According to Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, research institutes and businesses have coordinated effectively in transferring and adopting new rice varieties.

A Public-Private Partnership foundation in scientific research

Professor Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), expressed his gratitude towards businesses and associations for their cooperation with VAAS' research institutes in bringing variety research results from the laboratory into practical production over the years.

"Over the last ten years, research institutes under VAAS has successfully transferred the majority of their varieties to businesses. The untransferred varieties are currently not suitable for new production development needs," Professor Son reported.

Professor Son also extended his gratitude to Cao Duc Phat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), for attending the seminar. During an official visit to the Mekong Delta in June 2016, Cao Duc Phat recognized the potential of public-private partnership in the research and commercialization of rice varieties.

At the time, while serving as the Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat acknowledged that both public research institutes and crop trading businesses can benefit from high-quality seed varieties.

Accordingly, the Minister encouraged businesses to contribute to a common goal by aiding research institutes in their efforts.

Following this visit, multiple businesses in the Mekong Delta have actively cooperated with research institutes and seed centers to adopt new varieties, and share copyrights and royalties. According to Professor Son, public-private partnership is a significant motivation for scientists to create breakthrough products.

Professor Son credited major development milestones in Vietnam's rice industry to three key achievements, including: the diversification in the field of plant genetics; the high-quality research workforce capable of competing with other countries in the region; and a rapidly developing domestic variety industry with the contributions of associations and unions.

Fostering a collaborative environment for businesses and research institutes

"However, it will be difficult to meet modern requirements without fundamental changes and new approaches. Vietnam's agricultural sector has developed rapidly and reached its initial threshold; as a result, comprehensive innovation is required to keep up with modern technological trends and develop even further," emphasized Professor Son.

Professor Son noted that research institutes and businesses are collaborating to establish effective public-private partnerships in the research and commercialization of crop varieties. Notably, businesses quickly adopt and transfer new rice varieties. Furthermore, businesses have coordinated with research institutes to provide technical training for farmers and organizing market activities.

Professor Son made several proposals to adjust Decree No. 70/2018/ND-CP on the management of state-funded scientific and technological assets in order to foster a collaborative environment for businesses and research institutes.

"Following the issuance of this decree, various scientists have expressed concern that they would not receive royalties for their varieties. I have reassured them on multiple occasions, explaining that Decree No. 70 aims to assign assets for valuation by research institutes, not to establish ownership rights. The Law on Intellectual Property, Law on Science and Technology, Law on Technology Transfer, and Law on Crop Production have already established the framework for ownership rights. Decree No. 70 only regulates the valuation of assets without affecting this established framework," explained Professor Son.

Regarding legal aspects, Professor Son is confident in the specialized sectors' ability to facilitate collaboration between businesses and research institutes in the research and commercialization of rice varieties. He noted that the partnership between the public and private sectors aims to maintain transparency in the process of transferring variety research projects.

Moving forward, the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences will issue internal regulations on the management of scientific products. "We aim to enhance management capacity, and ensure genetic purity to maintain variety copyrights from the early stages. Additionally, the Academy will establish a transparent and public auction process. We expect to streamline the technology transfer process with these measures," Professor Son added.

He believes that cooperation between businesses and scientists will pave the way for breakthroughs in crop research.

Socializing scientific and technological activities

"If we rely solely on the state's science and technology resources as we do now, we cannot meet current global demands and development requirements. We need socialization and investment from businesses through science and technology investment capital, allowing Vietnam to acquire foreign scientific knowledge, or conduct independent domestic research. That is the true meaning of socialization; overreliance on state resources will be very restrictive," Professor Son called for attention to the issue.

Regarding public-private partnerships, he contends that the state should focus on addressing fundamental issues and conducting basic research to create breakthrough gene pools, thereby enabling private businesses to access intermediate materials for product development.

The Professor also suggested the business community to commission research from institutes due to their differences in terms of genetic backgrounds, capacity, and investment objectives. New products can only meet their business goals through investment from the research stage. On the other hand, businesses should develop on their existing genetic foundations, and commission research institutes to improve varieties.

With the aim of promoting climate resilience, research institute must improve rice varieties in terms of pest and disease resistance. Accordingly, pest and disease infestation can significantly reduce productivity, quality and increase pesticide usage. The business community is responsible for commissioning these development targets for research.

Professor Son reported: "At present, research institutes must establish contracts with businesses before they can receive new research projects; this requirement allows institutes to demonstrate their product quality and gain the confidence of investing businesses. I hope that businesses will commission research institutes during the early stages of a project. Without an established contract, institutes may face considerable challenges in settling disputes."

In addition, the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences committed to changing its approach to building partnership agreements, with the aim of preventing unnecessary complications. This adjustment will allow businesses to confidently invest in research efforts; and institutes to focus on their areas of expertise.