Knowledge foundation constructed for smart city

On building a smart city, Binh Duong places human and knowledge at the heart smart connection as a guideline for development towards a high value added economy, high-tech production, highly intellectual services, dynamic, and creative business environment adaptive to world transition. Deploying action plan of construction a smart city, Binh Duong is concentrating on the establishment of laboratories and technology development.

Investing into developmental researches

Peter Portheine, member Noord Brabant (Netherlands), said that the current knowledge base of Binh Duong province has been modest. On implementing action plan to build a smart city, Binh Duong should encourage public and private investment in developmental researches. In order to build a solid research base in the right areas of expertise, Binh Duong needs to mobilize strong investment from government, universities, private enterprises, and other resources within and outside the province, international forces and even support from the State.

According to Peter Portheine, Binh Duong needs to set up a Smart City Initiative Research Center by the cooperation of foreign universities and universities in Binh Duong province as well as the support of the government and businesses. To establish this center, high quality institutional partners and schools throughout the country, especially from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, are greatly needed.

Experts believe that construction of knowledge base is vital for a smart city. In this photo: A class is on-going at Vietnamese – German University in Binh Duong New City. Photo: Phuong An

According to experts, smart city construction should include the exchange of students and staffs between partners, especially between Binh Duong and Eindhoven (the Netherlands), through workshops and projects, including the creation of Living Lab (a place for reality tests) focusing on lighting and energy issues in Binh Duong New City. The smart city research center needs to become the hub of the country's experts in smart and high tech city development. At the same time, the province needs to set up a research and development office in Binh Duong / Europe. The office plays an integral role in linking with international researching programs and a place to contact for projects and work with international university partners as a focal point for knowledge transfer.

Creativity to be encouraged

Regarding the concept, Living Labs is defined as an open innovation ecosystem, based on a co-creative approach that integrates research and development processes into communities and the real world. Living Labs puts people at the center of innovation and demonstrates the ability to create new concepts and solutions that are tailored to specific needs and aspirations in local context, culture, and creativity potentials.

Currently, Binh Duong encourages knowledge transfer and open innovation. Therefore, the construction of the mentioned centers allows the common use of equipment to encourage cooperation in developmental researching activities. This is a form of enabling students to start up enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises to share infrastructure and working conditions with universities and vocational schools, using high-tech equipment sponsored by the key partners.

An unnamed representative of Eastern International University said that they have combined with Philips Lighting to apply intelligent lighting in public lighting. The university has also been building FabLabs, an innovative center of enterprise starting up, in collaboration with local and foreign faculties, scientists and students to exchange knowledge, science and technology. The model is the basis of exchanging and sharing knowledge.

Reported by Phuong An – Translated by Vi Bao