Vietnamese and Russian experts propose connecting human resources, research infrastructure and R&D capacity of the two countries to jointly develop strategic technology, instead of focusing mainly on training and scientific exchange.
The opinions were given at the discussion session on strategic technology connection within the framework of the Vietnam - Russian Federation Science and Technology Forum organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology this week. From questions about Vietnam's technology needs and Russia's strengths, speakers discussed cooperation models, possible projects and priority areas in the coming years.
Many issues were raised such as models that could produce more concrete results, a common technology center in Vietnam, joint exploitation of Russia's large research infrastructure, or cooperation in fields such as energy, materials, nuclear technology, and biology.
Proposals for a new phase of cooperation
Mr. Mai Thanh Phong, Rector of Polytechnic University - Ho Chi Minh City National University, proposed a strong shift from the model of mainly sending people to Russia for training to direct research and development (R&D) cooperation programs, especially in emerging strategic technologies that Vietnam has needs and Russia has strengths.
According to him, training also needs to innovate in a more flexible direction, combining study time in Vietnam and Russia, while prioritizing the training of core lecturers and experts to expand domestic human resources. For the nuclear industry, scholarships are only a necessary condition; Learners need to see job opportunities and career paths after graduation.
From there, Mr. Phong proposed that the two countries consider establishing a "Joint Technology Development Center" located in Vietnam. The center not only conducts R&D and technology transfer, but also acts as a bridge to train practical human resources for universities and provide human resources for the industrial sector.
Academician Grigory Trubnikov, Director of the Dubna Joint National Laboratory (JINR), supports this idea, emphasizing that the joint center needs to be associated with training the young generation of scientists and creating an environment for them to continue research. He sees developing high-quality human resources and jointly developing new technology and equipment as two pillars of Vietnam-Russia cooperation in the coming period.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Chi Thanh, Director of Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (Vinatom), focuses on selecting projects that can create specific results. Answering the question about moving from mission-based research to result-oriented research, he said that this is an important step to bring science and technology into practice, and is what Vinatom has aimed for for decades.
He proposed from now until 2030 to focus on five field groups such as the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Center with a new research reactor; Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project; research and development of small module reactor (SMR) technology; materials science, especially metallurgy technology and specialized alloy steel; and ships. These are all areas related to atomic energy in which Russia currently has strengths.
Referring to the project of the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Center in Dong Nai, with a new research reactor with a capacity of about 10-15 MW, Mr. Thanh said that in the future the center can create products such as radioactive isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals to serve cancer diagnosis and treatment, and at the same time open research directions for silicon irradiation to create semiconductor materials.
On the Russian side, Mr. Valery Bukhtiyarov, Director of the Boreskov Catalysis Institute, said that the first step is still to increase the exchange of experts and scientific human resources, but the exchange needs to be linked to actual projects. He mentioned SKIF (Siberian ring photon source), a new generation accelerator complex inaugurated by Russia, as an example for Vietnamese scientists to directly access the infrastructure, jointly form a professional language and thereby identify larger cooperative tasks. This infrastructure can study matter at the atomic and molecular levels, with applications in battery materials, petroleum, catalysis, biomedicine and radiopharmaceuticals. He said he is willing to share experiences if Vietnam develops its own photon source, and at the same time opens the possibility for Vietnam to join SKIF.
Mr. Aleksandr Blagov, from the Kurchatov Institute, offers a broader approach based on Mega-Science infrastructures. He said that new materials and energy are still the two core directions, but cooperation can expand to biotechnology, bioenergy, nuclear medicine and generation IV reactor research. He also mentioned the continued exploitation of the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center in fields such as microbiology, durability of marine materials for ocean-going ships; building a network of new generation synchrotron and laser radiation sources; Collaborate on a digital data platform in materials science. Notably, Mr. Blagov invited Vietnam to join the Mega-Science International Infrastructure Research Alliance, currently joined by Russia and a number of countries.
From a management agency perspective, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Linh, Director of the Department of Radiation and Nuclear Safety - Ministry of Science and Technology, said that expanding nuclear cooperation must go along with building capacity to ensure safety and security.
He proposed that in the next 5-10 years, the Russian side will support technology transfer for safety appraisal of large-capacity nuclear power plants so that it can be applied to Ninh Thuan 1 and later SMR lines. In parallel, the two sides can coordinate to develop a master plan for training and developing regulatory human resources on radiation safety and nuclear security in Vietnam until 2035.
From cooperation, training to joint research
The above proposals are based on the foundation of Vietnam - Russia scientific cooperation that has been established for decades. For example, with JINR, Mr. Trubnikov said Vietnam has cooperated with the research center in Dubna for about 70 years. Many generations of Vietnamese scientists have studied and researched here before returning home and taking on important positions.
According to him, this platform creates a premise for the two sides to move to deeper forms of cooperation, including not only training human resources but also developing technology and equipment.
In the nuclear field, Vinatom is cooperating with Russian partners such as Rosatom, JINR Dubna, Moscow Energy Institute and Tomsk Polytechnic University. At the forum, Mr. Thanh said that Vietnam has just participated in awarding an agreement for the International Research Center Project on Multipurpose Fast Research Reactor (MBIR) with Rosatom.
Some collaborative activities have been extended to applied research. With nuclear technology, the directions mentioned include isotope production, radiopharmaceuticals, materials research and applications in medicine and agriculture. From that foundation of cooperation, the speakers said that the next stage could be aimed at projects in which both sides participate more deeply, from research and development to training, technology transfer and application.
Speaking at the conclusion of the forum, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh emphasized that one of the important contents is the need for a roadmap and orientation not only for general research, but also for specific applications in businesses and in economic and technical sectors.
"The direction needs to be put into a roadmap for cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation," he said.
He said he would include all proposals and initiatives in the Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Strategy between Vietnam and the Russian Federation in the coming period, closely following strategic technology groups of mutual interest, and expanding space for young scientists and businesses, creating favorable conditions for both sides to access and exploit common research results.
