On February 27, 2012, in Hanoi Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) Nguyen Quan had a meeting and working session with the mission of Ministry of Science and Arts of Saxony State (Federal Republic of Germany) led by Professor Doctor Sabine von Schorlemer – Minister of Science and Arts of Saxony State.

In the working session, Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan and Minister of Science and Arts of Saxony State Sabine von Schorlemer signed the Protocol on S&T Cooperation.

The Protocol has been signed on the basis of desires to develop the successful cooperation between the two countries in S&T field, strengthen cooperation and exchange of science – techniques, especially in fields of environmental technology, resource, natural, applied sciences/computing, technology mathematics, fuel and material research, engineering/ production system, transportation science, management of technology transfer in university, marketing strategy, renovation, development and management of small and medium enterprises.

The cooperation and exchange will be carried out firstly by universities and research institutes. The two parties will encourage these organizations to continue carrying out, strengthening and expanding with orientations of cooperation and exchange activities in these above mentioned fields. At the same time, the parties will support these activities within their legal framework and situation, depending on capacities and budget condition with appropriate measures, specifically as exchanging missions, scientists and experts, organizing joint themed conferences and workshop, helping to contact, advise, support polices for the above mentioned organizations in the application and implementation of projects on S&T cooperation and exchanging science, information and experience in issues relating to S&T policies.

Minister Nguyen Quan expressed his thanks for cooperation and support of Minister of Science and Arts of Saxony State over the past years. Through some cooperation projects, many Vietnam’s S&T staff has been trained in some research institutes, and universities of Saxony State. Many of them have been hold important positions in Vietnam’s agencies and organizations.

On behalf of the Delegation of Ministry of Science and Arts of Saxony State, Minister Sabine von Schorlemer expressed his desire to continue strengthening cooperation on the basis of existing projects and expanding cooperation in S&T field with Vietnam. At the same time, Ms. Sabine von Schorlemer shared some key focus on research strategies of Saxony State.

Ms. Sabine von Schorlemer emphasized that if only scientific researches it would be impossible to achieve results but we should support how enterprises could use research results in order to create breakthroughs in technology, and then technology results would be shifted into economic results.

Minister Nguyen Quan hoped to learn from experience of Saxony State in linking research and training results among universities; invest financial resources on research activities from organizations, individuals out of State-owned sectors; experience in establishing the enterprisesystem which pay attention to S&T development and investment in technology research and development of the enterprisesthemselves.