Representatives of Vietnam and Finland signed a bilateral agreement

Hanoi (VNA) – Representatives of Vietnam and Finland signed a bilateral agreement
on the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP) in Hanoi on July 23, contributing to
meeting the Asian nation’s goal of becoming an industrialised, middle-income
economy by 2020.

The programme will begin next month, last for three years through 2012 and have
budget of 3 million EUR contributed by the Finnish government on a grant basis.

The Vietnamese government will cover costs amounting to approximately 9.5 billion
VND (550.000 USD) as a contribution to the implementation of the programme.

Through the programme, the legal framework for science, technology and innovation
will be strengthened, management in these fields will be supported, public and
private partnerships will be enabled through an open forum and a network linking the
two countries with the aim of stimulating innovation.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc
Thang emphasised that science, technology and innovation are considered a driving
force for Vietnam to accelerate modernisation towards the goal of becoming an
industrialised country by 2020.

He expressed his hope that Finland will share its experience in transferring
knowledge and skills to provide impetus to Vietnam’s socio-economic development,
particularly in improving Vietnam’s capacity for innovation that actively supports
socio-economic development.

The signing of the agreement demonstrates that the relationship between Finland and
Vietnam is maturing and that “it is possible to move from traditional development
partnerships into new areas of collaboration,” Finnish Ambassador Pekka Hyvonen
said.-Enditem