The Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) and the Lao Science and Technology Development Fund (FOSTED) on July 4 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on further cooperation in research, innovation, and capacity building.

Under the MoU, the two sides will set up an online science project management system in Lao and English, organize annual expert exchanges, co-host conferences and workshops, and launch collaborative research initiatives.

At the signing ceremony, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Bui The Duy, said the memorandum provides a legal foundation for expanding practical cooperation, allowing scientific communities to share knowledge and generate research outcomes that contribute to socioeconomic development.

Samlan Phankhavong, Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports and FOSTED’s Vice President, welcomed Vietnam’s support and called for deeper collaboration, including policy experimentation and technology transfer to businesses.

As part of future cooperation, Vietnam proposed a joint research initiative to develop Vietnamese-Lao automatic speech translation software, which would enable Laos to master voice recognition and pronunciation technologies in local languages.

The two funds will collaborate closely with national universities in both countries to execute the project.

The two entities previously signed a cooperation agreement in 2017. From 2020 to 2023, Vietnam supported Laos in developing its legal framework for science and technology development, laying the groundwork for FOSTED’s operations.

During the visit, FOSTED met with the University of Science at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi to discuss potential research collaborations and challenges in science and technology projects.