The scientist owns the most patents in Vietnam

Dr. Le Van Tri refused many business opportunities to focus on research, now he owns 21 patents on biotechnology.

Intensive cultivation of citronella on climate change land to collect essential oils for consumption, export and microbial organic fertilizer production of Dr. Le Van Tri (65 years old, Hanoi) with colleagues, just won the first prize of Vietnam Science and Technology Innovation Award 2016 (VIFOTEC) and the 2016 WIPO World Gold Cup.

Dr. Le Van Tri.(Photo: NVCC.)

Born in Thanh Hoa in a civil servant family, since he was still in the school chair, Tri student showed his ability to be sensitive to Mathematics and Biology.

In 1969, he was admitted to Kisinhop General University (the former Soviet Union), he chose the General Department of Biology, specialized in microbiology; while most friends like animal and plant physiology. Because he sees the process of microbial growth very fast, only an hour to produce generations, unlike animal. When studying microbiology, he will be doing more experiments.

At this time, he rarely went out but spent most of his time in lecture halls and laboratories. Many days he left school at 23 or 24 hours and alone on the tram home. Every summer or winter break, while friends in class go sightseeing or travel, he goes to the Moscow library to read the inventions and research.

When friends make extra work at a factory or pick up hiring fruits, he seeks to ask the assistant at the Soviet Academy's lab whether it is just washing bottles, or as a technician. "Sometimes tired, but it was the time when I was living with passion and really happy," he said.

With diligence and seriousness, at the end of the fourth year, the reward he received was the second "Olympic student with the scientific and technological progress of the whole Russian Federation" when he was 20 years old.

In 1975, graduating from university, he returned to work at the Institute of Biology (currently the Institute of Biotechnology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology). In 1988, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis. Biology at the Vietnam Institute of Science and Technology and then went to post-doctoral internship in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.

At that time he was hesitant about the opportunity to work at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. But his father's advice: " One child goes to school to build the country, and one walks to protect the country ", making him feel responsible to his family and home.

His doctoral studies have set the stage for many later inventions. Two years later, when Vietnam did not have a science and technology enterprise, he and some friends had the idea of ​​establishing a science and production joint venture with the desire to bring products to the people, avoiding research. stacked drawer.

Dr. Tri and his colleagues at the laboratory set up by him.(Photo: NVCC.)

Dr. Tri mindfulness, the invention must go from the laboratory to the new people successfully. So even though he is a business, he always identifies science as the foundation. With products derived from personal ideas, PhDs directly work in the laboratory, then plan their own business.

At this stage, Dr. Tri could move into an entrepreneurial role with many domestic and foreign relations, but he still preferred to go to the lab everyday. He remembers that a unit in the Soviet Union wanted to sign a contract to import germinated potato seeds to breed, in Vietnam people often throw away their baby tubers. The contract is difficult, but he still agrees.

Dr. Tri was successful in using gibberellin germination stimulation method - the substance he made in his doctoral thesis - with the appropriate dose so that when potatoes from Vietnam to the Soviet Union would germinate into trees like."Thinking back I found myself risking," he said.

Instead of paying cash, the Soviet unit paid with nitrogen fertilizer - the product was very valuable in the period 1994-1995 because Vietnam only had Ha Bac protein. Mr. Tri retained some for his work, the rest sold for investment in the lab.

When enough of the potato, the Soviet Union wanted to cooperate and let him act as an agent to distribute nitrogen fertilizer to them. He did not hesitate to refuse: " If I do not import potatoes, I will not import your fertilizer anymore. Everyone wants to have a lot of money, but I want to go up with the research itself ." Many people recommend to think again, he still insisted: " I know plowing on the way I choose and I believe success is ahead".

During 40 years of persistence with science for sustainable agriculture, from 1991 until now, from just 16 patents, he now owns 21 degrees related to biotechnology, such as: Production Process export of microorganism organic fertilizer; Preparations to increase rice productivity, post-harvest straw treatment technology as organic fertilizer in the field with probiotics . All technologies are transferred and receive positive response from users.

In 2013, the Vietnam Records Foundation confirmed Dr. Le Van Tri - who has the most patents in the field of biotechnology. Looking back on the past, he said that if he wants to succeed in scientific research, he has to persevere, creating many applied inventions that will " never be poor ".

The Vietnamese record organization established Dr. Le Van Tri with many patents in the field of biotechnology.

Agricultural biological products are often risky and profits are not high. Cooperation with other economists is also difficult because they often put profits on top, while agricultural products sometimes give away without farmers. So for each product, Dr. Tri and his colleagues always consider the ability to apply and expand not only in the country but also abroad. He believes that if superior products are sure to be accepted.

" Creative ideas come to me like a continuous flow of water, I always ask why I don't do this and if I do it, what will I do? I have to be passionate about research, until I have some water drops. Finally, the idea is to overflow the glass, and the idea will come and start creating the best product , " he said.