Through the Award, the passion for scientific creativity of all classes of people has been aroused, with thousands of scientific works being widely applied, serving socio-economic development and national defense and security. On this issue, reporters of the People's Army Electronic Newspaper interviewed Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, Chairman of the VIFOTEC Fund Sponsorship Council, Head of the Award Organizing Committee.

Reporter (PV): What is the significance of the successful organization of the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award over the past 28 years, sir?

  Dr. Phan Xuan Dung: Since 1995, the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award has been organized for the first time by the VIFOTEC Foundation. Up to now, the Award has been successfully organized 28 times, thousands of award-winning projects have been researched, applied, and deployed in the fields of socio-economics and national defense and security, making important contributions to the country's innovation, creating great prestige, contributing to encouraging the patriotic emulation movement, scientific and technological research and innovation throughout the country. The Award has gradually affirmed its prestige in the field of scientific and technological innovation in the country and has been highly appreciated by international friends.

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung.

The successful organization of the Award 28 times is also a remarkable success in the process of building and developing the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, contributing significantly to the implementation of the tasks assigned by the Party and the State to the Union of Associations and the VIFOTEC Fund as well as local Unions. The Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award, together with the Ho Chi Minh Award and the State Award, is gradually affirming its position and brand, contributing to creating a movement of emulation in creative research of intellectuals and workers nationwide, making positive contributions to the industrialization and modernization of the country.

PV: After 28 times of organizing the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award, how many scientific works have entered the competition and how many have won awards? How do you evaluate the quality and applicability of these works?

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung: After 28 times of organization, VIFOTEC Fund - the permanent agency organizing the Award has received 3,052 scientific works from ministries, branches and provinces and cities nationwide. The Organizing Committee, based on the scoring results of the Jury, awarded certificates of merit and prizes to 1,026 scientific works.

The project "Technology, products, technical solutions, construction measures for the embankment to protect the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake" by Hero of Labor Hoang Duc Thao won the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award in 2021.

With thousands of projects applied to life, solving practical requirements. In particular, the quality of the projects has been increasingly improved over the years, creating a great resonance in the scientific community, in economic groups, and enterprises across the country; being well-evaluated for their novelty, creativity, wide applicability in the current conditions of the country and bringing benefits to the community and society. The award-winning projects, promoting labor productivity improvement, reducing product costs, are decisive factors for Vietnamese science and technology products to compete with countries in the region, and are an important bridge for Vietnamese science and technology to access advanced and modern science and technology in the world.

PV: According to you, what policies and strategies should the State have to quickly apply scientific and technological works in general, especially award-winning works and solutions, to life and production?

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung: To apply the award-winning works more quickly to production and life, the State needs to have some more policies to create a synchronous system. For example, policies on financial support and subsidies, tax exemptions, copyright protection policies, policies on preferential treatment for scientists, technology experts and management experts who have contributed to the development of science and technology, policies to encourage the use of high-quality products created by awards.

The State should create favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms and policies for science and technology enterprises, and have science and technology awards so that VIFOTEC award-winning projects have locations for production implementation in accordance with scientific, technological and socio-economic significance.

It is necessary to encourage projects that have won the Award and the Competition to be developed into pilot production projects (P projects) to form innovative science and technology start-ups. It is recommended that the State take effective measures to enforce copyright laws in science and technology, avoid the phenomenon of "stealing" copyright or "keeping secrets" of technology in order to create a basis for the motivation to develop the intelligence and talent of scientists so that they can create many highly effective scientific and technological products to meet the needs of society. It is recommended that the Ministry of Science and Technology provide financial support to implement award-winning projects with many applications that bring high efficiency to production and life through the VIFOTEC Fund.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department, awarded the First Prize to the authors who won the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award 2022.

PV: In the coming time, what solutions does the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award have to promote the successes of the 28th organization, sir?

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung: In the coming time, the Organizing Committee of the Award will focus on improving the quality and reputation of the Award, continuing to focus on works in the fields of science and technology with high applicability; some interdisciplinary fields between natural sciences and engineering and technology. Thereby, science and technology will truly become a direct productive force, and at the same time, the awards will truly be associated with the achievements, results, and results of scientific and technological products.

VIFOTEC Fund will coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to perfect financial mechanisms, develop policies for creative talents, and support talent nurturing so that the movement can achieve national and international scientific and technological achievements.

VIFOTEC Foundation will build a synchronous and professional communication system to promote the whole society to better understand and participate in activities to honor intellectuals, popularize award-winning works to bring them to life. Support creators to promote their products abroad, cooperate with countries with developed science and technology. The organization recognizes and honors the contributions of scientists and inventors who have made many contributions to socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security.

The Organizing Committee must further consolidate the roles and responsibilities of the ministries and branches in the VIFOTEC Fund Sponsoring Council, namely: Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. There is a plan for regular meetings to draw experience and propose solutions to the competent authorities so that the Fund can operate more and more effectively.

The Fund's support apparatus also needs to be strengthened in all aspects of capacity, personnel structure, and working conditions to operate more professionally and effectively in accordance with the new situation of the country's scientific and technological development.

PV: Thank you very much!

LA DUY (performed)