Introduction
Asia and the Pacific Center for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) and the Ministry of Science and Technology and Environment of Vietnam (MOSTE) have been cooperating in a program on enhancing capacity of management of technology in general and for SME's in particular. A number of training courses in the field of technology management have been jointly conducted over the past few years by the Management Training Institute (MTI) of MOSTE in collaboration with APCTT. Within framework of the Teheran Plan of Action for Human Resources Development for Technology Management following the Consultative Meeting held in Teheran19-22 May1997, APCTT and MOSTE Management Training Institute (MTI) is developing new curriculum and program further so that the new programme could be benefited for Vietnamese SME as well as other Indochina countries such as Laos and Kampuchea.

Development of the curriculum and program on MOT for SME is the aim of the announced informal meeting of experts from Kampuchea, Laos, Viet Nam and APCTT and international experts which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam from 18-22 September 2002.

Basic Concept of the Meeting
The meeting will follow the concept of training on technology management developed at the Teheran Meeting 19-22 May 1997 by APCTT with certain adaptation to new context of least developing countries of Indochina. The current specific of these ASEAN new members countries should be taken into account:

1.Small and medium enterprises are getting more and more important role both in GDP contribution and employment generation to these countries, therefore they become one of the prioritized developmental actors as their governments perceive.
2.Management of technology should be seen in a sense that this is an integral part of business strategy and provides SME with a practical tool for enhancing their competitiveness in the context of multi-facial internationalization process (e.g. AFTA among ASEAN countries and bilateral Vietnam-US Commerce Agreement)
3.High-tech and environmental protection are the two contemporary requirements of the new training course even though in the context of the poor countries SME. This is to be tackled in the curriculum and program development of the MOT.

Contents and Programme
The four-day training and informal expert meeting will be held in four main sessions, covering the training programme and intensive discussions on the necessary elements of MOT curriculum development:

Session I: Training programme on MOT
Session II: Needs analysis of training in MOT for SME's (3 country papers)
Session III: Adaptation and choice of a relevant curriculum in MOT to the Indochina target group
Session IV: Adoption and implementation of the programme in MOT. Field visits to selected institution(s) and enterprises(s)

Participants
Participants of the informal experts meeting are specialists from business, international and UN organizations and academics working in the field of training and management of technology with focus on SMEs. Each country would be requested to present a representative country paper, outlining the view, approach and experience with the current training program in MOT in respective country.

Working Language
English language is the working tool of the expert meeting.

Dates and Venue
The informal meeting will take place in the Hotel Northfolk, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam from 18-22 September 2002. Foreign guests will be accommoodated in the same hotel.

Sponsor and Administrative Organization of the Meeting
The informal meeting is jointly sponsored by the United Nations/ ESCAP Asian and Pacific Center of Transfer of Technology (APCTT) and the Management Training Institute (MTI) on behalf of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) of Vietnam's Government.

The international participants will be provided with return economical air ticket to Ho Chi Minh City, accommodation (single room) in the Hotel Northfolk from 18-22 September 2002.

Organizing Committee
The organizing committee of the meeting :

Dr. J. Bischoff, Director of APCTT- Chairman
Mr. Lakshminarayanan, In-Charge of Technology Management
Dr. Nguyen Si Loc, Director of MTI, MOSTE
Dr. Le Dung, Deputy Director of DSTC, MOSTE
Local host of the meeting is the Management Training Institute (MTI) under Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Contact Person at MTI
Dr Nguyen Si Loc, Director
Mr Nguyen Viet Cuong –Head of Section,
Ms Nguyen Thuy Hien- Project Officer
Management Training Institute
38 Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi, VIETNAM
Tel: 84-4-8258285; Fax: 84-4-8262563;
E-mail : locns@vista.gov.vn / nthien@moste.gov.vn