On the morning of June 17th, 2019, the Science Commercialisation Training of Trainer Program on training lecturers on commercializing scientific research results organized by Aus4Innovation, Australia was launched at Vietnam National University of Agriculture. This program is in the framework of the partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam (MOST) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) – a body of the Australian government that is responsible for scientific research. The vision of this partnership is "Enhancing the supports for Vietnam to promote its economic growth and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". The training program took place in two days from June 17th to June 18th, 2019 and was guided by Mr. Cameron Johns – an Australia's leading expert on the commercialization of training with the participation of staff and lecturers from the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Can Tho University (CTU) and Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA).

 

This two-day training course started the initiative of an 18-month training course on developing the capacities and the commercialization of scientific research results.

 

Aus4Innovation is one of six initiatives funded by the Australian government for Vietnam with a development assistance package of 10 million AUD to strengthen Vietnam's innovation system, prepare and seize the opportunities related to Industry 4.0 and help shape Vietnam's innovation program in science and technology. Through Aus4Innovation, Australia and Vietnam will jointly explore emerging areas of technology and digital transformation, test new models in partnerships between public and private sector organizations, multiply and strengthen Vietnam's capacity in digital forecasting, and construct the commercialization and policies on innovation.

The Commercialization of scientific research results component is worth 2 million AUD, focusing on the model of networking and building cooperation between public and private research institutes to commercialize scientific results in the field of agriculture and food.

Through this training program, the selected staff and lecturers from the participating universities, departments, and institutes will have the opportunity to learn, share and discuss with Australian experts and representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology on the development of Vietnam's S&T market, new regulations on S&T market development, and some existing problems in the commercialization of research results, especially in the field of food and agriculture. After this training course, each participating unit is expected to submit at least 2 project proposals on commercialization of research results to the Australian experts for detailed guidance on a whole process of commercialization. The evaluation criteria for these proposals will focus on the field of food and agriculture, the newness and effectiveness of innovative solutions; the feasibility in commercialization; the potential profitability of business model; the priority for female beneficiaries; the benefits for the poor and positive impacts on the environment. A representative of each university, department, and research institute and the most suitable learners will be selected to participate in a one-week practical course in Australia this August.

Some pictures of the Launching Ceremony: