Professor Chu Hoàng Hà. Photo courtesy of Institute of Biotechnology

Associate Professor Chu Hoàng Hà, vice president of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and director of the Institute of Biotechnology, speaks to Vietnam News Agency about the development and application of biotechnology for national sustainable growth.

What is the importance of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 36/NQ-TW dated January 30, 2023, on the development and application of biotechnology for the country’s sustainable development in the new situation?

Biotechnology is an extremely important field for the development of the world as well as Việt Nam. The Party Central Committee Secretariat issued a number of directives and most recently the Politburo approved Resolution 36/NQ-TW dated January 30, 2023, on the development and application of biotechnology for sustainable development of the country in the new situation.

These are extremely important orientations for the development of biotechnology in our country, demonstrating the Party's viewpoints, policies, and directions on the development of an important science and technology industry expected to make an important contribution to the development of the country.

Resolution 36/NQ-TW was issued timely in the new situation. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the world just experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, it shows the importance of biotechnology in response to challenges such as climate change, waste pollution, plastic as well as opportunities and benefits to be taken advantage of for the development of the country.

How do you evaluate the position and capacity of our country's biotechnology industry today compared to other countries in the world?

Biotechnology has made many contributions to the development of our country.

The biotechnology sector has seen tremendous growth in terms of both quantity and quality of biotechnology researchers in nearly 20 years after Directive 50-CT-TW was issued in 2005.

Progress has been made in terms of the amount and money invested in research and equipment, facilities, and the creation of biotechnology laboratories.

However, in comparison to demand, it must be admitted that the biotech industry still has various restrictions.

Biotech companies stay deficient in quantity and weak in quality, leading to the fact that the market for the biotechnology industry has not yet been developed.

From my perspective, Việt Nam's biotechnology industry ranks fourth or fifth in ASEAN, after Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Growing Deer Horn Reishi at Phú Gia Biotech Company in Thái Nguyên Province. VNA/VNS Photo Trần Trang

With the current capacity of our country's biotechnology industry, how do you assess the ability to achieve the goal set out in the Resolution: By 2030, our country's biotechnology will reach the global advanced level in a number of important fields? Which areas of the biotechnology industry can be developed to reach the global level?

In spite of limited capacity, Việt Nam’s biotech has specific advantages and should focus on some sectors.

We should focus on biotech applications in agriculture, such as breeding plants and animals, veterinary drugs, biological plant protection drugs, vaccine development, biological products used in agriculture, feed for aquaculture, and biological fertilisers.

Biotechnology also needs to be applied in animal husbandry, aquaculture and smart farming.

With the benefit of agriculture, animal husbandry and processing industries need to apply biotech in the future to boost productivity, product quality and foster competition with the global market.

Another area that needs focus is medicine and health care, such as biological drugs, vaccines, and drugs from medicinal herbs, as well as the application of biotechnology in the treatment of diseases such as stem cell therapy, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and personalised medicine.

Việt Nam is one of the leading countries in the world's green transition, with a pledge to reduce net emissions to "zero" by 2050. Therefore, the use of biotechnology in environmental protection is critical.

Biological products can be used to address barn smells, river, lake, and wastewater contamination. The application of biotechnology in environmental protection also helps to decompose inorganic and organic toxins, industrial waste treatment, as well as handle oil spills or oil pollution.

Another important area to apply advanced biotechnology is security - defence. For example, the use of biological data, DNA to identify the remains of martyrs, solve the war consequences.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of applying biotechnology in our country today?

One of the advantages is the attention of the Party and the State through guidelines and policies.

Our country has a reasonably developed agricultural production and a high demand for agricultural technology and biotechnology goods. There is a great need to apply biotechnology in processing agricultural products and food.

Furthermore, our nation has a vast population, active people, and a youthful generation that is ready to learn, which is an advantage in terms of human resources for developing the biotechnology sector in the future.

Việt Nam has a high demand for the use of biotechnology in manufacturing medications, health care goods, medical evaluation and treatment.

With a hot and humid environment and abundant biological resources, our country will have an advantage in developing biotechnology.

Meanwhile, challenges have also been recognised in Resolution No. 36/NQ-TW and by scientists and managers, for example, the legal system, mechanisms, and policies in research, development, and application of biotechnology are still limited and inconsistent, sometimes hindering the application of biotechnology in life and production.

Some significant fields of biotechnology are still behind the times and have not reached the necessities of reality. Human resources for biotechnology are still scarce, and some sectors of the business are subpar.

Biotechnology facilities, laboratories, and research facilities are frequently inadequate and inconsistent.

There haven't been many large corporations investing in biotechnology, resulting in a relatively restricted biological sector in our nation, as well as a lack of a market for science and technology in general, and biotechnology in particular.

What solutions are needed so that Resolution No. 36/NQ-TW can prove effective and overcome difficulties and make full use of internal advantages?

Resolution No. 36/NQ-TW clearly indicates paths and solutions for achieving the objectives. Among them are communication and education to raise community awareness so that people understand the role and importance of biotechnological technology, its application in agricultural production, food processing, medicine, and the environment.

The resolution also includes recommendations and solutions for improving laws, mechanisms, and policies in biotechnology research, development, and application, such as policies for biotech market development and human resource attraction; encouraging businesses to invest in biotechnology, pharmaceutical management, plant and animal varieties, fertilisers, and pesticides; preferential policies to attract FDI.

It is required to strengthen biotechnology human resource training, combining learning with research practice and manufacturing practice. Building a team of reputed top scientists is also needed.

We must concentrate on increasing investment in facilities and equipment to form a system of laboratories and biotechnology research centres with international standards. VNS