Private as a science: Start taking root!

The institute or private science research center has become popular in Ho Chi Minh City, now there are hundreds, it is considered to have a lot of potential.

Leaving the chair of the director of the Institute of Chemical Technology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), Prof.-Dr. Tran Manh Tri immediately set up a center for scientific and technological research and service. This center is 'super compact': Mr. Tri is the director, his wife takes on the role of design engineer, hires an accountant and a research and development engineer. The administrative and management apparatus is only that . When there are contracts to implement projects, many people need . to hire gray matter. Currently in Ho Chi Minh City there are many private centers doing the same science as Mr. Tri.

Prof. Chu Pham Ngoc Son (middle) instructs young people on the mass spectrometry liquid chromatography machine - antibiotic residue analyzer in seafood - at the Chromatography Training and Development Center (EDC) - (Photo : Quoc Thanh)

Prof. CHU PHAM NGOC SON:'If the State considers the private sector in general and the forces of private science in particular are one of the important components contributing to the development of the country, then there should be policies. practical support, incentives . for this object, especially in need of incentives to develop human resources'.

Talking with Prof. Tran Manh Tri, he was sincere: 'When retired, liberated from the new management work has more time to concentrate on doing science, doing things that are desirable and actually in need'. He said the center has just completed an international project worth US $ 70,000 to deploy technology to handle pesticides that are unsold by unburnt technology .

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City Training and Development Center is one of the first private laboratories in Vietnam. Dr. Diep Ngoc Suong - the director of the center - confided: when the new center was launched, it was also poor, without research conditions . 'But now, the activity has prospered, excited' .

Revenues from the center's operations ensure that 'raising' is about 35 people and can accumulate a part for long-term development investment. According to Dr. Suong, revenue has increased over the years and of this 70% is collected from laboratory analysis services.

Speaking of the model of the institute and the scientific center of the private or a group of people ., most of the comments have the same comment 'this is the force that can create the real excitement and competition of the market. science and technology school '. Dr Diep Ngoc Suong stressed: 'Because competition is fierce, it forces us to provide quality scientific and technological services when new customers come in.'

According to her, the advantage of the private science unit is that all decisions are based on the actual capacity and needs, not waiting and asking for opinions . According to TP Department of Science and Technology Ho Chi Minh City, up to now, the Department has granted operation registration certificates to about 111 centers and institutes operating under the Law on Science and Technology, most of them are in the collective and private sectors. The places where " eating and making " have average sales of VND 50 billion / year.

However, 'the current policies for the private or collective sector are not enough to promote the development of this sector' - a scientist commented. According to Prof. Tran Manh Tri, the establishment of a center or institute for private science is as easy as setting up a business, only the policy of support and incentives for this block is almost nothing. He stressed: 'The current practice of calculating taxes for private scientific research centers and institutes is not encouraging, yet has not encouraged this force.'

Assoc. Prof. PHAN MINH TAN - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology:

State support is not much!

Encourage development of this type.This force actively participates in the market of consulting, research, technology transfer . However, the number of highly effective activities is also modest.I also found that the support from management agencies for this sector has not been much.

It is also necessary to add the capacity of facilities, scientific teams . of private or collective scientific centers and institutes, which have a limited effect on the ability to participate in scientific programs and projects. , especially when bidding.

In addition, in principle, this group is entitled to some tax incentives but in practice it is difficult to apply.Reasons: between tax officials and taxpayers, there is often no common voice in determining which jobs are exempt from tax, which jobs are entitled to tax reduction .

QUOC THANH