Research key to IT industry

Co-operation among universities, research centres, related departments and hi-tech parks was key to the development of the integrated circuit (IC) design industry, a conference heard.

“The inter-sector cooperation would help develop the integrated circuit design industry as it brings together what is needed to develop a particular product,” Phan Minh Tan, director of HCM City’s Department of Science and Technology said.

At the conference themed “Summary of science research activity: Information technology-GIS programme 2006-2010″, Tan also predicted that IC design and Geographic Information System (GIS) would fast develop in Viet Nam in the following years.

Dr Duong Minh Tam said the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) component designed and produced by his team was the result of a combination of knowledge in chemistry, electronics and informatics.

Tam and his colleagues are planning to market QCM, which, according to the team, promises many applications in areas like agriculture and health.

“Enterprises need to invest more in scientific research for more value adding with local components instead of only assembling products from imported components,” said Tam.

Duong Anh Duc, deputy director of the Viet Nam National University – HCM City, said there was not much co-operation between scientists and enterprises and the number of researchers and scientists was small with few connections.

Integrated Circuit Design Research and Education Centre (ICDREC) of the Viet Nam National University-HCM City has 42 intellectual Property (IP) cores worth $34 million and six IP cores to be transfered by the department.

ICDREC director Ngo Duc Hoang wanted the department would support ICDREC’s commercially potential projects longer to put some products like QCM on the market. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam IT industry