Quang Nam to develop high-tech institute The central province of Quang Nam is set to build its first high-tech institute, spread over 100ha in coastal Tam Thanh Commune, 8km from the provincial capital, Tam Ky City.   A view of Tam Ky City. Photo qh-hdqna.gov.vn The institute is scheduled to be built between 2016 and 2018 in cooperation with the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (National Research University). It will train people, conduct scientific research, have a laboratory and develop applications for new technologies in industries in the province and the central region of Viet Nam. There are plans for the institute to produce high-tech products from 2019 or 2020 and develop applications for plasma and lasers in areas related to waste treatment, silicates, drugs and industries that play a supporting role in automobile production. During a meeting between provincial officials and a team of Russian experts, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Sy, a member of the Electrical Sciences Academy of Russia, said the institute would woo scientists from Viet Nam and Russia and Vietnamese scientists abroad. "We hope to set a milestone in cooperation in science with the province. The establishment of the institute will attract Vietnamese and foreign scientists and researchers from universities," Sy said. Sy, who is currently head of the Plasma Energy Faculty of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, has more than 30 years of experience in plasma physics. The institute will be a key centre for research in advanced technologies; technology transfer; and the design, manufacturing and testing of high-tech products in the central region. The chairman of the province's People's Council, Nguyen Ngoc Quang, said the high-tech institute would present a new model of an institution that combines research, application and training in science and technology. He expressed the hope that the institute would develop useful connections with scientific research centres in Viet Nam and abroad. The province has allocated VND77 billion (US$3.7 million) for the development of science and technology from 2011 to 2015. VIR