Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange: Towards a core role in the innovation ecosystem

Although it has been put into operation, the lack of incentive mechanisms, finance, especially the data infrastructure that has not met practical needs has made the Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange (Techport) ineffective. Ho Chi Minh City is looking to reposition Techport as a strategic national infrastructure platform and a technology-market convergence point, contributing to creating growth momentum in the digital age.

Unable to identify transactions

It is noted that Techport has established a digital platform, managed technology data, supported intellectual property consulting and transferred research results. However, Techport's operations still face many difficulties due to businesses not being familiar with the concept of technology transfer, lacking incentive mechanisms, finance, and especially the data infrastructure not meeting practical needs.

“To promote efficiency, it is necessary to upgrade technology infrastructure, determine a new operating model, and refer to advanced technology exchanges in Singapore, Shanghai (China)... Along with that, it is necessary to apply artificial intelligence (AI), big data and systems to evaluate technology and monitor technology transfer activities,” said Mr. Vo Duy Khanh, Head of Technology Transaction Department, Ho Chi Minh City Center for Science and Technology Information and Statistics (CESTI).

Many activities introducing technology products at the Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange. Photo: TAN BA

Techport operates with three main functions: technology trading, consulting services and partner search. In the past, 18,649 technologies and equipment from 2,373 suppliers participated in the trading floor with 658 projects looking for partners.

From the activities of promoting and connecting technology supply and demand, in the period of 2021-2024, the trading floor has received and provided information for more than 6,000 requests for technology searches from individuals and businesses. However, the statistics and determination of the quantity and value of technology and equipment contracts has become a "difficult problem" because most buyers and sellers connect with each other.

“Currently, most of the exchanges are only at the data sharing level, the organization is unprofessional, and the technology absorption capacity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is weak. In addition, the fragmentation, each locality developing its own exchange, makes the market lack scale and connectivity,” said Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Chief of Office of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vietnam needs to overcome the notion that a technology exchange is just an information portal, instead of being a market infrastructure, a place to effectively connect technology supply and demand, support transactions, pricing, intellectual property consulting and technology commercialization.

Update new technology applications

Mr. Phan Quoc Tuan, Deputy Head of the Department of Technology Management and Standards and Quality Measurement, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, said: “According to the direction of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation, Techport will be developed into an integrated model between digital and direct exchanges, with full functions of consulting, pricing, auctioning, legal support, financial linkage and international connection. Thus, the exchange plays a core role in the innovation ecosystem, a place where technology information and intellectual property converge, contributing to shortening the distance from research to the market”.

According to a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City High Technology Association, applying blockchain technology to the management of technology transaction chains on Techport is a future development direction. Blockchain helps ensure that all transactions have digital traces, are difficult to counterfeit, and allow for quick verification of technology origins.

Mr. Dao Ha Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High Technology Association, said that unlike traditional databases, blockchain allows information to be stored in a tightly linked, uneditable chain. Thanks to that, all technology transactions are recorded transparently, helping to minimize the risk of fraud, counterfeiting and increasing trust between parties - from researchers, businesses to management agencies.

One of the platforms being deployed is TrustChain, which has been applied since 2018 in food traceability, and has proven its practical effectiveness in Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association said it is ready to support free connection and data storage between Techport and the TrustChain platform, helping businesses and organizations better protect copyrights and trademarks, creating advantages when expanding to the international market.

Many technologies are introduced at the Ho Chi Minh City Technology Exchange

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the development of Techport is not only an inevitable requirement but also a key orientation clearly stated in Plan No. 1413/KH-UBND dated March 3, 2025 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo . Techport plays the role of a strategic infrastructure, helping knowledge and intellectual property to be effectively commercialized, becoming a driving force for innovation and digital transformation, meeting the new development needs of science and technology activities.

From international experience, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong proposed a multi-layered Techport model: a national core layer chaired by the Ministry of Science and Technology; a specialized layer by field, region, and a layer of institutes, schools, and enterprises. This model needs to be operated according to market mechanisms, applying digital technology , with the participation of the private sector under the public-private partnership (PPP) method and applying a sandbox mechanism (experimentation) to create a space for testing new policies, suitable for innovation practices.

KIM THANH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/san-giao-dich-cong-nghe-tphcm-huong-toi-vai-tro-hat-nhan-trong-he-sinh-thai-doi-moi-sang-tao-post798167.html