A delegation from Vietnam led by Dr Do Trung Ta, head of Committee of the National Programme for High-tech Development who is also former Minister of Information and Communication, and Chairman of National Science and Technology Policy Council, accompanied by a high-level delegation from his country visited the CSIR on 23 April 2015. The delegation was also joined by the Vietnamese ambassador to South Africa, Mr Le Huy Hoang.
Themba Belle and Dr Do Trung Ta exchanged gifts at the end of the visit.
The delegation showed interest in the CSIR’s stem cell research application and vaccine research and production. They also expressed a wish to initiate discussions in these areas and to exchange experiences and ideas.
Dr Makobetsa Khati, CSIR competence area manager for emerging health technologies, welcomed the guests and provided them with a brief overview of the CSIR’s biosciences unit research capabilities. Themba Belle, CSIR Strategic Partnerships Manager, gave the delegation an overview of the CSIR and its many competence areas.
Dr Musa Mhlanga, research group leader for gene expression and biophysics, gave an impressive presentation on stem cell research followed by Dr Tsepo Tsekoa, CSIR science innovation leader: technology demonstration (protein technologies), who spoke at length about vaccine research and production.
“I am very pleased to be here, and to witness the relationship that the CSIR has with government. It is great to know that you are assisting your government address its national challenges without relying too much on them for funding. We would like to have a follow-up visit with you where we formalise our relationship with you by signing some sort of agreement be it a memorandum of understanding or agreement. We are very keen to work with the CSIR,” said Dr Ta in his closing remarks.
Click here to see a photo gallery of the visit.
