NIC and Thermo Fisher advance shared tech infrastructure

NIC and Thermo Fisher advance shared tech infrastructure

The National Innovation Centre (NIC) and Thermo Fisher Scientific held a forum on advancing Vietnam's semiconductor, AI, and innovation ambitions on August 13.

The event brought together representatives from government agencies, experts, businesses, research institutes, universities and partners in semiconductors, AI, biomedical technology and innovation to discuss cooperation opportunities, promote shared research infrastructure and strengthen Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem.

Photo: NIC

Recognising shared research and technology infrastructure as a key impediment in the development of strategic technology industries, the NIC has stepped up cooperation with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global technology group specialising in life sciences, research, analytical technologies and solutions for a range of high-tech industries.

During his visit to Vietnam, Gianluca Pettiti, president and COO, and president of Life Sciences Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific, attended the forum and discussed cooperation potential with the NIC and Vietnamese partners, particularly in developing scientific and technological infrastructure and shared research models.

The partnership between NIC and Thermo Fisher aims to bring advanced international infrastructure, equipment, technologies and expertise closer to Vietnamese businesses, startups, research institutes and universities. This is expected to reduce technology access costs, shorten research and product development timelines, and strengthen domestic innovation capacity.

Pettiti said, "Vietnam has significant opportunities to develop high-tech industries and needs continued investment in research infrastructure, technology, human resources and stronger links between research and businesses."

Thermo Fisher Scientific aims to contribute its technology, equipment and expertise to help Vietnam strengthen research, product development and innovation capabilities.

"Connecting the company’s technological capabilities, equipment and expertise with Vietnamese government agencies, universities, research institutes and businesses will expand access to advanced technologies, accelerate their application and help bring research outcomes into practice," he added.

Speaking at the forum, Vo Xuan Hoai, deputy director of NIC, said, “The greatest value of the cooperation between NIC and Thermo Fisher lies in jointly building an open research infrastructure model where businesses, startups, universities and research institutes can access internationally standardised technologies, equipment and expertise at more reasonable costs and within shorter timeframes.”

Under the cooperation framework, a shared laboratory at NIC Hoa Lac will serve as foundational infrastructure for research, product development, technology testing and workforce training.

NIC will work with Thermo Fisher to develop an implementation roadmap while connecting businesses, startups, research institutes and universities that need access to the infrastructure. The two sides will also promote training and capacity-building programmes and mobilise additional technology corporations, research organisations and international partners to participate.

Through the initiative, NIC aims to establish an internationally standardised model of shared research and innovation infrastructure at Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, enabling domestic and international technology resources to be used more effectively and potentially replicated in other strategic technology fields.

MoU signing ceremony between NIC and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Photo: NIC

The forum featured a panel discussion on developing shared infrastructure for semiconductors, AI, and biomedical technology, with the participation of Dan Kritenbrink, former US Ambassador to Vietnam, representatives from Thermo Fisher Scientific, relevant agencies, Hanoi Industrial Park Management Board, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and Vietnam National University, also in Hanoi.

During the forum, NIC and Thermo Fisher Scientific signed a MoU, marking a new step in their cooperation to support Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem through shared science and technology infrastructure and stronger public-private cooperation in strategic technology fields.

Under the cooperation framework, Thermo Fisher is expected to work with the NIC to develop an internationally standardised shared laboratory for semiconductor and biomedical technologies at NIC Hoa Lac. The infrastructure will serve businesses, startups, research institutes and universities while enabling Vietnamese organisations to access international technologies, equipment and expertise.

For the NIC, the MoU represents an initial step towards developing a new public-private cooperation model for technology infrastructure. Under this model, the state will play a role in enabling and connecting resources; international technology companies will contribute technologies and expertise; while businesses, research institutes, and universities will directly utilise the infrastructure, develop technologies, and commercialise research results.

Through its cooperation with Thermo Fisher Scientific, the NIC is reinforcing its role as a national hub connecting technology resources, expertise, infrastructure and the domestic market with leading global technology corporations.

VIR