Source Photo: vnp.edu.vn

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Vietnamese businesses have not paid sufficient attention to protecting their intellectual assets and confidential business information, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Speaking at a seminar on "Intellectual Asset Management and Various Management Tools" held in HCM City last Friday, deputy minister Tran Van Tung said asset protection was essential to maintain business competitiveness.

The ministry and other government agencies have organised training programmes to help firms protect their intellectual property.

HCM City pioneered intellectual asset management in the country, seeking to enhance the quality of human resources in the city from 2011 to 2020.

As of September, more than 400 participants have attended the training programme in HCM City, with 120 completing a degree for intellectual asset management.

Saigon University was the first to offer courses on intellectual asset management, said Dao Vinh Xuan of the university.

However, students did not have many opportunities to practise, she said.

In a cooperative programme between the Viet Nam National University HCM City and HCM City, the former asked the city government to support two similar training programmes.

The training programmes began this month, serving more than 60 lecturers, researchers and staff at the university.

Tung said the ministry would work with other agencies to expand training courses on intellectual asset management to more areas.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Viet Nam Intellectual Property Research Institute and National Agency for Southern Affairs under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the HCM City Department of Science and Technology. — VNS