Turning science into business in developing countries: the case of vaccine production in Vietnam

Abstract

Turning scientific discoveries into business opportunities is a difficult process, particularly in high-tech related area such as bioscience and biotechnology. In developing countries, where research conditions are much less favorable than in the industrialized world, there are many additional constraints in terms of finance, investment, and human resources. However, the production of vaccines on the basis of research and technology transfer in Vietnam shows that this is possible provided the right policy and right people are available. Relying on transfer of technology from overseas, plus a combination of domestic efforts and international cooperation on R&D, Vietnamese research institutes have turned their research into business operations and turned some scientists into a businessmen and women. This in turn, has contributed to the eradication of certain diseases and Vietnam’s self-reliance of key vaccines. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007Biotechnology, Spin-off , Vaccine, International cooperation, Vietnam, Technology transfer, O31, O38,

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“…They found that technical cooperation mainly complements the lack of human capital in hosting countries and its impact on technology transfer is only second to openness of the economy. Ca () investigated the production of vaccines on the basis of research and technology transfer in Vietnam. He found that international cooperation on R&D was a critical factor in the success of turning Vietnamese research institutes into business operations.…”

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