HCM City (VNA) - Better cooperation is needed between domestic andinternational agencies, organisations and enterprises in the development ofadvanced radiation technologies, Hoang Anh Tuan, Director of the Vietnam AtomicEnergy Agency said at a conference on atomic energy held in HCM City on October17.

Tuan said that research and development in radiation technology in Vietnam hadachieved positive results in the fields of medicine, industry, agriculture andenvironment.

The country has eight irradiation facilities and 11 industrial irradiators,including one X-ray accelerator and one electron beam (EB) machine. Anotherfacility is under construction in Bac Ninh province.

One of the key tasks is to access atomic energy use for socio-economicdevelopment, Tuan said, adding that identifying challenges and solutions wouldhelp the development of radiation technology in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Quan, from the Ministry of Health’s Administration of ScienceTechnology and Training, pointed out several limitations that still exist inthe application of radiation technology in the medical field.

There is a lack of qualified human resources, irradiation facilities andmachines, and facilities providing radioactive medicine, he said, suggesting universitiesand higher education institutions add new majors related to atomic energy inthe next academic period.

New policies to develop the use of irradiation technology need improvedcollaboration between ministries and other sectors, he said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s 171 member states promote safe,secure and peaceful nuclear technologies, according to Bum Soo Han from theIAEA’s Department of Nuclear Science and Applications.

There still exists a gap between member states in implementation ofradiation-based techniques, he said.

The IAEA helps member states strengthen their capacities in adoptingradiation-based techniques through its technical cooperation programmes,coordinated research projects, consultants, and technical meetings andconferences.

It supports cleaner and safer industrial processes, and offers a wide spectrumof education and training activities.

Education and training are necessary to ensure that the next generation ofnuclear industry professionals is prepared to manage complex radiationtechnology programmes, he said.

Every four years, the IAEA organises an international conferences on radiationscience and technology application at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria thathighlight the latest key developments in the field./.