WIPO Director General: Vietnam enters a new chapter of innovation and development

(Dan Tri) - Vietnam is shifting its focus from "rights protection" to "propertyization and commercialization", bringing intellectual property to the market, considering it as the property of businesses.

On September 25-26, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Daren Tang visited and worked in Vietnam at the invitation of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), aiming to expand cooperation in the field of intellectual property and innovation (IPR).

The focus of the visit was the meeting between the Minister of Science and Technology and the Director General of WIPO.

The two sides exchanged strategies for developing the intellectual property ecosystem, shared international experiences, and discussed solutions to promote commercialization, financialization, and digital transformation of intellectual property.

In the presence of the Minister of Science and Technology, the National Office of Intellectual Property and WIPO signed a number of cooperation documents on human resource training, data infrastructure development and digital transformation.

Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization Daren Tang (Photo: Minh Nhat).

The visit of the WIPO Director General takes place in the context that Vietnam is strongly implementing Resolution 57 of the Central Committee, considering science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the main driving force for rapid and sustainable development.

On the sidelines of the event on the morning of September 25, WIPO Director General Daren Tang shared his thoughts, emphasizing the importance of intellectual property in promoting innovation and developing the knowledge-based economy in Vietnam.

Vietnam enters a new chapter of innovation and development

Sir, over the past 80 years, Vietnam has changed dramatically in many areas. How do you view the role of science, technology and innovation in the upcoming development journey?

- Over the past 80 years, Vietnam has undergone profound changes in its economy and culture. Now, your country is entering a new chapter of innovation and development, in which I believe science, technology and innovation will be the key driving forces.

Mr. Daren Tang commented that over the past 80 years, Vietnam has undergone many profound changes in economy and culture (Photo: Minh Nhat).

Over the past 10-15 years, Vietnam has made remarkable progress. In 2013, Vietnam ranked 76th on the Global Innovation Index (GII), but this year it has risen to 44th. With this result, Vietnam has built a solid foundation for the future.

However, to continue writing the development chapter, in my opinion, there are three important priorities:

- First, continue to strengthen and increase investment in R&D (research and development).

- Second, it is necessary to strengthen and enhance human capacity to realize creative ideas into tangible results, such as creating new jobs, products and services.

- Third, shift the economy from dependence on manufacturing, assembly or agriculture, to a knowledge economy, where value comes from innovation.

In the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings, this year Vietnam has risen to 44th place (Photo: Minh Nhat).

Promoting commercialization of intellectual property rights

Vietnam is shifting from “protecting intellectual property rights” to “commercializing and marketizing intellectual property rights”. How do you evaluate this shift?

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the Workshop Introducing the Global Innovation Index 2025 (Photo: Minh Nhat).

- In the past, when it came to intellectual property, people mainly focused on registration and protection of rights, but in my opinion, that approach was not sufficient.

The big change now is also the direction that WIPO and Vietnam are promoting together, which is how to commercialize intellectual property rights.

In other words, after an entity has an idea and registers it, the question is: How can they turn their patent or innovation into concrete economic results, creating value for the business and the country.

We focus on upskilling and awareness raising for everyone from students, researchers, to entrepreneurs so that intellectual property becomes a real tool to bring ideas to market.

Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (Photo: Minh Nhat).

WIPO and Vietnam are trying to open up a pathway for bringing ideas to market, to create economic results for the country.

With this new approach, intellectual property is no longer just a matter of regulations, but becomes an ecosystem where schools collaborate with businesses, from large corporations to SMEs and start-ups.

We focus on upskilling and awareness raising for everyone from students, researchers, to entrepreneurs so that intellectual property becomes a real tool to bring ideas to market.

This is also the practical vision that we have just signed in the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Science and Technology. I believe that this will be an important catalyst to push Vietnam into the next chapter of development.

R&D is the source of the river of innovation.

Vietnam’s Resolution 57 emphasizes the goal of building a knowledge-based economy based on science, technology and innovation. In your opinion, what is the most important direction to realize this resolution and how will WIPO accompany Vietnam?

- I think innovation is like a river flowing from the mountains to the sea. The source of the river is R&D and Vietnam is investing heavily in R&D. The more investment, the stronger the flow to the sea.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung expressed his expectations for cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology and WIPO (Photo: Minh Nhat).

However, for that river to flow peacefully and sustainably, we need to support Vietnamese ideas to become a model for the region and the world.

WIPO plays a bridging role: helping technology students and researchers connect with businesses, thereby forming spin-offs (businesses originating from universities or research institutes) and start-ups right from school.

One example is the “From Lab to Market” initiative that WIPO is implementing. We support young people to bring research products to market, creating knowledge-based businesses.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between WIPO and the Ministry of Science and Technology aims to support Vietnam in achieving its development goals in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation (Photo: Minh Nhat).

Thus, IP is not just a document, but actually becomes a bridge between ideas and markets.

WIPO has clearly stated its commitment to accompany Vietnam in realizing Resolution 57, building a knowledge-based economy and making innovation a driving force for sustainable development.

Thank you for the chat!

According to GII 2025, Vietnam ranked 44/139 economies, 2nd/37 in the group of lower middle-income countries.

For 15 consecutive years, Vietnam has always had higher innovation results than its development level, showing efficiency in converting input resources into innovation outputs.

Vietnam is one of the three countries (China, Vietnam, Ethiopia) with the fastest labor productivity growth rate in the 2014-2024 period.

In that context, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between WIPO and the Ministry of Science and Technology aims to support Vietnam in achieving its development goals in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The parties agreed on priority areas for implementation including: Supporting the review, development and enforcement of laws, strategies and action plans on intellectual property at the national level; promoting the effective operation and use of international registration systems for intellectual property in Vietnam.

Along with that, the parties will enhance the capacity of intermediary organizations, small and medium enterprises, and startups in managing, protecting, and commercializing intellectual property.

In addition, the two sides also promote the creation and commercialization of domestic intellectual property, including promoting cooperation between universities and enterprises, technology transfer, conducting research on intellectual property, including research on building indicators to measure the contribution of intellectual property to socio-economic development.

The two sides committed to expanding intellectual property training at all levels, developing professional skills and providing reference materials and resources for propaganda and raising public awareness of intellectual property; improving the capacity and efficiency of the apparatus, applying digital solutions and artificial intelligence in appraisal work, and supporting the establishment of an intellectual property dispute resolution mechanism, including a mediation mechanism, for the Intellectual Property Office.

Photo: Minh Nhat

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/tong-giam-doc-wipo-viet-nam-buoc-vao-chuong-moi-cua-doi-moi-va-phat-trien-20250925130359792.htm