At the Australia – Viet Nam Business Cooperation Forum held in HCM City on Thursday companies from the two countries discussed co-operation and technology transfer in areas like clean energy, hi-tech agriculture and digital transformation applications.

Speaking virtually, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy said, “Viet Nam has moved on to a period of economic development based on science and technology and innovation.

“We believe that the Australia -Vietnam Business Cooperation Forum promotes economic co-operation between the two countries.

“We hope to have more universities like the Sydney University of Technology co-operate with Vietnamese universities and enterprises to establish partnerships for innovation, technology transfer and socio-economic development.”

Besides business co-operation, there are also other programmes which promote the development of Viet Nam’s innovation eco-system and seek co-operation between universities and businesses in the two countries to connect the innovation eco-system in the two countries, he said.

Prof Eryk Dutkiewicz, head of the School of Electrical and Data Engineer at the University of Technology Sydney, said a majority of industries in Viet Nam have a need to learn and access new technologies to increase productivity, get deeper into the global supply chain and make products and services of higher value.

Application of digital transformation in search and rescue, climate change response, health, solar agricultural and seafood drying technologies, blockchain application in agricultural traceability, smart agricultural solutions, bio-methane from agricultural waste, clean energy, and technology transfer to SMEs were discussed.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the University of Technology Sydney, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Saigon Innovation Hub, and the HCM City University of Technology organised the forum within the framework of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant programme.

It is also part of a series of activities to strengthen co-operation between SMEs in the two countries. — VNS