Amendments, supplements, and repeals to the draft Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation of Vietnam

Amendments, supplements, and repeals to the draft Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation of Vietnam (Image from the internet)

Amendments, supplements, and repeals to the draft Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation of Vietnam

* Concerning the management of scientific and technological programs and tasks in Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as S&T)

The law focuses on simplifying administrative processes and procedures for the approval and management of S&T tasks funded by the state budget. It promotes decentralization and delegation of authority in managing national-level S&T programs, scientific research projects, and technological development. It aims to refine regulations so that the Ministry of Science and Technology becomes the central hub for aggregating national S&T programs to be submitted to the Prime Minister of Vietnam for approval, ensuring alignment with national S&T program objectives, the country's socio-economic development strategy, and the national science, technology, and innovation (hereinafter referred to as STI) development strategy. For certain national-level S&T programs, scientific research projects, and technological developments, they will be assigned to ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and agencies under the Government of Vietnam for execution and management after approval by the Prime Minister of Vietnam, based on consolidated and agreed opinions from the Ministry of Science and Technology. It clarifies and innovates the implementation through two methods: state ordering and organization or individual proposals based on state-priority field orientations to have suitable outcome delivery mechanisms, promoting the commercialization of scientific research results and technological development using the state budget.

- Finalize regulations on granting the right to exploit S&T task results using state budget to the leading organization while awaiting patent protection for inventions, industrial designs, layout designs, and plant varieties.

- Supplement regulations to clarify the substance and outcomes of terms in Article 3 of the Science and Technology Law 2013 related to scientific research and technological development; add terms for innovation (abbreviated as IN), creative startups (abbreviated as CS) to regulate managerial and promotional policies within the Law. Add regulations and criteria related to IN, the national IN system, the regional IN system, the sectoral IN system, CS, CS enterprises, and CS ecosystems.

- Add principles of risk acceptance and delay in scientific research and technological development; supplement regulations on research ethics and the responsibility of research and development organizations to issue and enforce regulations on research ethics, especially for studies affecting human life and health.

- Refine regulations on simplified procedures for implementing S&T tasks in urgent, unexpected, and emergency situations.

- Develop support programs for the commercialization of scientific research outcomes and technological development in a sequenced manner: supporting research institutes and universities transition from research tasks to the commercialization preparation stage for scientific research and technological development outcomes; support pre-startup and CS; support small and medium enterprises in collaborating with large enterprises.

- Add regulations on policy experimentation mechanisms to create a legal framework for testing new technologies not yet covered by law or still in testing.

- Add further regulations on mid-term evaluations for S&T programs as a basis for submitting to the Prime Minister of Vietnam for approval, funding, effectiveness evaluation, adjustments, suspension, termination, or extension of programs.

* Concerning the development of S&T potential

- Simplify administrative procedures, only requiring registration of S&T organizations established under S&T law. Organizations established under other laws are not required to register for S&T activities. Refine regulations on rights and obligations of S&T organizations. Refine regulations on the autonomy mechanism for public S&T organizations. Add regulations on criteria, objectives, content, and evaluation entities for S&T organizations.

- Revise and supplement regulations to expand human resource scope and preferential policies for each type of human resource. Enhance links and experience exchange between researchers in institutes, universities, and enterprises.

- Propose policies to attract leading scientists who are Vietnamese overseas or foreign experts working in scientific research and technological development in Vietnam in priority sectors (key technologies, core technologies, new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution).

- Update subjects, supplement mechanisms, and policies to mobilize resources outside of the state budget to develop S&T and STI infrastructure.

- Implement digital transformation in the construction, management, and sharing of S&T and STI information data. Refine statistical indicators on S&T and STI in line with development requirements and international practices.

More details can be found in Draft Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation.

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