HCMC Industry 4.0 center a sci-tech platform to advance national goals: PM

The Ho Chi Minh City-based Center for Industry 4.0 Revolution (C4IR), part of the World Economic Forum's global network, will contribute to Vietnam’s goal of industrialization and modernization based on scientific and technological advances, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Wednesday.

He was speaking at the center’s inauguration ceremony held in the Saigon High-Tech Park. Other senior dignitaries attending the inauguration included Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen and Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Phan Van Mai.

This event was a major highlight of the HCMC Economic Forum 2024 (HEF 2024), themed "Industrial Transformation: A New Driving Force for Sustainable Development in HCMC.

Chinh outlined six key objectives for the center: implementing the Party's science and technology policies; fostering innovation through the fourth industrial revolution; promoting industrialization and modernization per the 13th National Party Congress and Central Committee resolutions; addressing the country's developmental needs; enhancing integration in science, technology and innovation; and actively participating in the fourth industrial revolution.

He also emphasized HCMC’s role as a pioneer in economic, financial, service, cultural, educational, and technological innovation.

Chinh noted that sustainable and inclusive development, driven by modern science and technology, as well as a strong emphasis on startups and innovation, was an essential trend and a strategic priority for countries worldwide.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, vice chairwoman of HDBank and a founding member of C4IR, highlighted recent large-scale projects at the HCMC High-Tech Park, including HDBank's Galaxy Innovation Hub, spanning over 35,000 square meters, which serves as a collaboration hub for multinational tech companies like Nidec, Nipro (Japan), Samsung (South Korea), and American giants such as Intel, Facebook and Google.

The Aviation Technology Center under the Vietjet Aviation Technology Academy, which began construction in 2017 and was inaugurated in 2018, was another key facility at the park. In partnership with Airbus, it has emerged as the region's leading aviation training center, training over 50,000 students annually.

Thao expressed her readiness to contribute even more actively to the city's and country's innovation efforts in the next phase of development.

Officials said C4IR will enhance collaboration with similar centers worldwide to develop solutions and policy recommendations while researching the city's priority areas in alignment with national goals and international trends. The center will also mobilize resources and support businesses in adopting new technologies relevant to the fourth industrial revolution.

It will function as a public-private partnership, with prominent Vietnamese and HCMC enterprises participating in its founding.

The C4IR’s establishment represented the Vietnamese Government's and HCMC's commitment to fostering deeper cooperation with the World Economic Forum, they added.