Description

This was the major content of an online workshop co-organized this morning by two departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), i.e., the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC) and the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (IP Vietnam) within the framework of the Techfest Vietnam 2021.

According to Đinh Hữu Phí, director of IP Vietnam, intellectual property has become an effective tool in supporting enterprises, especially spin-off start-ups in innovation, enhancement of competition competence, and subsequent creation of momentum for country’s economic development. However, the development of spin-off start-ups is limited due to the following challenges: (1) low and scattered financial investment in science and technology, (2) policy and institutional mechanisms do not meet practical requirements, (3) insufficient attention of research institutions to commercialization of products, (4) lack of coordination and cooperation between research institutions and enterprises, (5) difficulties in registering for protection of intellectual property, etc., said Bùi Hữu Dũng, rector of Hồng Đức university.

Mr. Phí also referred that the number of patent applications by universities and research institutes tends to increase in recent years. However, there are still shortcomings of the legal framework including intellectual property regulations, which hinder the commercialization of the research results from research institutions. There will be improvements of policies and laws to create favorable conditions for the exploitation and commercialization of research results, e.g., simplifications of some requirements regarding the control of the transfer of industrial property rights, modification of some legal documents relating to the Law on Science and Technology. One of the solutions for start-ups is to connect and exploit intellectual assets from universities and research institutions, where knowledge and technologies are created. Such cooperation is already mentioned and promoted in the Intellectual Property Strategy to 2030 and the Asset Development Program to 2030. This collaboration brings win-win results. Specifically, enterprises help research institutions shorten the process of applying research results into practice; in return, they also can save time and reduce research investment costs to focus on product and market development. For research institutions, this cooperation provides them opportunities to commercialize and spread their research results. The economic benefits will subsequently create momentum for promoting further research activities of these institutions.

Sources & further information: “Thúc đẩy khởi nghiệp từ tài sản trí tuệ tại trường ĐH, viện nghiên cứu” at https://www.vietnamplus.vn and “Kết nối, khai thác tài sản trí tuệ từ các trường đại học, viện nghiên cứu” at https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn, accessed on 3 December 2021.