Create a mechanism to attract resources for research and development

The information was given by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy when talking about the 2013 Law on Science and Technology (amended) project that will be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and comments in May 2025.

Among the changes in this Law, solutions will be provided to strengthen human resources for research and development, with the goal of realizing the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy until 2030. Second Chief Duy said that from experience from other countries, to develop based on science, technology and innovation, the number of research and development staff needs to reach about 12 people/10,000 people. To achieve the goal of increasing the number of research and development staff and raising the level of social investment, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive reforms, including the integration of research and development activities into the Law.

Looking back at the development history of countries, it is easy to see that in the early stages, most research and development forces were often concentrated in the public sector, that is, research institutes and public universities established by the state. establish. Funding for research and development is also mainly provided from the state budget. To increase investment in science and technology, developed countries have sought to increase the rate of investment from society. Normally, the investment rate from the state will decrease from 100% to about 30%, while the investment rate from society will increase to about 70%.

“In the Law on Science and Technology, we plan to submit it to the Government and then to the National Assembly with the goal of increasing the number of research staff from 7 to 12 people/10,000 people. The solution is to follow the model of other countries. implemented, to promote investment from society, businesses and the private sector in science and technology,” Mr. Duy said. This investment will include finance and the construction of research and development centers, research institutes, as well as the formation of research and development teams in businesses.

Deputy Minister Duy also acknowledged that businesses cannot be expected to immediately invest in science and technology because this field is often risky and does not immediately bring profits, while the main goal of Business is to achieve profit and maintain existence.

Currently, most Vietnamese businesses, except for some large corporations, do not have the motivation or willingness to invest in science and technology due to concerns that benefits from this investment will only be obtained in a short period of time. over a long period of time, not immediately. “This Science and Technology Law needs policies to increase investment attraction from society,” he said.

First, the State will deploy support programs to facilitate the transfer of research results and connect universities with businesses.

Second, it is necessary to establish incentive mechanisms, such as tax incentives and land rent reduction for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises in the difficult early stages.

“To achieve the goal of increasing the number of research staff and social investment, the Law on Science and Technology needs to be comprehensively revised, including the integration of research and development activities of the entire society into the Law, not just relying on current regulations,” Deputy Minister Duy emphasized.

Besides, to promote the development of the national innovation system, in which businesses are the centers and research institutes and universities play the role of strong research subjects, the Law there will be new policy and issue groups.

Universities are gradually becoming strong research subjects, equivalent to research institutes. There should be programs to train graduate students with funding from science and technology. “In fact, many countries around the world consider graduate students to be the main research force. Because graduate students are the youngest, most creative and most passionate about their work,” Mr. Duy said. .

It is necessary to build centers of excellence in science and technology, closely connecting research and training. Deputy Minister Duy said that the drafting agency wants to propose separating the research teams of research institutes and universities from the concept of considering them as officials of public service units. Like in countries around the world, lecturers and researchers are encouraged to participate in operating businesses established by research institutes and universities, based on their research results and intellectual property. This helps bring innovation activities from businesses closer to universities, even within universities.

The Law on Science and Technology, first promulgated in 2000 and amended in 2013, has played an important role in creating a legal corridor for scientific and technological activities and promoting economic development. However, after 10 years of implementation, the world has experienced rapid development with the explosion of digital technology. Accordingly, the Law on Science and Technology needs to be amended to enhance the mobilization of investment, attention and human resources from the business sector for research and development activities and to keep up with the general trend. of the world.

Plan No. 81 of the 15th National Assembly Standing Committee determines the task of amending the Law on Science and Technology, expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and comments at the 9th Session (May 2025) and approval. passed at the 10th Session (October 2025). The Ministry of Science and Technology is the standing agency of the Steering Committee for developing the Law on Science and Technology project (amended).