Visualize the path, how to design a strategic technology program

After 9 months of promulgating the Strategic Technology List and implementing it, in addition to the fact that we have researched and developed a number of strategic products, seen many limitations and shortcomings, the most important thing is that we have fully envisioned the path to develop Vietnamese CNCL.

First: Promulgating a CNCQ list must include CNCL products, core technologies, and must be close to the development needs and advantages of the country.

CNCL are priority technology directions; CNCL products are outputs to create markets; Core technology is the ability to master and be technologically autonomous.

There is an important point to note: building a CNCL portfolio, CNCL products, and core technologies must come from major national problems, not from technology. The correct formula is to go from national problems to strategic products to technology. The national CNCQ program must fully cover all stages from scientific research, to technology development, product development, production to market, and not be fragmentary as before. And we must combine both state tools: budget and market creation policy. The previous CNCL program design focused mainly on technology and budget, not focusing on market creation policies.

Regarding the CNCL list, the Government issued it in June 2025 and will amend it one year after promulgation. We will add strategic technologies to product lines that are Vietnam’s mainstays, both export and domestic. Mastering core technologies will both increase competitiveness and create added value for key products. The CNCL portfolio can be divided into three types, short-term, medium-term and long-term: 1-3 years, 3-5 years and 5-10 years. 70-80% of the budget and resources will be for types 1 and 2, so there will be both quick results and long-term capacity building.

Accompanying the CNCL catalog is a list of CNCL products, a list of core technologies and a mastery roadmap for each CNCL. CNCL products must come with requirements on localization rate, core technologies must be autonomous. These lists are the specific goals to be achieved by the CNCL program, not the CNCL list, it directs science and technology to the ultimate goal of core technology, products and markets. Businesses focus on CNCL products, institutes focus on core technology.

Second: Promulgate a set of criteria, standards and regulations on CNCQ, core technology and CNCL products.

CNCL selection criteria need to be issued to choose the right direction.

The development and promulgation of standards must come first (possibly pre-standard) to guide technology development, create markets and promote commercialization.

There are new standards that can be used for bidding, acceptance and procurement. That is, standards help shape markets. Standards are tools that guide technology. Standards are also conditions for mass production. CNCL is often new and has high risks, so standards will help control quality and create trust in the market. Standards also help join the global chain.

The state must promulgate standards, attach standards to public procurement and synchronize standards with market policies. Without standards, there is no market for CNCL.

Third: Find some new and groundbreaking ways to deploy CNCL, in addition to traditional ways.

1. The state creates a large enough market for CNCL products. The state orders large enough quantities, develops policies to create large demand in the market, and has a rapid testing mechanism for CNCL, then businesses spend money on research. This is a way to support output, using the market to develop CNCL. In this way, the state attracts research investment from the social sector, making an important contribution to achieving the target of 2% of the country’s GDP spent on research, which is 5 times higher than the 2% of the state budget spent on science and technology. China is very successful in this way: with electric cars they subsidize; With UAVs they enable many applications in agriculture; With solar power, they mandate a proportion of renewable energy. CNCL products such as UAVs, AI cameras, 5G devices, AI virtual assistants, and blockchain can be done this way.

2. The State chooses the gold depositor, that is, chooses the general technology contractor. For national technology programs and large, very complex, long-term technology projects, lasting 5-10 years or longer, the state chooses the main technology contractor, selects key enterprises/institutions to develop CNCQ, and provides budget or no budget but commits to output. Our missile program is implemented in a way that businesses spend their own money on research, and the state commits to buying it if it has equivalent features and a lower price than imported products. The semiconductor chip production program is funded by the state budget. Other large programs such as small modular, space and underground nuclear reactors can be done this way.

3. The state is the first buyer. This method applies to CNCL products that do not have a large market and the technology is quite complicated. Need the state to support research and then be the first buyer. The State identifies a CNCQ product or problem and invites businesses/institutes/schools/startups to participate. No one specified. Select 3-5 teams to make sample products, then retain 1-2 teams with the best sample products to sponsor further work on commercial products. If the technology meets the requirements, the state becomes the first buyer, creating the first market for businesses. The state acting as the first buyer is one of the very powerful tools to develop CNCL. Countries that have succeeded with this method are the US, China, Korea, and the EU. This method can be applied to low-altitude satellites, rare earth processing, and agricultural robots.

4. Developing CNCL requires the companionship of users

CNCL products need a testing environment, continuous user feedback, and user co-creation. Meaning users join from the beginning, not appear at the end. The active, effective and early participation of user units will make an important contribution to the success of strategic products. Therefore, the CNCL program must be designed with user participation from the beginning.

Fourth: Issue action plans and assign tasks

Determine how each CNCL product and each core technology will be developed, to whom, when it will be completed, and accompanying conditions such as market demand, the state as the first buyer, and budget.

After the goals, roadmap, standards, methods, evaluation, market and budget have been determined, it is advisable to assign ministries and branches to preside over the development of CNCQ products. The Ministry of Science and Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology) plays the role of national coordination, architecture, CNCQ program design, budget allocation and effectiveness evaluation.

Fifth: Issue a set of evaluation criteria

Determining a set of criteria to evaluate the impact of CNCL on the economy and society, evaluating the effectiveness of the CNCL program, or called accounting as said by General Secretary To Lam, is a must.

Criteria must be designed in 4 layers: Input (input) – Output (direct output, such as articles, technology) – Outcome (results, such as revenue) – Impact (impact, such as productivity, growth). The CNCL program must be evaluated according to a set of criteria that fully reflect the results from research to the market, serving as a basis for allocating, adjusting and monitoring resources.

Some things need to be done immediately

Firstly, for CNC products that have been developed to meet standards by Vietnamese businesses, there needs to be an immediate government procurement program and a policy to use Vietnamese products to create a market for these CNC products, such as UAVs, AI cameras, 5G, and virtual assistants.

Second, allow the formation of a number of special testing areas, where testing does not require permission. Current sandboxes are very slow because of licensing procedures and people are also afraid to make decisions.

Third, at the ministerial and local levels, it is necessary to form innovation centers and assign these centers to order businesses/institutions to solve major problems of ministries, branches and localities, directly contributing to double-digit growth, mainly in the way the government creates the market and the government is the first buyer. To avoid duplication and quickly disseminate successful solutions nationwide, the state unified a shared digital platform to manage problems and solutions.

Fourth, about science and technology budget allocation. Currently, ministries and branches still have to register a list of topics through the Ministry of Science and Technology and then go to the Ministry of Finance to grant money. There is a first/second round, and the second round of money reaches workers, sometimes in June or July. We can innovate by granting a department – called block funding – directly to the science and technology fund of ministries and branches, right from the beginning of the year, so that they can proactively develop applied technology to solve industry problems. The Ministry of Science and Technology maintains a national digital platform to manage topics to avoid duplication, evaluate effectiveness, and ensure compatibility with science and technology strategies for each stage. This is a world trend, it reduces up to 80% of procedures, increases the responsibility of ministries/sectors, and connects science and technology to the problems of each industry. The National Science and Technology Fund under the Ministry of Science and Technology will focus on basic research, foundational science, interdisciplinary topics, and CNCL programs.

The state creates big things, the national problem must be clear enough in terms of goals, scale, buyers and level of autonomy, creating a large market, open financial mechanisms, flexible personnel, building a modern research infrastructure, appropriate benefit distribution mechanism, and for big tasks, assign the general technology contractor, then we will attract the elite of global science and technology to participate in solving Vietnam’s big problems, helping Vietnam develop and be autonomous in CNCQ.

Recently, the implementation of the CNCL program has not been as expected and expected, the main reason is due to the poor approach and program design, rather than the institution. But the past 9 months have helped us form a path, a way to design a more effective CNCL program, as described above, so that in the coming time we will create qualitative change.