Established on 17 September 1993, with the main task of gathering, uniting, bringing into play the potentials and wisdom of scientific and technological intellectuals in service of industrialization and modernization; Organizing and guiding mass movements to advance science and technology; conducting scientific researches, implementing technologies and protecting the environment; actively contribute to raising people’s intellectual level, training human resources, fostering talents and disseminating knowledge to the masses; Thua Thien Hue Union of Science and Technology Associations (HUSTA) has spent 25 years of building and development to perform its consultancy, criticism and social assessment functions.
Over the past four congresses, each period has its own difficulties, but the general aspirations are to help HUSTA to fulfill its mission, becoming the common house for science and technology intellectuals of Thua Thien Hue province.
Organizational building and development
The most outstanding achievement was that the Standing Committee of HUSTA advised the provincial People’s Committee to promulgate Plan No. 61/KH-UBND, dated 01 August 2012 on strengthening organizational structure. At present, HUSTA has its own office with 02 divisions; staff of 10 cadres and civil servants; has set up a party committee, branch, labor union and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; HUSTA has 47 member organizations with over 30,000 members, 09 science and technology centers and affiliated clubs.
Socio-political activities
Socio-political activities are always taken seriously by HUSTA. Officials and members of HUSTA have provided inputs for documents of the national party congresses, provincial Party congresses; Programs, projects, conferences, workshops of the province. The Trade Union and Youth Union of HUSTA have actively participated in humanitarian activities, organized many social events, and donated hundreds of valuable gifts to poor and disadvantaged children. Member organizations and affiliated units have many social activities such as medical examination and treatment, free health counseling for elderly people and policy beneficiaries, restoration and development of traditional medicine; Participating in social programs such as environmental protection, poverty alleviation, donation to support flood victims, etc.
Since 2017, with the approval of the provincial People’s Committee, HUSTA has organized events to honor outstanding science and technology intellectuals and novice inventors, so far, after two events, 32 intellectuals and 18 inventors were honored, leaving good impressions and encouraging intellectuals, inventors to continue to research and innovate in service of the people.
Science and technology consultancy, criticism
These are the basic and important tasks of HUSTA. Through these activities, intellectuals, especially industry leaders, have the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and enthusiasm to the cause of building and developing their homeland, while affirming their position in society. HUSTA performed independent review of 15 socio-economic development plans in the province and participated in reviewing for hundreds of other projects. It is noteworthy that review reports by HUSTA were highly appreciated, accepted and amended by provincial leaders, project owners and consulting firms. In addition, member associations such as Urban Planning and Development Association, Historical Science Association … have participated in consulting and reviewing many proposals, projects, planning and plans of the province. Member centers have carried out many researches, consultancy and impact assessment of projects funded by international organizations in the province and in the country.
For scientific and technological activities, over the past 25 years, HUSTA scientists have led and researched hundreds of scientific topics at national, ministerial, provincial, grassroots levels; many of which were highly practical, contributing to local development. Besides research activities, HUSTA has organized dozens of scientific workshops to introduce and transfer scientific and technological works in order to promote, facilitate and expedite the implementation of the scientists’ works.
Innovation promotion
Throughout 11 contests, 08 tournaments and 08 awards, scientific and technological innovation activities in the province have made significant progress in both quantity and quality. Until now, there have been hundreds of projects participating in the Innovation Contest, the Science Technology Award and the Technical Innovation Contest. The increasing number of topics, solutions and works that win national awards is attracting hundreds of students, teachers, farmers, workers, managers, scientists. Especially in 2017, representing Vietnam, Dang Hoang San and Huynh Tang Tuan, students of Quoc Hoc high-school, participated in the International Exhibition for Young Inventors in Japan with the project “Sky Guide”, which won Silver medal, and the project “Photovoltaic system with solar tracker using celestial equatorial coordinate system”, which won Bronze medal. Many scientific projects and works have been widely implemented and applied, contributing to socio-economic development both within and outside the province.
Communication, dissemination of knowledge
This is one of HUSTA’s highly promoted and improved activities with the Science and Technology Newsletter issued every two months, whose contents and presentation are constantly improved. Up to August 2018, HUSTA has published 70 issues of Science and Technology newsletters with 35,000 copies, distributed to schools, cultural houses, cultural post offices, reading rooms of all the villages in the province. In 2015, the Newsletter was issued an ISSN code and now, in addition to the printed version, the Newsletter is also electronically published to 1,000 scientists, managers nationwide. Many member organizations have published qualified works in terms of both content and format, namely Historical Science Association, Heart Association, Maternity Association.
HUSTA’s website is available in both English and Vietnamese, which have been developed, upgraded, re-designed, structured and added categories to meet readers’ increasing demand. As a result, the website witnesses increasing traffic with dozens or hundreds visits at any given time on average.
HUSTA regularly cooperates with Farmers’ Association and other organizations to conduct hundreds of scientific seminars on new rural development, health care and climate change; hundreds of training sessions and scientific seminars with thousands of participants were conducted.
In addition to the above media channels, since 2017, HUSTA has cooperated with the radio and television station of the province to produce the program “Creativity and Life” with one episode aired every month about the creative works of inventors and scientists in the province.
International cooperation
HUSTA, its member organizations and subordinate units have taken the initiative in building cooperative relations, mobilizing financial assistance from domestic and foreign organizations, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province. International organizations have funded dozens of projects with value up to tens of billions VND for poverty alleviation, capacity building and response. These projects are being implemented by HUSTA’s officers and member organizations and are making positive progress.
After 25 years of development, the HUSTA has become a thriving major socio-political organization with rapid growth, gathering a large community of science and technology intellectuals, obtaining important achievements in various fields. As a result, HUSTA’s social role and position is increasingly reinforced and enhanced.
In the coming time, Thua Thien Hue Union of Scientific and Technology Associations will continue to strengthen, consolidate and develop its organization, building HUSTA into a strong organization; play a pivotal role in uniting and promoting the innovation of science and technology intellectuals; become the driving force for socioeconomic development. Constantly renewing the content and mode of its operation, promoting innovation and cooperation in scientific and technological activities; enhancing the efficiency of consultancy and criticism; maintain good communication and dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge; Organize innovative people movement, applying scientific and technological advances in production and life, contributing to the socio-economic development of Thua Thien Hue, making it an increasingly civilized and prosperous province.
LE HOANG GIA UYEN