Science and Technology: Driving Force of Development

In the past years, Yen Bai province has constantly renovated and promoted scientific and technological activities, applying them to production to raise the value, efficiency, competitiveness of commodities and products, and gradually making this sector one of the most important forces for socioeconomic development. Mr. Vu Xuan Hoi, Director of Yen Bai Department of Science and Technology, gives an exclusive interview to Vietnam Business Forum Magazine on this issue.

What solutions have you advised relevant agencies to make science and technology one of the most important drivers of socioeconomic development?

In the past years, we have well performed the functions and duties as an authority of science and technology in the province and advised relevant bodies on renovating management mechanism of science and technology research and application; focused on placing orders, carrying out highly applicable tasks that match local socioeconomic development and administrative reform requirements, especially in agricultural and forest production development in association with the new countryside construction program, aimed to adopt new plants and animals and new technologies in production, process agricultural and forest products, and improve production value and efficiency. We have also advised on building intellectual property protection for key local agricultural products and specialty products such as tea, cinnamon, orange, pomelo, and aquatic products in Thac Ba Lake. We have also mentored on developing SME support schemes to start up innovative businesses and hoped that this will be a motivating force for business development based on scientific and technological development initiatives and results.

What do you think about the 5-year implementation of the Action Plan for Scientific and Technological Development for industrialization and modernization?

After five years of implementation, Action Plan 76-CTr/TU dated March 31, 2014 of Yen Bai Provincial Party Committee to execute Resolution 20-NQ/TW dated November 1, 2012 of the 11th Central Committee of the Party Central Committee on Scientific and Technological Development in service of industrialization and modernization in the context of socialist-oriented market economy and international integration has obtained some remarkable achievements: Heightened awareness of Party committees, authorities, local authorities of scientific and technological position and role; management mechanism streamlined and reformed for better performance and engagement of organizations and individuals in scientific and technological activity; state administration strengthened and streamlined to reduce intermediaries and raise the responsibility of agency heads for task performance (after arranging and consolidating the apparatus, the Department of Science and Technology now has only five remaining divisions and one public service unit); scientific and technological activities focused for key fields (agriculture, forestry, information technology and intellectual property); scientific and technological applications deployed in reality; public services and measurement instruments deployed to meet the demands of enterprises, organizations and people.

How have local enterprises applied scientific and technological innovations and applications in recent years?

In general, the rate of applying scientific and technological know-how to production by local enterprises remains slow because most of them have small or micro business scale, limited financial resources and weak management. However, some companies are successful in renovating and applying scientific and technological progress, including Yen Bai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company and Hoang Lien Son Technical Porcelain Joint Stock Company. To reach these successes, they are persistent in building and applying Vietnamese and international technical standards and continuously investing in scientific and technological innovations technology, equipment, production lines, automation, semi-automation and computerized production technology.

In recent years, Yen Bai province has promoted support to local enterprises with scientific and technological innovations and applications. Could you please tell us about this support?

Yen Bai province always supports and inspires local enterprises to innovate and apply science and technology to production and business operations. In addition to central general policies, the province has funded them to apply LEAN quality productivity tool to business and production management (clearly improved product efficiency and productivity) and supported enterprises to have scientific and technological investment projects. The Provincial People’s Committee also issued Plan 182/KH-UBND dated October 19, 2017 on support for scientific and technological innovations and applications, equipment, technology transfer and intellectual property by enterprises in Yen Bai province in 2017-2020. Nevertheless, not many have made bold investment in scientific and technological innovations and applications to get these incentives.

Thank you very much!