Investing in science and technology human resources and intellectual treatment is investing in sustainable development.

On the afternoon of September 29, in Tokyo (Japan), Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Hoang Giang and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Japan Pham Quang Hieu chaired a meeting with the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan (Association of Intellectuals).

On behalf of the leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology , Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Giang highly appreciated the Association of Intellectuals' organization of the Vietnam Intellectual Forum in Japan (Vietnam Summit in Japan) 2023 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Giang shared that in the orientation of developing science and technology to serve the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, one of the new and important viewpoints that the Party and State emphasize is to consider investment in science and technology human resources and intellectual treatment as investment for sustainable development, directly enhancing the intelligence and strength of the nation.

In particular, overseas Vietnamese intellectuals are an important part of Vietnamese intellectuals, an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation. The Ministry of Science and Technology has been closely coordinating with relevant ministries and branches to develop and implement policies to promote activities to attract and encourage overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, experts and scientists to contribute to the cause of science, technology and innovation for the sustainable development of the country.

The Deputy Minister highly appreciated the activities of the Association of Intellectuals in recent times, especially the events successfully organized by the Association, attracting the participation of a large number of intellectuals and businessmen from Vietnam and Japan. Over the years, the Ministry of Science and Technology has always supported and accompanied the activities of the Association as well as science and technology activities in the homeland for national programs and projects on science and technology, joint research cooperation projects with research institutes and universities in Japan, consulting on policy planning and training of domestic science and technology human resources, acting as a bridge to open and expand cooperative relations with Japanese science and technology organizations.

At the meeting, Chairman of the Intellectuals Association Ta Viet Phuong introduced the Association and the network of 100 outstanding intellectuals in Japan. The structure includes 30% intellectuals in the fields of science, society and humanities, 30% are information technology experts and 40% in other fields. The Association has had many active activities in the field of science and technology, of which the most typical is the Vietnam Intellectuals Forum in Japan. The Chairman of the Association expressed his hope that the leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology would pay attention to and support the communication and organization work, especially arranging time to attend the Forum.

Assoc. Prof. Le Duc Anh, University of Tokyo, introduced to the Delegation the important and outstanding working sessions at the Vietnam Summit in Japan 2023 and wished to connect Vietnamese scientists abroad to contribute to science and technology activities in Vietnam.

Dr. Ta Duc Tung, Kyoto University, introduced the Science and Technology Collection published by the Intellectuals Association, which publishes quality research results of Vietnamese scientists in Japan, and proposed that the Ministry of Science and Technology consider sponsoring the Collection.

Also at the working session, members of the working delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology shared information on science and technology research funding activities of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED), the Office of State-level Key Science and Technology Programs and the main results achieved in the recent past.

The members also suggested a number of activities that the Intellectuals Association could participate in to contribute to science and technology activities in Vietnam. For example, participating in research coordination in topics and projects funded by Vietnam through NAFOSTED, the Office of State-level Key Science and Technology Programs, participating in relevant scientific assessment activities in Vietnam and suggesting to Vietnam important directions of science and technology research based on Japan's experience.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Giang thanked Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu, officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, and representatives of the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan for taking the time to meet, share information, and discuss with the delegation.

The Deputy Minister acknowledged the proposals and recommendations of Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu, representative of the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan, and requested the Science and Technology Counselor in Japan to act as the focal point for synthesizing, connecting, and coordinating with functional units of the Ministry of Science and Technology to consider and promote cooperation activities.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that science and technology cooperation activities need to be linked to socio-economic development. Therefore, the delegation hopes that the Vietnamese Embassy and the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan will closely coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology through units within the Ministry, taking advantage of Japan's experience and resources to focus on promoting tasks in priority areas in national programs such as water resources management, saltwater intrusion due to rising sea levels, vaccine development, biotechnology, and semiconductors./.

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