Hanoi (VNA) - TechDemo 2019 has taken place in the CentralHighlands province of Gia Lai.

The Ministry of Science and Technology coordinated with the Gia Lai People'sCommittee organised the event under the theme "Connecting technology,catching up with the Industrial Revolution 4.0".

The three-day conference aims at application promotion, technology transfer andinnovation for businesses and organisations in the south central and centralhighlands region as well as the whole country, said Deputy Minister of Scienceand Technology Tran Van Tung at the opening ceremony on November 24.

It also aims to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises, create conditionsfor scientists to apply their research results into production and businessactivities, contributing to practical efficiency for enterprises and nationalsocio-economic development, Tung said.

At the same time, it would promote economic, trade and investment cooperation,especially technology exchange between Vietnamese and foreign enterprises, thedeputy minister added.

TechDemo 2019 in Gia Lai has nearly 500 technology exhibition booths in sevenfields of processing and preserving agricultural and forestry products,mechanical engineering and supporting industries, information technology,electronic technology, Internet of Things (IoT), new energy technology,renewable energy, and technology for environmental protection.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said Vietnam'seconomic growth model in recent years had gradually decreased dependence onresource exploitation, crude oil export and credit expansion.

The country's economy was shifting to agrowth model based on enhancement of the value chain, he said.

“Science and technology have made great progress, gained important achievementsand contributed significantly to economic growth and competitiveness,” henoted.

The Deputy Prime Minister said according to the latest report of the WorldEconomic Forum in early October, the country's global competitiveness index(GCI) had increased to 67th position, up 10 places and 3.5 points compared tothe end of last year.

These indicators demonstrated the Government's direction and solutions inensuring macro-economic balances, attracting resources for science andtechnology, and promoting businesses to transfer and develop technology havehelped contribute to increasing labour productivity and competitiveness.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister also said it was necessary to look directlyat the reality that there are still limits in the country's scientific andtechnological development and innovation.

The awareness of all sectors and localities on the role of science, technologyand innovation was not sufficient and comprehensive, and the nationalinnovation system was still young and fragmented.

The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Science and Technology, central and localministries and agencies to raise awareness and responsibility in directingscientific and technological development; continue improving the legalframework and policies with specific mechanisms to enhance technologyapplication; improve research and development capacity; promote the role andcreate appropriate mechanisms so that universities and research institutescould train high-quality human resources for innovation.

At the opening ceremony of TechDemo Gia Lai 2019, the province gave five investmentcertificates with a total capital of more than 2.4 trillion VND (103 millionUSD) for businesses.

Six memorandums of investment were alsosigned with a total capital of over
17 trillion VND (730 million USD)./.