From margarine to robots: Vietnam helps enterprises improve technology

In addition, the ministry has supported businesses in technology innovation, enabling them to create key products and achieve high competitiveness. One such example is a project perfecting technology and equipment lines to improve the quality of cooking oil and produce shortening, margarine from Tra fish. Once the production line is completed, the plant will consume about 72,000 tonnes of fish fat annually. The total value added after converting the raw fish fat to cooking oil is estimated at VND838.8 billion a year, significantly increasing the value of Vietnamese Tra fish.

Another supported project involves manufacturing five-level robots to serve in university and technical college training. The robot product of this project is of the same quality as foreign products on the market, reducing about 60 percent of the product price. Two years after the project completion, the host unit has transferred 15 robots to domestic universities and colleges.

Many projects to innovate and improve the technology level of key products are also being implemented. They include the Chitosan extract from shrimp by-products of the Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company; application of scientific and technological advances to build a commercial lobster farming model of commodity scale in the plains of Phu Yen Province; producing coconut milk and copra in Ben Tre Province; producing high quality snow Shan tea in Ha Giang, and more.

The Ministry of Science and Technology and related ministries, departments, agencies and localities, in coordination with the Central Economic Committee, have devised a scheme in order to submit to the Politburo for issuance of a resolution on the 4.0 Industrial Revolution. They have also submitted the Prime Minister for approval and implementation of a national roadmap to support the research, development and application of Industry 4.0.

At the same time, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the State Bank of Vietnam have added Industry 4.0 enterprises to the list of high-tech businesses in five prioritized areas that would receive preferential credit. The ministry has also drawn up a plan to implement the Research and Development of Artificial Intelligence until 2025 project.

In addition, the Ministry continues to support and guide the drawing up of technological maps for the automobile, agricultural machinery manufacturing industry and microbiology. The ministry will also conduct a survey of technology needs in six sectors - agriculture, forestry-wood processing, fishery, food processing, environment, and information technology-communications in southwestern provinces and cities.