The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and the National
Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) of France have agreed to
enhance bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of their
strength.
The consensus was reached during a
ceremony to celebrate the 30 th anniversary of cooperation between the
two institutions in Paris on July 3.
Addressing
the event, VAST President Chau Van Minh said, during the three
decades, the cooperation between VAST and CNRS has been deployed in
all areas of science and technology, with hundreds of projects jointly
implemented by Vietnamese and French scientists.
The
cooperation, according to Minh, also takes diverse forms, from scientist
exchanges to International Projects of Scientific Cooperation (PISC),
International Associated Laboratories (LIA) like LIA Formath Vietnam
chaired by the Institute of Mathematics of Vietnam , as well as
International Research Networks (GDRI).
Besides
bilateral cooperation schemes, there have been numerous
inter-disciplinary projects involving many laboratories and research
institutes from both countries, he added.
Over the
last 30 years, more than 1,000 Vietnamese researchers have been sent to
CNRS for scientific exchange, internship and master and doctorate
degree courses. Among them, over 100 officials have gained their degrees
and become key staff in VAST ’s labs.
The two
institutions also successfully organised 14 special courses in Vietnam
, which were considered an effective way of cooperation which should
be expanded, Minh noted.
For his part, CNRS
President Alain Fuchs highlighted Vietnam as one of a few countries
having deep and traditional ties with France , which serves as a firm
foundation for the cooperation between their scientific circles.
He expressed his belief in the equal partnership relations in
cooperative projects, and urged for further cooperation combining
training and research in topics of mutual interest.
Also at the ceremony, the two sides signed an agreement on a LIA FOCOMAT
in composite materials research in the period 2013-2016.
During their visit to France from June 30-July 6, the VAST
delegation led by Prof. Chau Van Minh met with Minister of Foreign Trade
Nicole Bricq, Astrium-an affiliate of the European Aeronautic Defence
and Space Company , the French National Museum of Natural History
and CNRS affiliated bodies.-VNA