Connecting scientists with businesses

View of the International Conference on Research and Development (R&D) Cooperation and Business Connection between Vietnam and Korea.

Create synergy

The workshop was organized for scientists to share their visions, for businesses to search, connect and establish direct communication channels with partners, thereby promoting technology transfer, research and development (R&D) cooperation and commercialization of research results, contributing to creating a foundation for building a Vietnam-Korea innovation network.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Mr. Oh Sang Rok, President of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), said that the cooperation between the two institutes effectively takes advantage of the strengths of the two countries, thereby quickly turning innovative ideas into practical activities.

The goal of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology is to accompany businesses to narrow the gap between research and the market, ensuring that scientific achievements do not stop in the laboratory.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year, and the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology will continue the research tradition of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology over the past six decades, thereby positioning itself as a center for business cooperation between the two countries.

At the same time, the two sides aim to promote the global breakthrough development of Vietnamese enterprises, as well as expand the Vietnamese market for Korean enterprises in the era of advanced technology, when the business environment and daily lifestyle are changing rapidly due to artificial intelligence and advanced biotechnology.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh delivered a welcome speech at the workshop.

Director Oh Sang Rok emphasized that the two institutes will accompany businesses, jointly identify problems, design solutions on the spot, help businesses find new motivation and sustainable development, and at the same time, will strongly support the announcement of achievements, promote partner connections and exchanges right at the conference, create a foundation for joint research projects and expand cooperation globally.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh said that during General Secretary To Lam's visit to Korea in August 2025, the two sides agreed to enhance the capacity and role of VKIST, considering it a focal point for strategic cooperation in science and technology between the two countries.

“We agreed with the leaders of the two Institutes to select key national projects to participate in the role of receiving, transferring and mastering technology. With the strong presence of large corporations such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK, the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology can absolutely become an important bridge to promote the application of research results to the operations of Korean enterprises in Vietnam, while supporting Vietnamese enterprises to reach the global market,” said Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh.

In the spirit of companionship and sustainable cooperation, Mr. Vu Xuan Hung, Head of the Management Board of High-Tech Parks and Industrial Parks of Hanoi City, pledged to create all favorable conditions for cooperation activities in research, technology development, incubation of science and technology enterprises, and transfer of research results into production practices; support the connection between Vietnamese and Korean enterprises, help connect research institutes, universities with the production and business sector; closely coordinate with the two in implementing R&D projects, high-tech human resource training programs and building an innovation ecosystem of Hanoi and the Capital region.

High Technology Incubation and Training Center (HITC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with VKIST Institute.

Considering the workshop as an activity to concretize the goal of solving practical problems of enterprises, Director of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology Vu Duc Loi hopes that the workshop will create a bridge of substantive cooperation, where researchers, policy makers and the Vietnamese-Korean business community will sit together to identify priority areas, new cooperation models, and specific steps to promote innovation with enterprises as the center.

Director Vu Duc Loi said that no country can take off alone. Cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation with Korea is not only a priority, but also an inevitable choice.

Vietnam has a young, dynamic and creative workforce; Korea has a strong technology base and successful experience in transferring research to businesses. This combination will create a synergy, helping both countries to reach further in the global value chain.

Support businesses and scientists to commercialize technology

At the event, the High-Tech Incubation and Training Center (HITC) - a unit under the Management Board of High-Tech Parks and Industrial Parks of Hanoi City signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology to promote research, training, technology commercialization and development of science and technology enterprises.

The leaders of the National Office of Intellectual Property awarded the Patent and Utility Solution to representatives of four groups of authors of the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology, affirming the creative capacity of scientists and demonstrating the operational efficiency of the Vietnam-Korea R&D cooperation model.

The leaders of the Intellectual Property Office awarded the Patent and Utility Solution to representatives of 4 groups of authors.

In addition, at the workshop, scientists reported the results of research cooperation projects between the two institutes in 2025, such as: Developing nano particles containing EGCG from Vietnamese green tea, applying anti-oxidation, protecting the skin from UV rays and healing wounds; Researching controlled coffee fermentation and utilizing coffee husks to create materials; Researching the process of separating and purifying rare earth elements using advanced liquid extraction technology; Researching the process of creating resistant starch type 3 (RS-3) from arrowroot starch and evaluating the effect of RS-3 on blood sugar and blood lipid index in vivo; Researching and developing AI technology using ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases with knee effusion; Researching and developing nanoPCR kits to quickly detect some types of viruses that cause diseases on passion fruit plants in Vietnam; Researching the process of extracting saponin from Vietnamese pennywort for application in medicine and cosmetics.

The topics focus on highly applicable research directions, contributing to solving key technological problems, promoting knowledge transfer and enhancing research and development capacity between the two sides; at the same time, opening up prospects for commercializing research results and connecting businesses in the Vietnam-Korea innovation ecosystem.

Recently, KIST and VKIST have implemented a key cooperation program with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness of joint research based on the needs of businesses of the two countries, and at the same time applying research results into practice to effectively serve the needs of the business community in Vietnam and Korea.

The 2025 program has achieved certain results. At the workshop, two representatives implementing the program's topics reported the research results of the topics "Recovery of aluminum from electroplating-anodizing wastewater towards a circular economy" and "Commercialization of γ-oryzanol separation and purification technology based on supercritical CO₂ extraction technology".

Another effective and practical activity of the program is to connect Vietnamese and Korean businesses. Within the framework of the workshop, 4 Korean businesses and 6 typical Vietnamese businesses expected to participate in the program in 2026 were introduced and introduced their businesses.

HA LINH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dong-hanh-ket-noi-nha-khoa-hoc-voi-doanh-nghiep-post921166.html