- Follow-up measures after the ROK-Vietnam Summit (June 2023), expansion of joint R&D and human resource exchange via V-KIST, diffusion of V-COMPAS outcomes discussed

The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter referred to as 'MSIT') announced that the 9^th Republic of Korea-Vietnam Ministerial-Level Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology was held on October 24^th (Tue.) at 16:00, at Novotel Ambassador Seoul.

The Joint Committee, of which the grounds for establishment is based on the ROK-Vietnam Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed in April 1995, is an intergovernmental consultative body with regular meetings. Up to this point, the two nations have discussed various cooperation initiatives in the field of science and technology through a total of 8 Joint Committee Meetings on Science and Technology.

The Korean delegation for the 9^th Joint Committee Meeting held today was led by Minister Lee Jong Ho from the Ministry of Science and ICT, and comprised of other representatives from MSIT, National Research Foundation (NRF), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). The Vietnamese delegation was led by Minister Huynh Thanh Dat from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and included officials from the Embassy of Vietnam in Seoul, Korea, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), and Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Today's Meeting proceeded in the order of exchanging major science and technology policies and exploring new opportunities for cooperation.

Korea presented the pillars of the 5^th Science and Technology Master Plan (2023-2027), which is consisted of 3 main strategies and 17 goals, while Vietnam introduced its own policies for fostering scientific and technological innovation. Sharing the policy direction for science and technology provided an opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and identify common areas of interest for both nations.

Following this, the presentations on joint research projects conducted by Korean and Vietnamese researchers were made.

From Korea, Min Baehyeon, Professor of Sustainable Systems Engineering at Ewha Woman's University, gave an explanatory speech about the project titled "Geology-Data-Driven Oil Recovery Prediction Using Deep Learning Techniques for Optimal Operations of Offshore Oil Fields in Vietnam." This project has been ongoing for three years, since when it was selected as part of joint research initiative in the field of information technology (IT) in 2018.

From Vietnam, there was an introduction on the project titled "Research on the Development of Transparent Electrodes with Nanostructures for Flexible Optoelectronic Devices," selected as part of joint research initiative in the field of nanotechnology (NT). These presentations highlighted the importance of collaborative research efforts between the two nations once again.

Additionally, both nations agreed to engage in working-level discussions for exploring the next fields of research collaboration with high priority. The fields of collaboration will not only include the 4 existing categories*, but also be expanded to encompass topics such as digital transition and clean and renewable energy.

* Biotechnology (BT), nanotechnology (NT), information technology (IT), and climate technology (CT)

Afterwards, a report on the achievements of the V-KIST* establishment initiative, which is funded by Korea's official development aid (ODA) budget, and a summary of major joint research activities and future cooperation directions between KIST and V-KIST was delivered.

* Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology: A Vietnamese institute for science and technology research benchmarking KIST.

             Importantly, it was decided that building upon the successful establishment of V-KIST in Vietnam, follow-up projects and research collaboration will be pursued, including plans to strengthen cooperation in human resource development with visiting programs for technicians in Vietnamese universities and research institutes.

             Finally, the successful transfer and utilization of V-COMPAS project* in Vietnam, which has been developed and executed by KISTI under the support from MSIT for the past three years, was also introduced.

* V-COMPetitive Analysis Service: A web-based analysis software powered by information resources on scientific and technological developments.

             Through this effort, KISTI agreed to provide continuous support for Vietnam's science and technology innovation by cooperating with the Vietnam National Agency for Scientific and Technological Innovation (NASATI). This cooperation will involve the transfer of diverse science and technology information services and analysis tools possessed by KISTI.

             Minister Lee Jong Ho stated that, "By convening the 9^th ROK-Vietnam Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology, we were able to confirm the potential for cooperation between Korea and Vietnam in the field of science and technology." He further stated, "We anticipate many more meaningful contributions coming from joint research projects and human resource exchanges via cooperation initiatives such as V-KIST. These will result in more advanced science and technology cooperation between the two countries."

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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