Aus4Innovation: Science Commercialisation Partnerships

Innovation is critical for achieving food and nutrition security, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability associated with the Sustainable Development Goals. However, mobilising publicly funded research for innovation that delivers economic, social and environmental benefits is a challenge that faces many agricultural innovation systems. Viet Nam is no exception.

Aus4Innovation is an $10 million development assistance program that aims to strengthen Viet Nam’s innovation system, prepare for and embrace opportunities associated with Industry 4.0, and help shape Viet Nam’s innovation agenda in science and technology.

Through the Aus4Innovation program, Australia and Viet Nam will together explore emerging areas of technology and digital transformation, trial new models for partnerships between public and private sector institutions, and strengthen Vietnamese capability in digital foresighting, scenario planning, commercialisation and innovation policy.

We contribute to the Science Commercialisation Partnerships workstream, which looks specifically at delivering research and technology to market through science commercialisation approaches and research-industry partnerships, in Vietnam’s agriculture and food sector.

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is partnering with Vietnam’s national agency for technology and commercialisation, NATEC, to deliver the workstream.

Science Commercialisation Partnerships activities fall into three pathways. Activities in each pathway have been identified by our partners as priorities and opportunities to strengthen Vietnam’s innovation capacity.

Connecting research to market

This pathway is about piloting different ways for research and business to work together to commercialise science and technology, and to solve known industry challenges.

Science Commercialisation Partnerships is testing multiple approaches for partnering – from traditional approaches like licensing and contracting, to non-traditional approaches like regional innovation clusters and graduate-industry programs in universities.

The experiences and insights from Science Commercialisation Partnerships will be used to scale successes and systems to other research institutes beyond the program.

Read more about Connecting research to market.

Building commercialisation capability

This pathway is about building skills, experience and institutional capacity in science commercialisation and industry collaboration in Vietnam’s public research institutions.

It addresses both institutional interest in building these capabilities, and political interest in supporting commercialisation and collaboration across the country.

Examples include training and mentoring in global best practice for commercialising agriculture and food technology for sustainable outcomes, and co-developed guidance for national and institutional policies.

Read more about Building commercialisation capacity.

Scaling for sustainability and impact

This pathway is about creating sustainable impact beyond our pilot activities. It brings together what we have learned from Science Commercialisation Partnerships, what we know about leverage points in the innovation system and Vietnam’s emerging policy needs for science, technology and innovation.

Science Commercialisation Partnerships unique policy contribution is in commercialisation of agriculture and food research, supporting Aus4Innovation’s focus on innovation as part of science and technology policy.

Examples of current activities include:

  • Developing recommendations for national policy makers, donors and research organisations, based on success, challenges and lessons from Science Commercialisation Partnerships capacity and commercialisation activities;
  • Supporting NATEC’s annual and ten-year science and technology planning;
  • Supporting NATEC’s contribution to VISTI’s Science, Technology and Innovation monitoring and planning with evidence and recommendations for science commercialisation for social and economic impact;
  • Sharing experiences from Australia to support the development of effective approaches to science commercialisation and collaboration for Vietnam.

For more information see the Aus4Innovation website or contact Jennifer Kelly.

Project Partners 

MoST Logo The work plan for the workstream was developed in collaboration with the Viet Nam National Agency for Technological Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development (NATEC). Reporting to Ministry of Science and Technology (Most), NATEC is responsible for National Commercialisation Program.

Other Implementing Partners include:

Can Tho University (CTU): Partnering to build capacity and pilot both traditional agriculture and food technology commercialisation and non-tradition knowledge and system innovation capacity approaches.
Viet Nam Academy of Sciences (VAST): Partnering to build traditional technology commercialisation capacity within the organisation.
Viet Nam National University of Agriculture (VNUA): Partnering to build capacity and pilot both traditional agriculture and food technology commercialisation and non-tradition knowledge and system innovation capacity approaches.
Impact and Innovation Group: Partnering to build traditional technology commercialisation capability and a network of science commercialisation professionals in Viet Nam.