Perfecting the legal corridor to promote the high-tech sector

Clarifying the concept of "high technology" and defining specific criteria for high-tech zones and high-tech products are conditions for the Law on High Technology (amended) to come into practice, creating momentum for innovation and enhancing endogenous technological capacity.

The draft Law consists of 6 chapters and 29 articles, reducing 6 articles, with changes in structure, form and some changes compared to the current Law. It is expected that the Law on High Technology (amended) will be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the upcoming 10th Session.

Recently in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) coordinated with the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment to organize a workshop to collect comments on the Draft Law on High Technology (amended).

The workshop was co-chaired by Comrade Vu Hai Quan, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology and Comrade Nguyen Phuong Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, with the participation of many National Assembly deputies, experts, scientists and businesses.

Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Phuong Tuan chaired the Workshop.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Phuong Tuan said that the Law on High Technology, issued by the National Assembly in 2008, is an important legal corridor, contributing to the formation of a system of high-tech zones and high-tech enterprises, promoting research and development activities in many fields. However, after 17 years of implementation, many regulations have revealed limitations, lack of synchronization with specialized laws, and are even no longer suitable for practice. The law has only been amended in a narrow scope in 2013 and 2014, related to taxes and investment, and has never been comprehensively adjusted. Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Phuong Tuan affirmed that this amendment comes from urgent practical requirements, strong changes in the legal system and international context. If not updated promptly, this will be a barrier to high-tech development.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Phuong Tuan delivered the opening speech at the Workshop.

According to Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan, the amendment of the Law on High Technology aims to concretize the Party's policies, especially Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated August 10, 2023 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation. The Resolution has identified high technology as a driving force associated with the country's industrialization and modernization. Therefore, the amended Law needs to create a transparent, stable, and attractive legal corridor, promoting research, development, application and transfer of high technology, while encouraging domestic and foreign enterprises to invest.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan spoke at the workshop.

The draft Law on High Technology (amended) inherits as much as possible the relevant regulations, and at the same time adjusts according to the new management thinking: Effective management instead of process management. The law focuses on attracting social resources, encouraging businesses to fund research and development of high technology, instead of relying solely on the state budget.

The Law Project focuses on 6 policy groups, including: Completing the concept and criteria of high technology; redesigning the system of policies and beneficiaries of priority policies, incentives, and investment support; encouraging the development of the high-tech ecosystem; supplementing new regulations on high-tech park and high-tech urban models; supplementing and completing state management regulations on high technology, management, inspection, supervision and efficiency assessment mechanisms; supplementing regulations on requirements for comprehensive digital transformation of high-tech activities.

Giving opinions at the Workshop, delegates highly appreciated the draft Law for covering the basic necessary contents. However, many opinions said that it is necessary to supplement clearer regulations on incentive mechanisms, criteria for establishment and operation of high-tech zones, high-tech urban areas, high-tech agricultural zones, associated with ensuring security and safety, especially for projects with foreign elements.

At the same time, delegates also proposed to add separate provisions on the development of a number of high-tech industries, strategic industries, and supporting industries serving the development of high-tech industries, with specific policies such as improving business capacity, supporting participation in the supply chain, and encouraging the production of components and core materials. In addition, there should be policies to encourage domestic enterprises to transfer technology after mastering, pay attention to the development of high-tech industries and strategic technologies, and design incentive mechanisms that are strong, clear, and consistent with relevant laws to increase feasibility and consistency in implementation.

Delegates attending the workshop.

Concluding the workshop, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Phuong Tuan highly appreciated the comments and emphasized: To have a good and feasible law, it is necessary to first "finalize" the concepts, terminology and application criteria clearly and easily. However, it is also important to note that in all issues of technology transfer, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, high technology... people are still the core factor. Therefore, it is necessary to have a strong enough policy to train, attract and retain high-quality human resources, but must avoid overlapping with the provisions of other laws.

Immediately after the Workshop, relevant agencies will continue to research and absorb to complete the review report of the Law project, hoping to continue receiving comments from delegates, experts, scientists, and businesses to complete the Law project with the highest quality to be presented at the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/hoan-thien-hanh-lang-phap-ly-thuc-day-linh-vuc-cong-nghe-cao-19725092416083367.htm