'Technology helps businesses compete sustainably'

According to scientists, new technological solutions not only help businesses compete sustainably in the market but also help create added value.

At 9:00 a.m. on May 17, the 2023 Young Scientist Summit took place at the Ministry of Science and Technology, with the theme "Young Scientists and Sustainable Development Goals".

Hundreds of delegates, including leading scientists, researchers in the country and contestants, were present from early morning. Nguyen Thi Thao Ngan, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said that the theme of this year's conference is meaningful, demonstrating the vision and aspiration that science can contribute to long-term development. She also hopes that the information shared can serve the purpose of studying and researching.

In his opening speech, the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology highly appreciated VnExpress Newspaper for organizing the event. He said that this is a forum where current issues of concern are shared, and a playground for young scientists to showcase their research results.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Giang speaks at the event. Photo: Giang Huy

The 2023 Science Innovation Competition attracted more than 130 entries with many initiatives from research groups, non-professional inventors, teachers... which, according to the Deputy Minister, are "very noteworthy". He hopes that this movement will be increasingly replicated, helping the community have a more convenient life when applying innovations and scientific and technical solutions to life.

He cited data that Vietnam continues to maintain a high ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII), among the countries that have made the greatest progress in the past decade. In the 2021-2030 development period, with a vision to 2045, the Party and State have high expectations for the fundamental role of science, technology and innovation, considering this a "strategic breakthrough" and "main driving force" to create a breakthrough in productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy. The Deputy Minister's orientation and expectations put the science and technology force in front of opportunities and challenges to innovate, so as not to fall behind, to develop faster, more substantially and sustainably.

As the opening speaker, Dr. Luong Quang Huy, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, talked about Vietnam's sustainable development goals in the current development strategy. According to him, in Vietnam, the economic development process has led to environmental and pollution problems that need to be solved in many localities and across borders. He pointed out the causes of the growth in economic scale and population, climate change, the existence of the viewpoint of prioritizing economic growth in the business community and managers, and issues of policy and law.

To reduce environmental pollution, Mr. Huy suggested that we need to switch from fossil fuels to clean, low-emission energy. Vietnam aims to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to 70% by 2030. This requires a lot of investment but brings long-term benefits to the environment.

According to him, Vietnam is doing well in natural disaster prevention but needs more investment to ensure that activities are improved. In addition, he also pointed out the challenges that make the Vietnamese science and technology product market fiercely competitive, domestic technology is still slow, the legal framework, institutions, and policies still have many shortcomings, and there is a lack of scientific management mechanisms...

Dr. Luong Quang Huy talks about environmental issues and climate change. Photo: Giang Huy

As the second speaker, Mr. Vu Chi Cong, ESG Director, VinaCapital Investment Fund mentioned the role of science and technology in the green economy. According to him, in the past, investment funds only looked at factors such as business profits, cash flow, etc. when selecting businesses, but now, investment funds also evaluate ESG criteria, looking at how the business's operations can cause risks to the environment, and how the business focuses on sustainable development. "This is consistent with the world's development trend and FDI capital flows from developed countries to developing countries operate according to this trend," he emphasized.

Mr. Vu Chi Cong emphasized the role of science and technology in the green economy. Photo: Giang Huy

As the third speaker, Dr. Ngo Thi Thuy Huong, Lecturer of the Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Head of the Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology Research Group, Phenikaa University, shared solutions for environmental protection. The female doctor shared about environmental pollutants, common in river basins in Vietnam are metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, etc.), organic substances that are difficult to decompose, and come from activities such as mining and agricultural activities of people as well as spontaneous waste burning.

To solve this problem, the group pursued two research directions: reducing dioxin in soil, sediment and food chains contaminated with dioxin and finding answers for "dead" rivers. "The results showed that the technology to treat dioxin pollution with plants has been developed and has the potential to be widely applied to areas contaminated with organic substances that are difficult to decompose," said Ms. Huong.

At the end of her speech, Dr. Huong also pointed out another hot spot: microplastic pollution, which affects the landscape, pollutes the water environment, and transmits toxins to the food chain for humans and creatures. She said that Phenikaa University has cooperated with Heriot-Watt University (UK) to study the impact of microplastic pollution in the ocean on some key economies in Vietnam as well as the impact on human health. The new project started in 2022, collecting samples on the coast of Vietnam and is being analyzed.

Speakers discuss at the event. Photo: Giang Huy

After the main session, the conference moved to the discussion section with the participation of 3 previous speakers, along with Mr. Bui Xuan Huong - Deputy Director of HDBank Corporate Customer Division. The speakers analyzed in depth the opportunities and challenges for businesses to conduct research and apply science and technology in production and business.

Talking about solutions to help sustainable development, from the perspective of a scientist, Dr. Ngo Thi Thuy Huong assessed that if businesses commit to producing and following the 17 sustainable development goals, businesses will benefit the most. Because when a business's products are labeled as sustainable, they will be welcomed by the people, thereby helping businesses consume more. This shows that the companionship of businesses in sustainable development is necessary. According to her, businesses need to accompany the team of scientists, ensuring that the products meet the goals of sustainability. "When implementing a project, scientists need to understand the needs of society and the needs of businesses, not just wait for businesses to give them problems to advise and suggest," Ms. Huong emphasized.

The speakers all agreed that businesses and scientists need to work together. According to Mr. Vu Chi Cong, ESG Director, VinaCapital Investment Fund, businesses need to proactively participate in this commitment and have specific solutions such as saving energy, costs or minimizing waste or reusing. He informed that the fund always accompanies businesses, especially SMEs, in the process of developing sustainable business models. VinaCapital's startup investment fund is mainly related to technology, aiming to help businesses reduce warehouse and raw material costs and limit emissions.

From a business perspective, Mr. Bui Xuan Huong, Deputy Director of HDBank Corporate Banking, said that recently, the bank has been promoting investment in remote provinces, aiming for digital transformation and partly contributing to economic growth for localities. The bank is particularly interested in scientists, especially in science and technology in all fields.

Dr. Luong Quang Huy, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said that a number of new markets are forming such as the market for environmental goods and services, secondary materials or environmentally friendly products, among which the carbon market is creating new currency. "This is a new market, serving businesses to generate profits, contributing to the goal of reducing CO2 emissions, greenhouse effects, contributing to sustainable development, creating new currency", he said. According to him, currently in Vietnam, 900,000 businesses have approached to ask about the carbon process with issues of mechanism and pricing. Mr. Huy assessed that businesses are moving very quickly on this issue and creating competitiveness.

At the end of the discussion, the speakers answered questions from students and contestants. Responding to students’ experiences in becoming a scientist, Dr. Ngo Thi Thuy Huong said that passion is the most important thing for young people, it will help them find their destination, besides, they also need a teacher to keep the passion burning.

The Young Scientists Conference ended with a lucky draw program with 5 readers receiving a gift from the Organizing Committee, which is a Xiaomi Power Bank 3 Ultra Compact backup battery, worth 600,000 VND.

Nhu Quynh

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