ĐỒNG NAISCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY E-PORTAL

 

For each locality’s human resources, especially high-level human resources, the country plays an important role in promoting socio-economic development. Experience shows that if many countries without abundant mineral resources know to how to focus on investing in and developing human resources reasonably, they will help their country thrive in science and technology with the industries of manufacturing, electronics, information technology, and advanced heavy industries and raise their GDP per capita to a higher level than that of the countries with a large population and abundant natural resources but a low-quality human resource.

In order to build up a team of science and technology officials that are working in the province's political system, especially the force of the key managers in the sectors, who learn and study in a favorable environment and are capable of improving their abilities to gain an access to the world’s experience and latest research and become the leading officials and experts of sectors, DOST has given the provincial People’s Committee advice on human resources development. As a result, in 2005 the provincial People's Council issued the Resolution no.51/2005/NQ-HDND on the human resources development project for socio-economic development in the 2006-2010 period and vision to 2020. Accordingly, DOST was assigned as the head of the Programme 2 (the postgraduate education program) and and Programme 6 (the training program of computer science, foreign languages, and foreign affairs knowledge for the key officials and for the interpreters. After a period to cooperate with the Department of Internal Affairs and concerned departments and sectors, the results are as follows:

1.1. Postgraduate education program

The program started from 2007 to 2012 with the following results:

+ The implementation results in 2006-2010 period

412 applicants for the program were accepted, including 356 others that are still in the program.

- 348 learners have graduated and are working in their positions effectively.

- 8 learners are still doing their Ph.D.

Education  program	Ph.D	Master	Specialty I	Specialty II	Total
					Quantity	%
Natural Science		61			61	18
Educational Science		60			60	17.2
Medicine Science	1	4	73	41	119	34.2
Agricultural Science		10			10	3
Legal Science		4			4	1.1
Social Science & Humanity	1	8			9	2.6
Economics - Management	1	22			23	6.6
Science & Technology	1	61			62	17.8
Total	4	230	73	41	348	100

 

The age structure for graduate learners:

• 75 learners over 40 (21.5%).

• 135 learners between 30 and 40 (38.8%).

• 138 learners under 30 (39.6%).

 

Gender structure:

- 215 male learners and 133 female learners.

+ The results of approving the applicants for the postgraduate program in 2011-2015 period:

Over its years’ implementation, the program has selected 1,169 candidates (including 352 females) into the program, reaching 127.1% as planned. In particular, some individuals have completed and exceeded plans in 2011-2015 period as follows:

- Doctoral education accounts for 235.71%;

- Master education accounts for 145.7% (masters from domestic programs make up 151.38%, and masters from associate programs make up 103.33%).

There are still difficulties in enrolling some types of students:

- Overseas master education reaches only 45% due to the fact that students’ language skills fail to meet requirements;

- Specialty II doctor training reaches 30.56% compared to the target set for all the period. Every year, the Steering Committee for the Postgraduate Education Program reports to the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on this issue and the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee give some directions but things have not changed due to the fact that nobody in the health sector has registered for Specialty II doctor training program.

Among the applicants for the Postgraduate Education Program, there are 352 female learners, accounting for 30.1%.

494/1,169 learners at youth age, accounting for 42.25%; 521 others at middle age, accounting for 44.5%; and those at the age of over 40, accounting for 13.17% have been sent to postgraduate education programs.

 

Education program	Masters	Specialty I	Ph.D	Spcialty II	Preparatory human resources	Total
						Quantity	Structure
Natural Science	223		8		2	233	19,93%
Science & Technology	140		8		3	151	12,93%
Educational Science	294		23			317	27,11%
Medicine Science	25	136	5	17	1	184	15,73%
Agricultural Science	53		2			55	4,70%
Legal Science	87		7			94	8,05%
Social Science & Humanity	30		9			39	3,33%
Economics- Management	80		7		1	88	7,54%
Military Science	7		1			8	0.68%
Total	939	136	70	17	7	1.169

 

The age structure for graduate learners:

 • 77 learners over 40 (25.85%).

• 171 learners between 30 and 40 (57.38%).

• 50 learners under 30 (16.77%).

 Gender structure:

 

There are 159 male learners and 139 female learners.

Every year, before the Lunar New Year DOST holds the “Science and Technology Festival”, the get-together for the program’s learners is one of the events of the festival with the aim of assessing and reviewing the program throughout the year, thereby having exchanges and sharing experience as well as honoring and rewarding the learners with great achievements in their learning process.

 

A ceremony was held to award B-level computer certificates to key officials

 

The results of giving level B computer knowledge training to key officials

Implementing the program of “Nurture talents” within the talent fostering and training project for Dong Nai’s socio-economic development in the period of 2010-2015-2020, every year DOST, the provincial Children's House, and Department of Education and Training jointly organize robot contests for teenagers. The program has created a useful playground to arouse students’ passion of creativity and sought for teenagers’ robot-related talents and skills.

As a result, 9 robot contests have been held including “Catch and put the crabs into a basket” in 2009; “Kick balls” in 2010, “Robots build a wall” in 2011, and “Robot creativity” in 2012; “Robot family” in 2013; and “Robot creativity” in 2014. After each contest, the two best robots will be chosen to compete in the annual national robot contest for teenagers. In 2011, a special prize was won at the national robot contest. Especially, in 2014 the robot team of Lac Hong University won the championship title at the ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest.

 

With the targets in 2011-2015 period, the Program will focus on training and developing high-quality human resources, forming a force of the leading specialists in the spearhead fields which the province has a shortage of human resources such as biotechnology, informatics, telecommunications, health and new materials, and so on. It is expected that by 2015 the province will educate about 500 masters and doctors in various fields to meet the demand for human resources for the province’s socio-economic development and to contribute transforming Dong Nai into a basically industrialized and modernized province the same as what is set in the Resolution of the 9th Congress of the Party Committee of Dong Nai province in 2010-2015 term.

 

2. Building technical facilities

2.1. Build DOST’s new office building in Dong Nai and its branch in Ho Chi Minh city.

Dong Nai is a province with a developed industry. Therefore, as DOST was still the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, it focused investment resources on the environmental management in the context of the industrial development facing a lot of weaknesses in environmental protection. This was a major impact on the ideology of the civil servants when the new Department of Science and Technology was established on the basis of separating its State management function of environment, a strong point with a great potential that had to be transferred according to the Joint Circular no.​​15/2005/TTLT-BKHCN-BNV of the Ministries of Science and Technology and Internal Affairs dated July 15, 2003. The total number of civil servants was cut down from 64 to 34 people with an average age over 45.

Despite facing backward potentials and pessimistic thoughts in this period, thanks to the direction and encouragement of the provincial Party Committee and People's Committee, the deep interest of the Ministry of Science and Technology, especially the determination of all its officials in the strategy, tactics, and selection of the right direction, breakthroughs have been made in the development and promotion of the science and technology potentials that meet the requirements in a new era.

The representative office of DOST in Ho Chi Minh city was built and officially put into operation on May 20, 2009 at 277 – 279, Nguyen Thien Thuat street, ward 1, district 3, Ho Chi Minh city.

 

Simultaneously, I-Office (N-E-M-I) was constructed. It was an advanced tool applying information technology to management and administration, satisfying the requirements for ISO 9001:2000 standard for the online-based quality management method in 2005 and DOST became the only unit in the country to be certified then.

2.2. Construction of the Center for Biotechnology Application in Cam My district: A key breakthrough in high-tech application

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung paid a working visit to the Center for Biotechnology Application in Cam My district

 

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat paid a working visit to the Center for Biotechnology Application in Cam My district

 

The delegation of the Central Theory Council paid a working visit to the Center for Biotechnology Application in Cam My district

In addition, the Center has a human resource of 26 officials and civil servants including 12 masters, 1 postgraduate student, and 7 post graduates. This official force is a nucleus to connect with schools, institutions, and enterprises: University of Agriculture and Forestry of Ho Chi Minh City, University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City Center of Biotechnology, Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park, the East Region Fruit Plant Center, and so on to conduct the models applying biotechnology to agriculture such as catch-cropping mango plants in rambutan orchards; apply collective techniques to developing avocado plants; catch-crop durian plants in mangosteen orchards; chains to produce and process cocoa products; and the high-tech application model for dragon fruit plants.

 

A pilot production model for Monaka orchids

 

A net melon production model in net houses

 

The model to plant pepper and mangosteen with rubber trees

In the future, the Center will keep performing the following tasks:

- Promote the establishment of the biotechnology high-tech park on the basis of the Center for Biotechnology Applications in parallel with a completely-invested infrastructure.

- Attract high-tech enterprises specializing in biotechnology to invest in and universities and research institutes to conduct their themes and projects in the Center.

- Continue training and attracting the human resources specializing in biotechnology, medicine, and agriculture.

2.3. Construction of the Measurement and Calibration Center in Nhon Trach: energy needed to accelerate the aircraft of Dong Nai’s science and technology

Information technology is affirmed to be the century technology sector and an indispensable belonging in the 21st century. One of six breakthrough projects in the national key information communications technology program: “Bringing the Internet and computer to countryside: develop broadband Internet access, provide services, and expand communal culture post office network”. This shows that the Party and the State have identified bringing information technology to rural areas a key task in the IT development strategy as well as in rural economic development.

Dong Nai is a province in the Southeast region located in the southern key economic zone. It is also the province with a high industrial growth rate and with over 70 percent of the population relying on agriculture. In recognition of this, in 2003 DOST determined the investment in creating science and technology potentials, including investing in information technology one step ahead, and considered it as a strategy to develop science and technology for agriculture, countryside, and administrative reform towards an e-government and create a foundation for the sustainable development of economic, cultural, and political fields to aim at making Dong Nai a basically industrialized and modernized province by 2015, which is set in the resolution that the 9th provincial Party Congress in 2010-2015 period.

- Open training classes in communes or in communal clusters to help learners not to have to go too far;

- Teachers perform 3 in 1 functions: teaching and managing students, and managing facilities. Teachers have meals, live, and get involved in activities in the commune to get ready to help students if necessary;

- The training unit and the organizational unit hold exams and grant certificates independently;

- The students that attend classes must pay tuition fee. If they pass the exam after four months, all their tuition fees will be covered (VND600.000 per student).

The level A computer skill universalization program has met the expectations of the senior communal and hamlet officials and civil servants, who seem to be unable to learn computer skills due to the fact that they are afraid of going to computer centers to learn computer skills together with younger age learners. Thanks to the teacher’s devotion, not caring about difficulties to eat and live with the commune’s collectives and enthusiasm to teach the senior learners that did not have a chance to learn due to wartime and lack of learning conditions, this learning model has gradually removed all senior learners’ fears about their age.

For the leadership of the local authorities, the program has made contributions to the administrative reform, initiated the movement to attempt to learn among senior and junior officials, and dealt with the obstacle of time and traveling costs concerning having officials participate in the program. .

The program ended in 2010. As a result, 7,007 officials were trained, meeting the standard for the level A computer skills in the whole province.

- Establishment of science and technology information points.

The program started in late 2003. The main content of the program is to develop the science and technology information points at the Centers for Culture, Sports, and Community Learning in the communes and wards in the province. The target is that the science and technology information points will be established in 100 percent of communes and wards by 2013. Results show that up to now 95 science and technology information points have been established in the province (there are 171 communes and wards throughout the province). Each point of science and technology information will be equipped with the following device:

- 2 sets of computers, 1 printer, 1 digital camera, computer desks, desks and chairs, disk cabinets, newsletters, and magazines;

3.2 Information Technology for the administrative reform towards the e-government

- The level A and B computer skill training program for the key officials:

The computer skill training program for the key officials of the human resource development project led by DOST and the Department of Internal Affairs, and the concerned sectors in the province has been implemented since 2007. The program aims at training and improving the IT development strategy and training the skills to use office computer programs and appropriate professional software under the guidance.

The highlights of the computer training programs for the key officials are:

- The students that are the key officials at the provincial and district levels are supposed to receive the province’s interest and assistance;

- Ensure good facilities and a selective teaching staff;

- The training unit and the organizational unit grant certificates independently;

- The students that are taking courses are exempt from tuition fees and get an allowance of VND20,000 per lesson;

- The class for the key officials at the provincial level in Lac Hong University, and the class for the key officials at the district level in the vocational training centers in districts have facilitated students’ travelling;

 

The program trained 184 key officials with level A computer skills from 2007 to 2009 and 412 others with level B computer skills from 2010 to 20111.

- Electronic Office (N, E, M, I).

a) History and development:

 

Owing to the practical needs of the State management and administration of the scientific and technological activities, it is essentially necessary for DOST to study and apply information technology to design an electronic office (N, E, M, I).

The E-Office (N, E, M, I) is oriented to be designed through four phases: Network Office (N - office), Electronic Office (E-office); Mobile Office (M - office), and Intelligent Office (I - office) with the three following tasks:

- Build a quality management system according to ISO 9001:2008 standard with the scope of application: make plans, programs, and research themes to carry out and evaluate implementation; evaluate business eligibility; approve of the contracts of technology transfer and technology assessment; manage standards, measurement, and quality; license X - ray use in health diagnosis; conduct an inspection of science and technology; settle complaints and denunciations in the field of operation and management of DOST. Simultaneously, DOST has confirmed the application of all the terms of the quality management system ISO 9001:2000. Based on the scope of application and functions of the divisions in DOST, it has developed and applied 21 procedures and processes to the appropriate and specific activities in each division.

- Apply a multimedia system to carry out information technology application programs of management towards making the quality management system the Online ISO management system: the science and technology e-portal on the Internet; and manage the mobile office; projects and scientific research themes; database platform and database of environment and technology based on the geographic information system (GIS); brand names; inspection activities; complaints and denunciations; financial and accounting activities; the information of scientists; legal documents; science and technology journals and newsletters; human resources; rural science and technology database; and the databases of businesses’ technology abilities; build an online registration program about administrative services supply; and build the programs to observe, monitor, and chair a conference, and give distant orders.

- Train and re-train the officials and civil servants to be adaptable to the e - work style and the e - lifestyle in order to achieve the goals of the online ISO-based quality management system.

The data center developed by DOST has met the international standard TIA - 942 (TIA: Telecommunications Industry Association) in terms of data integration centers and satisfied the requirements for ISO – IEC 27001:2005 based on information security with the technology capability and qualified manpower to supply the value-added services on the Internet, to meet not only the high demand for hosting, storage, and backup of e-portals and the province’s information systems but also the demand of the agencies and enterprises outside the province to operate stably and effectively. This is the only center in the science and technology sector to supply the value-added services on the Internet.

 

- Putting forward solutions for ensuring safety and information security

In the field of information security, it is necessary to focus on studying products and solutions to ensure safety and information security in the electronic transactions of the agencies in the political and administrative system. The products and solutions in this field have won a lot of national and international awards and have beeen effectively applied in reality. Particularly, Dong Nai provincial Party Committee has used Non-Standard Special Provisions (NSSP) to ensure the safety of the information system of the provincial Executive Party Committee. In 2009, DOST was awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate for its information security management system by DAS (The United Kingdom) and has become the State’s first and only management agency in Vietnam to be awarded the certificate of the international standard information security management system.

 

4. Innovating science and technology management mechanism

Promote the science and technology management mechanism towards removing the “ask and give” mechanism and implement the target programs to select the themes and projects that are associated with the reality in production and life; do research into some science and technology products with a high content of grey matter, competitiveness and commercialization to contribute to creating a science and technology market and being the premise for cooperative relations and regional and global science and technology integration.

- Innovating the management of the deployment of science and technology themes and projects:

The science and technology themes and projects that are reviewed and selected are based on Dong Nai’s targets and tasks set in the development strategy - focusing on investment to develop science and technology potentials in two priority areas: developing agriculture and implementing administrative reform towards an e-government; identifying the three key programs including information technology, biotechnology, and training and developing human resources.

Besides focusing on the in-depth development for the above 2 priority areas and 3 key programs, to develop them broadly it is necessary to build the programs to create an impact on the mobilization of the social resources into scientific and technological activities to have both motivation and strength to develop science and technology to make a positive contribution to promoting the province’s industrialization and modernization process.

Based on the above development strategy, every year in the first quarter DOST invites departments, committees, sectors, research institutes, universities, and scientists to 11 districts to organize science and technology workshops that help identify the needs and tasks of science and technology and to put forward solutions for supporting sectors and localities. These annual workshops make research institutes, universities, and scientists fully aware of the needs of the sectors and localities as well as make sectors and localities fully aware of the achievements and research capacity of the research institutes, universities, and scientists. On the basis of a demand-supply relation, research institutes, universities, and scientists can help the sectors and localities make the proposals of science and technology tasks that suit the reality in each locality.

Based on the proposals of the sectors and localities, themes and projects will be reviewed through 3 steps:

- Step 1: In the second quarter, the Advisory Council will determine the list to be reviewed to determine the list to keep performing step 2 and make proposals to levels of management: the State, provinces, sectors or districts.

- Step 2: Based on the reviewed results, the Advisory Council will determine the list and the theme or project leader will build a description of themes or projects and submit it to the Advisory Council to have the themes and projects at the provincial or sectoral levels evaluated. The Advisory Council to evaluate themes and projects follows the 3.3 model including the scientists in Dong Nai and in the two major science centers in Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi capital city (3 members from Dong Nai, 3 others from Ho Chi Minh city, and 3 others from Hanoi)