Government reaffirms support for scientific research at Meet Vietnam conference

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam

The event, which was jointly held by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Binh Dinh People’s Committee, and The Meet Vietnam Committee, saw the participation of 250 domestic and foreign scientists, including Professor Ngo Bao Chau and five Nobel laureates in different categories, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

Dam said that the increasing number of scientists joining the event attests to Meet Vietnam’s success.

“Binh Dinh should provide the best conditions for the growth of International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science Education (ICISE), the space science complex to be completed, and for scientific research and innovation in general,” he said.

He said that the government regards science as a fundamental focus to investment as it is the foundation for the nation’s growth. “Though the state budget does not have enough resources, the government’s investment in natural science research has been increasing,” he said.

He added that the participation of research institutes and Vietnamese universities is very important in setting up a connection with Meet Vietnam, which is going to help them take advantage of the resources provided by the institution.

Ho Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Binh Dinh People’s Committee, said that the conferences that ICISE had organised over the past three years are of great importance to the development of science and education, as well as of the socioeconomic development of Binh Dinh and the country.

“We hope that the province is going to become an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign scientists,” he said.

Binh Dinh is working with Tran Thanh Van, chairman of Meet Vietnam, and relevant ministries to propose the establishment of a research institute in the province.

The biggest conference within the framework of the 12th Meet Vietnam is the “Fundamental science and society” conference, supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) the the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the Solvay Institutes, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Rencontres de Moriond event, also created by Dr. Tran Thanh Van.

The conference gives a chance for scientists and policy makers as well as the private sector to talk about the role of science and propose solutions to issues concerning fundamental science in developing countries in Asia.

From now to the end of 2016, ICISE is going to hold 12 conferences, as well as three physics workshops, expecting the participation of 1,600 scientists.