In his remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu stressed that Germany is always one of Vietnam’s most important partners in the European Union (EU), and Vietnam is one of Germany’s three biggest economic partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Vietnamese Government has regarded science-technology, innovation and creativity as economic growth engines, helping improve competitiveness and international integration capacity of businesses, and spur the sustainable socio-economic development, especially in the context of digitalisation and the fourth Industrial Revolution, he said.

Vu affirmed the Vietnamese Embassy’s support for the initiative of the VGI which is expected to serve as a forum to attract and connect Vietnamese scientists and experts in Germany as well as German individuals, groups and companies.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac described the launch of the network as one of the practical activities contributing to realising the Vietnam-Germany agreement on scientific and technological cooperation.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology stands ready to support the operation of the network, the official said, expressing his hope that through the network, there will be more joint research projects, contributing to the bilateral cooperation in innovation and creation between the two countries, especially after the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement was signed.

The ministry will also work together with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to finance many projects on cooperation in scientific and technological research by Vietnamese and German scientists and businesses, he said. VNA