The centre aims to accelerate collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, foster innovation, strengthen global cyber resilience

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and His Excellency To Lam General Secretary and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam announced Phase II of Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technologies Centre (AVSTC) in a joint statement on Tuesday 11 August.

 

UTS is a key partner in the AVSTC, leading governance and delivery with Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology and Nokia, as the founding industry partner. The Centre is jointly supported by the Australian government (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and the government of Vietnam (Ministry of Science and Technology).

The joint statement welcomed “the commencement of Phase II of the AVSTC, a landmark partnership to advance collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, with an initial focus on the transformative applications of 5G and other enabling technologies”.

AVSTC serves as a cutting-edge research hub for collaboration between the two countries with a global vision focusing on strategic technologies and cybersecurity, including 5G emerging 6G, AI, quantum technologies, robotics.

Located in Hanoi, the Centre seeks to foster innovation across key sectors, promote responsible technology use, strengthen international cooperation on cybercrime, and build robust cybersecurity capabilities.

Since its inception, the Centre has been running different programs to support the collaboration on strategic technology R&D and translating the outcomes into demos, prototypes for industry partners. These include 8 seed grants, more than 100 strategic technology scholarships, and 19 women in technology and innovation awards. The Centre also offer extensive training for high-level government and industry executives on strategic technologies in Vietnam and Australia. With a global vision, the Centre has been the host of numerous workshops and frequent visits by world-leading scientists and industry leaders from other countries/regions, e.g., US, Europe, Canada, Japan.

 

Vietnam Australia Tech-Connect Forum 2026

Leaders from government, industry and higher education came together on Monday 10 August at UTS for the Vietnam Australia Tech-Connect Forum 2026. The event focused on strengthening strategic collaboration opportunities between the two countries across science and technology, innovation, education and training technologies, education and workforce development.

The forum welcomed General To Lam, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP Assistant Minister for Immigration and representatives from the Vietnamese Government, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Vietnamese Embassy and Consulate General in Australia, the Vietnam Australia Scholars and Experts Association, and the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute.

Together with Australia’s and Vietnam’s industry partners, e.g., Nokia, YooTek, Ripper Corp, AVSTC jointly showcased eight enabling technology demos including privacy-preserving AI, blockchain security, quantum-safe, AI-empowered sign language interpretation, the robotic guide dog, 5G/6G-enabled rail safety solutions, intelligent drones, Metaverse/Digital Twin for education, infrastructure management.