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| Dr. Ho Dac Thai Hoang, Chairman of the Hue City Union of Science and Technology Associations |
Assessing the contribution of research and innovation activities in Hue to the city’s journey toward becoming a knowledge-based, smart, and sustainable city, Mr. Ho Dac Thai Hoang said: “Having spent more than 30 years conducting scientific research and developing science-and-technology applications, I realize that research and innovation are the backbone and central engine of Hue’s strategy and progression toward becoming a knowledge-based, smart, and sustainable city.”
Hue enjoys several distinct advantages. Its multi-disciplinary university system spans natural sciences, applied sciences, health sciences, agricultural and fisheries sciences, rural development, and the social sciences and humanities. The city also benefits from a Central Hospital with deep expertise, a system of municipal specialty hospitals, the Hospital of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and a rich trove of heritage accumulated over centuries as the former imperial capital. These assets enable Hue to advance its priority fields, including biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, AI and smart urban development, digital heritage preservation, environmental science, and high-tech agriculture.
Innovation goes beyond new technologies; it also produces lean urban management models and precise digital data, enabling smart-city solutions that carry Hue’s distinct identity and support its sustainable, differentiated growth.
In your view, what are the crucial factors needed to spark and sustain the spirit of research and innovation among intellectuals, students, and the community in the city?
The spirit of innovation truly takes off when researchers have an ecosystem that includes laboratories, supportive enterprises, deep professional collaboration, a trusted environment, space for experimentation, and the confidence that their products will be acknowledged and genuinely applied. In Hue, I see three critical factors that energize and crystallize the spirit of research and innovation.
First, Hue’s long-standing academic culture cultivates the rigor and perseverance that are indispensable to research. It also forms a trusted and inspiring environment where intellectuals and students feel encouraged to experiment and to accept errors as an inherent outcome of scientific research.
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| One of the educational research and innovations has contributed to Hue’s achievements in science and technology |
Second, the practical opportunities offered by hospitals, universities, businesses, and the city’s digital transformation programs have opened up a host of needs and opportunities, enabling researchers and scientists of all ages to engage in addressing them.
Third, social organizations and development management bodies need to continue cultivating an environment that encourages innovation - where intellectuals, students, and residents are motivated to create and where ideas are given due respect.
From your perspective, have Hue’s universities, research institutes, and management agencies established the mechanisms, resources, or environment needed to support research and innovation?
“In recent years, universities, research institutes, and science-and-technology management agencies in Hue have inherited a strong tradition and built a solid foundation for the ‘University - Research Institute - Hospital’ and ‘University - Research Institute - Field/Enterprise’ ecosystems, particularly in medicine, pharmacy, biotechnology, and culture-arts.”
Hue has a municipal science and technology fund that supports individual research projects conducted by scientists, alongside a system tailored for science and technology organizations. The city also hosts science and engineering innovation contests for youths and teenagers - the budding seeds of scientific talent still nurtured in schools - as well as an annual Science and Engineering Innovation Contest open to both professional and amateur researchers. In addition, Hue offers startup-support spaces for newcomers, regardless of age or field.
Are the institutions you mentioned strong enough, or are additional factors needed to provide further motivation?
“To truly break through and drive innovation from within the system, I believe the system needs more flexible funding schemes and fewer bureaucratic hurdles, allowing research teams to adapt quickly to emerging technologies."
Organizations that manage and promote science and technology, such as the Union of Science and Technology Associations, should deepen their partnerships with businesses, especially technology firms, to build a more robust technology-transfer ecosystem. In addition, it is needed to develop open-data infrastructure and experimental research workshops that provide equipment, tools, and in-depth technical knowledge for fields such as AI, smart cities, and digital heritage - cornerstones of any truly knowledge-driven city.
Could you share some notable models, ideas, or innovative achievements from Hue’s intellectuals, students, or residents that you believe have a ripple effect and inspire the community?
In reality, Hue is rich with inspiring stories of innovation. In medicine and biomedical research, Hue Central Hospital has achieved a series of national-level breakthroughs - ranging from organ transplantation and cardiology to assisted reproduction and foundational studies in biomedicine and endocrinology. These accomplishments affirm that Hue’s intellectual community is fully capable of leading in numerous highly specialized and sustainable fields.
In culture and technology, digital-heritage projects, 3D reconstruction efforts, and AI applications developed by young research teams are opening up an entirely new approach to conservation. In agriculture, biotechnology models, new-material products, and organic production initiatives led by students and Hue-based start-ups are generating positive impacts within the community. Together, these achievements show that Hue’s community of both professional and non-professional researchers is gradually building the links of its science and technology ecosystem and steadily fulfilling its mission with confidence - allowing creativity to unfold in a deep and distinctly charactered way.
Amid the implementation of Resolution 57-NQ/TW, what steps should Hue take to harness resources, connect stakeholders, and generate sustainable momentum for science and technology activities?
To realize the objectives of Resolution 57-NQ/TW, Hue City needs a comprehensive strategy emphasizing three pillars. First, it must strengthen incentives and improve mechanisms to attract intellectuals at Hue University, Hue Central Hospital, and within the broader community of scientists and experts across domestic and international fields. Hue requires a broad and robust network of components within its science and technology ecosystem, capable of addressing interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral challenges in a synchronized and coherent manner.
Second, it is essential to refine mechanisms for seamless connections among universities, research institutes, hospitals, businesses, science-and-technology organizations, and government agencies, creating a continuous flow from ideas and practical needs to the translation of scientific and technical research results into commercial products and the development of next-generation offerings.
Third, strategic investment should be made in core technologies such as data, AI, biomedicine, environmental science, and digital heritage. Simultaneously, open experimental science-and-technology workshops, knowledge-updating and continuous training centers, and research-support funds should be established to provide opportunities for both professional and non-professional researchers to experiment and turn their ideas into products.
With its rich historical legacy and deep intellectual roots, I am convinced that Hue will develop into a science and technology hub with a unique identity, contributing substantially to the development of a knowledge-based city at the regional level.
Thank you for this conversation!