Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on June 30 officially launched the Vietnam Science and Technology Exchange, and outlined its future development direction.

The MoST positions the platform not just as a technical tool but as a core institutional infrastructure for building a knowledge-based economy. It aims to act as a “long arm” linking research, production, and the market.

In its current first phase, the exchange platform has integrated information on 600 technologies for sale, mainly equipment and machinery, over 50 registered technology procurement needs, a directory of 150 consultants and brokers, and online exhibition booths for showcasing technologies.

In the second phase, the platform will expand to offer interactive supply-demand matching, consulting and brokerage services, transaction tracking and analytics, advisory services in finance, IP, and technology transfer, as well as integration with national science, technology, and innovation databases, supporting hybrid (online/offline) modes.

The platform operates under a public–private partnership (PPP) model. The Government provides infrastructure, platform development, and data-sharing policies, while encouraging businesses to engage in safe, transparent, and efficient transactions.

Expected to be fully operational by this November, the Vietnam Science and Technology Exchange is poised to become a new engine of growth, modernising national science and technology institutions and driving depth-oriented economic development.

Amid global trends in digital transformation and innovation, technology markets have become crucial drivers of economic growth, especially in advanced economies.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the World Bank, countries with structured tech exchange systems typically see three to five times higher levels of R&D investment and patent commercialisation than those without.

In OECD nations, tech markets play a vital role in boosting productivity, bridging research and application, and commercializing intellectual property. Since the 1990s, countries like the US, European nations, and China have developed tech exchanges offering services such as valuation, legal and financial consulting, standards compliance, and IP protection.

A standout example is China’s Shanghai Technology Exchange (STEX), launched in 1993. Once a small brokerage center, STEX has grown into a core institution in Shanghai’s innovation ecosystem. By 2023, it had facilitated over 4,000 transactions, valued at approximately USD 60 billion, demonstrating how such platforms can match tech supply and demand and make technology a tradable commodity.

Vietnam has laid strong groundwork for a tech exchange market through strategic directives on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, notably Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 193-NQ/TW, aimed at breaking policy bottlenecks. Simultaneously, digital infrastructure is rapidly advancing.

Driving this effort is the growing demand from businesses to modernize and escape the low value-added trap, making a formal tech marketplace increasingly essential.

🥃 Over the past decade, Vietnam has developed 22 local tech portals and held national-scale events like Techmart, Techconnect and Innovation, and Techfest, which have laid the foundation for a more professional, transaction-based model./.