Committee signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with two National Universities. Within this framework, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has actively participated in many tasks and projects led by the Central Economic Committee. In the future, VNU needs to continue to leverage its strengths, concretize cooperation programs more closely and practically, attract more participation from reputable experts and scientists both inside and outside VNU; and coordinate with the Central Economic Committee to propose new, breakthrough policies to promote socio-economic development in the Northwest region in particular and Vietnam in general in the new context.