Vietnam deputy PM calls for research overhaul tied to practical needs

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung called on October 23 for research priorities to be set around practical problems and commercial applications. Addressing a conference in Hanoi connecting researchers, universities and businesses, he said projects should specify the problem, intended output and possible uses.

Dung assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology to assess publicly funded research institutions and organise their expertise by sector. The resulting national research-capacity map is intended to underpin a database through which businesses can find appropriate research partners.

He highlighted a target for at least 30 per cent of research projects to have identified applications and business participation in cooperation, research and resource sharing. That proportion is expected to reach at least 50 per cent in the subsequent period.

Figures presented at the conference showed limited business involvement. Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh said companies led 181 of Vietnam’s 1,451 national-level science and technology tasks during 2021-2025, representing 12.5 per cent of tasks and 25.7 per cent of funding.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Quang Hung said that, as of October 2026, only 334 among 1,022 products and technologies compiled by 41 organisations had been assessed as highly ready for transfer.

Dung also sought a review of existing findings to identify promising technologies and businesses prepared to adopt them. He called for targeted support covering gaps such as testing, certification, intellectual property protection and pilot production. The Ministry of Finance was asked to work with the science ministry on financial and procurement obstacles affecting research and commercialisation.