HCM CITY — Nearly 70 universities, research institutions, businesses and innovation supporting agencies are participating in a five-day National Advanced Training Programme on Successful Technology Licensing that began on Monday in HCM City.

“In the ASEAN region, Việt Nam is one of the rising stars regarding innovation,” said Olga Spasic, counselor with the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Support Division of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Department for Transition and Developed Countries.

In the latest Global Innovation Index report, Việt Nam is recognised to be one of the “new Asian tigers” on the rise, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, she said at the opening ceremony of the training programme.

Việt Nam has been active in improving innovation performance, showcasing best practices, paired with remarkable results, Spasic added.

Last year, for example, a Vietnamese government resolution assigned responsibilities to ministries, agencies, and local governments to undertake actions to improve the country’s performance, and the Ministry of Science and Technology was tasked with co-ordinating these efforts.

WIPO is supporting efforts of the Government to achieve its strategic objectives. It is with this vision that the WIPO Enabling Intellectual Property Environment project was developed, Spasic said.

The project aims to increase the capacity of countries for technology development, management and successful Intellectual Property (IP) commercialisation through establishment of a sustainable innovation system and creation of strong network of all stakeholders.

The project is currently being implemented in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Iran and Việt Nam. In Việt Nam, it will be implemented for five years, starting from 2018.

Primary beneficiaries include universities and R&D institutions, Government innovation supporting agencies, industries and other players in the innovation process.

A project governance and operating structure is in place to ensure mutual accountability of parties involved and sustain results beyond the project’s timeframe.

The National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) has networked with 30 technology and innovation support centres at universities and research institutes, Đinh Hữu Phí, head of NOIP, said.

Twenty centres have signed up to join the project.

This week, WIPO experts will interview and select official universities and research institutes to participate in the project, he said.

The training programme in HCM City is organised by WIPO in collaboration with NOIP under Việt Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology. —VNS