Science and Technology Initiative Portal - The Core of Innovation

DNVN - On December 11th, in Ho Chi Minh City, the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) organized a workshop titled "Applying and Maximizing the Effectiveness of the Science and Technology Innovation Portal" to promote the deployment and expansion of the Innovation Portal ecosystem nationwide.

The delegates attending the workshop took a commemorative photo.

Against the backdrop of Resolution 57 of the Politburo and the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025, which identifies innovation as the central driving force of national development, Vietnam is witnessing a strong shift from traditional management thinking to data-driven digital governance. At the heart of this transformation is the launch and operation of the National Science and Technology Innovation Portal (referred to as the Innovation Portal or Portal 57) - a platform expected to become a common knowledge infrastructure, connecting the intellectual resources of Vietnamese people globally.

Digital infrastructure for intellectual "resources"

Officially launched on August 29, 2025, and operating under the auspices of the NAFOSTED Foundation, the Innovation Portal (accessible at sangkien.gov.vn) is not simply an online application website. It is the realization of Resolution 57's requirement to establish national digital platforms to mobilize social intelligence.

Associate Professor Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of NAFOSTED, assessed that the Innovation Portal possesses three core values: an open environment where every citizen can share initiatives and innovations and have them recognized; a tool to standardize and transparentize the entire process of receiving, evaluating, recognizing, and exploiting initiatives; and a place to receive initiatives, connect them with experts, businesses, and practical needs, ensuring that initiatives do not remain on paper but become tangible value.

Thus, the Innovation Portal creates an open environment where all stakeholders – from ministerial leaders, scientists , students, to the internet user community – can participate, share, and have their initiatives recognized. As of December 2025, the Portal had received 907 funding proposals, of which 309 had been approved, demonstrating the platform's real-world viability.

In addition, the Portal also provides services related to consulting and support on scientific and technological legal matters, intellectual property, technology research, searching for equipment and solutions from the Technology Exchange Platform, and international cooperation needs.

"Super team" from the Global AI Expert Network

A strategic highlight integrated into the Innovation Portal is the Global Network of Vietnamese AI Experts. Vietnam currently has over 500 AI experts working at leading research centers worldwide .

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien - Director of NAFOSTED Foundation.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, effectively connecting these resources will create a "super team of intellectuals." The fund will also continue to build a global network of Vietnamese AI experts as a national intellectual asset and form an innovation ecosystem where ideas are discovered early, properly nurtured, and widely disseminated.

As the lead agency responsible for managing and developing the system, NAFOSTED aims to develop the Innovation Portal into a national digital platform that operates professionally, transparently, and modernly, connecting initiatives with funding programs, research support, and commercialization.

In fact, data from the Portal shows that there is already a connection of a community of 8,571 experts in 11 strategic technology fields. This is an invaluable national intellectual asset, helping universities and businesses in the country easily find partners, expert reviewers, and form strong interdisciplinary research groups.

Mr. Dao Ngoc Chien hopes that universities, the Department of Science and Technology, businesses, and experts will continue to collaborate, share feedback, and propose effective implementation models so that the Innovation Portal truly becomes a national common knowledge infrastructure, contributing to creating a strong impetus for innovation and sustainable development.

Solutions to "bottlenecks" at universities and local levels.

The Innovation Portal is proving to be a powerful tool for addressing "bottlenecks" in science management at the institutional level.

At universities, Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thi Thu Suong (University of Finance - Marketing) noted that the Innovation Portal helps overcome the problems of scattered research data, manual review processes, and lack of interoperability.

To effectively utilize AI, Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thi Thu Suong proposed that the Ministry of Science and Technology develop a data communication standard (API) for universities; complete the legal framework on security and intellectual property in the digital environment; and provide funding for the implementation of data interoperability and expansion of AI capabilities to serve strategic research analysis.

For universities, it is necessary to quickly establish a science and technology data center, standardize the process of registering initiatives and protecting intellectual property, encourage lecturers to submit initiatives early to receive priority, and strengthen training on digital transformation and the use of Portal 57.

For lecturers and researchers in particular, proactively registering initiatives, protecting intellectual property, finding experts, partners, and sponsors through the Portal, along with enhancing scientific integrity and data security awareness, are key factors.

Locally, Dong Thap province is a prime example of the need for digital transformation in initiative management. With 1,000-1,300 initiatives annually, manual management methods have revealed many limitations, such as being time-consuming and difficult to control duplication. The province's pioneering operation of the Initiative Management Software and its proposal to replicate this model as a standardized national platform demonstrates the urgent need for interconnected initiative data from the local level to the central government.

The Innovation Portal goes beyond administrative functions. The system's long-term goal is to become a national knowledge base, where AI is applied to analyze technology trends, suggest resources, and check for idea duplication.

Data from the Portal will serve policy planning, the development of strategic technology products (62 strategic technology initiatives have already been recognized), and legal support for intellectual property rights for the community. The participation of training "hubs" such as the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in attracting AI talent also contributes to making this platform a real growth driver.

The Innovation Portal is gradually asserting its pivotal role in Vietnam's innovation ecosystem, breaking down geographical and administrative barriers to facilitate the flow of knowledge.

Hien Thao

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/cong-sang-kien-khoa-hoc-va-cong-nghe-hat-nhan-doi-moi-sang-tao/20251211025128827