Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng and the ministry's leadership on November 27 launched real-time online management system for science and technology tasks. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) held a ceremony on Thursday to launch a real-time online management system for science and technology tasks, marking an important step forward in digital transformation and innovation in Việt Nam’s research management.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng stressed that the online management system is not only a new technological product but also a foundation for reforming science and technology governance. It represents progress towards data-driven management, digital processes and international standards.

Reforming science and technology requires reforming its management: shifting from control to motivation, from administrative oversight to data-based and transparent operation and from fragmentation to integration and standardisation, according to Minister Hùng.

The new software system will improve the quality of appraisals, shorten approval times, minimise errors and risks, and enable accurate assessment of each task’s contribution. Importantly, it will help shape a more professional market for science and technology tasks.

Minister Hùng underscored the need for less management, more guidance; less control, more facilitation, shifting from a permission-based approach to openness and transparency.

The domestically developed software is on par with international platforms and can connect with systems in developed countries for co-funding. Local development ensures continuous improvement aligned with both international standards and Việt Nam’s needs. The minister called on scientists, councils and host institutions to actively use the system and treat it as an essential tool in research activities.

At the ceremony, more than 300 projects were signed through electronic contracts between NAFOSTED and host organisations.

These are the first projects to be signed under the spirit of the new Law on Science and Technology, which shifts from input-based to output-based management, from bureaucratic paperwork to results-based oversight, from budget allocations to lump-sum funding and from returning research outcomes to the State to granting ownership rights to research organisations, with research teams receiving at least 30 per cent of commercialisation proceeds.

Evaluation now considers not only completion of the research task but also the delivery of results to enterprises, the creation of commercial products and contributions to GDP. The new mechanism encourages risk-taking, tolerance for failure and a focus on major strategic tasks.

Science and technology tasks are divided into three tiers: basic research mainly conducted by institutes and universities; applied research jointly carried out by institutes, universities and enterprises (on a 50–50 basis); and technology development led by enterprises, which currently stands at only 30 per cent and needs to increase to shorten the time for products to reach the market.

Minister Hùng expressed hope that scientists would successfully implement these projects, turn research findings into commercial products and contribute to Việt Nam’s goal of double-digit growth. He added that the online management system should operate effectively and safely, continue to improve and be scalable across the entire sector.

Đào Ngọc Chiến, director of NAFOSTED, said the system will continue to be refined with an open, standardised and interconnected architecture, integrating programmes and tasks from ministries, sectors and localities.

The system will ensure safe, stable and transparent operation, with real-time data at its core, while supporting convenience for scientists and management agencies. NAFOSTED will work with ministries and local authorities to develop a national digital map of science and technology tasks, strengthening national coordination capabilities.

Professor Dr Trần Đại Lâm, director of the Institute of Materials Science, praised NAFOSTED for building transparent and sustainable mechanisms to support research. He noted that NAFOSTED-funded projects, from basic research to applications, have helped his institute’s groups establish and strengthen their position on the regional materials science map.

Having experienced the system as an applicant, reviewer and council member, he commended its fairness, transparency and professionalism in receiving, managing and reviewing proposals, allowing scientists to focus on their expertise and improve research quality.

Prof. Dr Lâm hoped NAFOSTED would continue expanding international cooperation, prioritise training young researchers and further develop the online management system into a modern, transparent and effective infrastructure. This, he said, would contribute to the overall advancement of Việt Nam’s scientific community and enhance national strategic research capabilities. — VNS