Priority research directions in the KC08 Program

The KC08 program management board prioritizes research on applying technology to warn and manage risks caused by natural disasters.

The above orientation was stated by Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Hoa, Head of the Science and Technology Research Program for Environmental Protection, Disaster Prevention and Climate Change Response (KC08) at the conference on orientation of scientific topics in this field for the period 2021 - 2030, on the morning of October 27. The conference was organized by the Office of State Key Programs, Ministry of Science and Technology in coordination with the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University).

According to Professor Hoa, Vietnam is among the five countries most severely affected by climate change, with 21 out of 22 common types of natural disasters recorded, such as storms, floods, landslides, etc. The severity is increasingly severe, abnormal, exceeding historical milestones in many regions of the country. He gave an example, urban areas in the delta such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, etc. are often severely affected by flooding, but in recent years, highland localities such as Lam Dong and Ha Giang have also experienced this situation. "This places a heavy responsibility on scientists in researching, forecasting, and responding to climate change," said Professor Hoa.

Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Hoa, Head of the KC08 Program, shared research orientation on the morning of October 27. Photo: Ha An — Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Hoa, Head of the KC08 Program, shared research orientation on the morning of October 27. Photo: *Ha An*

In the upcoming KC08 program, one of the important goals is to research, develop and perfect forecasting methods and processes; apply models and integrated tools to forecast and warn of dangerous meteorological and hydrological phenomena. Research needs to propose technological solutions to help prevent, respond to and overcome natural disaster risks, encourage the application of big data, advanced models... approaching world technologies.

In addition, the KC08 program prioritizes research and technology transfer in forecasting, monitoring, and supervising natural environmental factors such as land, water, air, etc. At the same time, it proposes solutions to improve the efficiency of management, pollution control, and environmental incident recovery. Research on efficient use of resources, towards the development of circular economy, green economy, carbon market, etc., along with related policy proposals are encouraged in the program.

With the specificity of applied research, according to Professor Hoa, the KC08 program aims for at least 80% of tasks to have products applied in practice when the program ends, and 80% of the project results to continue to be researched and completed. 10% of tasks are pilot production projects, helping to link research with actual production activities.

Having participated in many research projects, Dr. Tran Quoc Cuong, Institute of Geology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, said that scientists often encounter difficulties in administrative procedures, bidding processes, etc. Therefore, when developing a task outline, scientists must carefully calculate chemical parameters and technical equipment to avoid future problems. He also hopes to receive support from management agencies in amending procedural regulations to facilitate scientists.

According to Mr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the Office of State-level Key Programs, Ministry of Science and Technology, in the new regulations on the management of national-level science and technology tasks, the task contract form is amended in the direction of gradually approaching civil relations, following the policy of accepting risks. Accordingly, the contract has a clause exempting scientists from civil liability in cases of force majeure, defined according to the Civil Code. This creates maximum conditions for the presiding agency and scientists to feel more secure in research, accepting risks in cases of force majeure.

Ha An

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