Minister Huynh Thanh Dat hada meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang on July 13 and addressed the 63rd series of meetings of the Assemblies of the WIPO Member States on July 14.
At these events, Dat underlinedthat as a WIPO member, Vietnam is ready to join others in implementing theorganisation’s common initiatives to support post-pandemic recovery, createfavourable conditions for relevant parties in the intellectual property (IP) andinnovation ecosystem, especially small and medium firms and startups, and encouragethe engagement of women and the young.
Vietnam will remain anactive, proactive and responsible member of WIPO for the development of aninclusive, balanced, dynamic and future-oriented global IP ecosystem, therebyhelping enrich humankind’s knowledge and culture and promote sustainableeconomic growth and development, he said.
Appreciating WIPO’sassistance for Vietnam to effectively implement the cooperation projects andprogrammes on building the IP system’s capacity, he proposed the organisation continuehelping the country carry out the national IP strategy and the revised IP Law;form and promote an IP culture in society; increase collaboration in IPtraining; and carry out the projects assisting businesses with innovation,technology transfer, IP development and protection so as to improve their resilience,adaptability, competitiveness and growth.
On this occasion, theminister witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperationin implementing the national IP strategy between his ministry’s IP Office and WIPO.A cooperation deal between the IP offices of Vietnam and the UK was alsoextended.
In France, Minister Dat hadtalks with the French Minister of Higher Education and Research and visitedsome agencies and organisations in the country’s national innovation system,including the National Centre for Space Studies, the Alternative Energies andAtomic Energy Commission in Grenoble, the Inovalée science park, and AirbusDefence and Space.
The two sides agreed to seek anappropriate cooperation mechanism in the new context through upgrading theagreement on scientific and technological cooperation inked by the twoGovernments in 2007; set up more connection channels to boost academicexchanges through Vietnam’s return to the Hubert Curien programme of France; and open a new corridorfor promoting technology cooperation and transfer between Vietnamese and Frenchinnovation firms.
They agreed on some concreteactivities to connect Inovaléeof France with high-tech parks of Vietnam so as to facilitate investment inhigh technology. They also looked into the potential of and some measures forenhancing more substantive scientific and technological ties in some new areaslike space, green technology and new energy, along with traditional fields suchas biotechnology, health care and agriculture.
While in France,Dat also attended the UNESCO-held opening ceremony of the International Year ofBasic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022, and a high-level seminar onthe role of science in policy making./.