Launching the online real-time management system for S&T tasks

On the morning of 27 November, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized the Announcement Ceremony for the launch of the real-time online management system for S&T tasks operated by the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED).

A step forward for Vietnam to deploy management based on data, digital processes, and international standards.

Speaking at the Announcement Ceremony, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the online management system is not only a new technological product but also a foundation to innovate the S&T management model. This is a step forward for Vietnam to deploy management based on data, digital processes, and international standards.

In order to innovate S&T, S&T management must be innovated, shifting from management to creating motivation, from administrative control to operation by data and transparency, from fragmentation to integration and standardization. The new software system will help increase appraisal quality, shorten approval time, limit errors and risks, accurately evaluate the contribution of each task, and especially create a professional S&T task market.

This is the spirit of managing less, leading more, controlling less, and creating more, shifting from an "ask-give" mechanism to publicity and transparency, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated.

The system developed by Vietnamese people has features equivalent to those of South Korea and Horizon Europe, capable of connecting for co-funding with developed nations. Developing domestic software allows for continuous improvement, both following international standards and suiting Vietnamese reality.

The Minister requested scientists, councils, and presiding agencies to actively use the system, considering it an indispensable tool in research activities.

Also at the Announcement Ceremony, 309 science and technology projects/topics were signed by NAFOSTED. These are the first topics following the spirit of the new Law on Science and Technology, shifting from input management to output management, from invoice and voucher management to research result management, shifting from spending according to estimates to lump-sum spending, from research results returned to the state to research results belonging to the research organization for commercialization. And the direct research group will enjoy at least 30% of commercialization results.

A notable new point is shifting from evaluating topic completion to evaluating research results that must be brought to enterprises, forming commercial products, generating revenue, contributing to GDP growth, and this revenue must be 5 to 10 times the research cost after 3-5 years.

According to the spirit of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025, instead of evaluating each topic of a research organization as before, it will shift to evaluating the overall research topics of that organization, accepting risks, and tolerating failure.

Shifting from small topics to large tasks as the average value of a task has doubled in this round. Shifting from scattered research to strategic research with over 50% of signed topics belonging to the group of strategic technologies.

The list of scientific tasks is divided into 3 classes. In which, basic research tasks are mainly for institutes and universities. Applied research tasks are allocated between institutes, universities, and enterprises at a 50-50 ratio. Technology development tasks are allocated with enterprises accounting for a higher ratio of 30-70.

According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung's assessment, currently technology development tasks assigned to enterprises are only at 30%, which needs to be increased further, because assigning to enterprises will bring additional reciprocal capital and when enterprises research, they reach the market faster.

The Minister expressed his wish that scientists and research groups successfully implementing the topics signed today will bring those research results to create commercial products, contributing to Vietnam's double-digit growth goal.

Moving towards forming a national digital map of S&T tasks

Sharing at the Ceremony, Director of the Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Prof. Dr. Tran Dai Lam said that materials science is always considered one of the key spearheads in the country's science and technology development strategy.

However, to turn ideas from paper into practical materials, a durable resource and transparent support mechanism are needed. The NAFOSTED Fund is one of the "skilled midwives," a leading reliable partner of the Institute of Materials Science.

Prof. Dr. Tran Dai Lam highly appreciated the online management system pioneered by NAFOSTED, helping reduce the procedural burden and creating conditions for scientists to focus on expertise. From experience in the roles of applicant, reviewer, and council member, he affirmed that the Fund's evaluation process is "professional, fair, objective, approaching leading science funds in the world".

He was also particularly impressed with NAFOSTED's orientation in expanding international cooperation and training young human resources - strategies coinciding with the development vision of the Institute of Materials Science.

Absorbing the directive opinions, NAFOSTED Director Dao Ngoc Chien said that in the coming time, the system will continue to be perfected in the direction of open - standardized - national connection, ready to integrate programs and tasks of ministries, branches, and localities in accordance with the spirit of Article 20 of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025.

At the same time, ensuring the system operates safely, stably, and transparently, taking real-time data as the center for management, monitoring, and evaluation of the task lifecycle.

The system will ensure safe, stable, transparent operation, taking real-time data as the center, while supporting scientists and management agencies for convenient use. The Fund will also coordinate with ministries, branches, and localities to form a national digital map of S&T tasks, enhancing national executive capacity./.

Translated by Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology (VJST - MOST).

PT