The Vietnam Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (VAMRC), a joint project of Vietnam and Singapore, is set to develop automation, robotics, artificial intelligence in manufacturing, factory digital transformation, green manufacturing, and supply chain resilience.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the Singaporean Embassy in Vietnam discussed the VAMRC cooperation on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement on the same day. The cooperation is in line with a document signed in May between Vietnam’s industrial park developer Becamex and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Becamex is a participant in the alliance with Singapore’s Sembcorp to develop industrial parks per the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) model in Vietnam.

The proposed VAMRC would connect businesses, universities, research institutes, and technology solution providers. It would take on problems from companies, then develop, test, and validate technologies before deploying them on production lines. The center can help firms assess solutions and reduce risk and cost before committing to large-scale investment.

Shared laboratory and research facilities would be available to foreign companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and universities for research, prototyping, technology testing, and new product development. For existing factories, the center can support technology upgrades and process optimization without requiring full production line replacements.

Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan said the ministry would support Becamex and A*STAR in building the center, possibly with the aid of state resources. He asked Becamex to work with A*STAR to produce a detailed proposal covering objectives, priority areas, a governance model, investment needs, and the role of each party.

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