Only 4 months left to review science and technology tasks: 'Boost' from policy

(Chinhphu.vn) - One of the inherent "bottlenecks" in the management of science and technology in Vietnam over the years has been the time it takes to review and fund research projects. A project from the time it submits its application to receiving funding can take up to 2 years. With the new regulations, from now on, this entire process will be shortened to just 4 months.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (Nafosted) - Photo: VGP/Thu Giang

This is not only a change in policy but also a revolution in management thinking, promising to create a real "boost" for research and innovation activities in Vietnam.

Speaking to the Government e-newspaper, Associate Professor Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (Nafosted), shared that in the past, in addition to Nafosted, the Ministry of Science and Technology also had public service units and national program offices participating in reviewing and funding. This often led to resource dispersion and lack of synchronization in management.

"With the orientation of streamlining the apparatus and implementing the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Science and Technology has merged three large units in charge of managing the national science and technology budget into one focal point. The Fund's mission now is not only to fund, but also to synthesize and consolidate the functions of all previous funding management units. We will be the only agency to fund national-level scientific research and technology development activities, from basic research, applied research to pilot production projects," Mr. Chien affirmed.

This change is not just a mechanical addition but has strategic significance, creating unity in policy, professionalizing the process and most importantly improving the efficiency of using the state budget for science and technology. Nafosted Fund will play a central role in supporting resources for the system, contributing to the coordination of financial flows in a scientific, transparent and effective manner, in addition to the funds of ministries, branches and localities.

Taking Risks: Unleash Your Mind, Open the Way to Breakthroughs

Sharing about the mechanism of accepting risks in scientific research, Mr. Dao Ngoc Chien said that scientific research, by its nature, always contains uncertainty and uncertain factors. Focusing too much on absolute success has invisibly created a psychological barrier, making scientists hesitate to pursue bold ideas.

"The concept of risk acceptance has been mentioned many times, but it has only now been officially legalized. This mechanism can be understood simply as: If a scientist has followed the correct procedures, spent reasonably, and made every effort, but due to objective factors, the project does not achieve the final result, then it is considered a risk in research. At that time, the funds that have been used reasonably will not have to be recovered and the scientist will not have to face any sanctions," Mr. Chien explained.

This is a great step forward, completely liberating the psychology and pressure for researchers. "This will encourage scientists to boldly propose big, breakthrough ideas, even ideas that are 'out of reach'. We all know that if we only operate within a safe circle, there will never be a breakthrough. Accepting controlled risks is the premise for creating top scientific achievements," emphasized the Director of Nafosted.

In reality, delays in funding, sometimes lasting up to two years, have caused many pioneering scientific ideas to become outdated and lose the opportunity to apply them. The new Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, along with the reform determination of the Nafosted Foundation, is expected to create a revolution in speed.

"This is a revolutionary reform. We are striving to shorten the entire process to just four months," Mr. Chien shared. To achieve this ambitious goal, Nafosted is carrying out many synchronous reforms.

Accordingly, the Fund has been completely digitized. The entire review process, from application submission, closed-door review, and council evaluation, is conducted online on a unified management platform of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The host unit only needs to meet the Fund directly once to negotiate and sign the contract.

Regarding financial initiative, the Fund will be funded from the beginning of the year. Instead of waiting for planned allocation, Nafosted can fund the project immediately after the contract is signed through a payment order. Financial resources are always available, no more delays.

To move from pre-control to post-control, the new management mechanism implements the allocation of expenditure to the final product. The Fund does not control each invoice and document in detail as before, but focuses on monitoring and evaluating the output, effectiveness and impact of research. This gives scientists greater autonomy and self-responsibility, helping them to focus fully on their expertise.

With the view that enterprises are the center of the national innovation system, Nafosted Foundation is proactively playing a bridging role, strongly promoting the "Three Houses" linkage model (State - Scientists - Enterprises).

"We realize that there are many businesses that have needs but do not know who to turn to, and many Institutes and Schools have potential but have not found an 'output'. The Fund will be more proactive in creating opportunities, even promoting connections between parties," said Mr. Chien.

Through this intermediary role, research results will be oriented to solve practical problems of businesses and markets, thereby improving commercialization capabilities and directly contributing to socio -economic development.

In recent calls, the Fund has received nearly 1,000 proposals, including 644 basic research topics and 339 applied research topics. In particular, there are about 60 potential topics aimed at developing national strategic technology products, showing strong response from the community.

Although the legal corridor has become more open, according to the Director of Nafosted, there are still many challenges ahead.

The biggest challenge comes from human resources. To accurately evaluate breakthrough topics, especially strategic technology products, the Fund needs a team of experts who are not only good at science and technology but also knowledgeable about markets, finance, intellectual property and technology transfer. The team of experts who possess all these factors in Vietnam is currently small.

Besides, when the mechanism is "open" (open input, accepting risks, no money recovery), the risk of some subjects taking advantage of the policy also exists.

"To limit this risk, we are building a national S&T management platform. All project activities, from progress to expenditure, must be updated on the system so that the Fund can monitor remotely. Everything is public and transparent, and then the scientific community, society and press agencies will join us in monitoring. We believe that, with the spirit of scientific integrity being promoted, these concerns will gradually be overcome," Mr. Chien expressed.

Mr. Chien hopes that if implemented effectively, these reforms will become a big "boost", bringing Vietnam's science and technology activities closer to international standards, contributing to building a knowledge-based economy and enhancing national competitiveness in the new era.

Thu Giang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/xet-duyet-nhiem-vu-khcn-chi-con-4-thang-cu-hich-tu-chinh-sach-102250922121440055.htm