A ground-breaking meeting between senior Vietnamese and Australian Government officials in Canberra this week was the first government-to-government dialogue on innovation and science cooperation.

While the two countries have a long history of scientific cooperation, it’s occurred between universities, government research institutes, non-profit medical research institutes and others without high level direction.

Vietnam is one of 17 economies given a high priority for international collaboration under the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda.

Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Tran Quoc Khanh, and Vietnam’s Ambassador to Australia, Mr Luong Thanh Nghi, led a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

They met senior Australian Government officials and innovation and science representatives, led by Ms Sue Weston, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

Areas of common interest discussed include marine science, public health, food security, the management of natural resources and the environment, agriculture and aquaculture. Other shared policy aims include greater industry investment in research and development, commercialisation of research outcomes, and tackling environmental challenges.

Department officials will develop an action plan on agreed specific joint innovation and science priorities that will guide cooperation over the next two years and into the future.

Cooperation between Australia and Vietnam is supported by the Australian Government through official development assistance, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the National Health and Medical Research Council and other funding agencies, scholarships and partnerships between universities and institutes.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited Curtin University of Technology, the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and the Australian National University; four universities with research strengths and infrastructure relevant to Vietnam’s science and technology priorities./.

( VNF )