Proposal to issue a set of criteria to identify digital technology enterprises on par with advanced countries

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is proposing that the Prime Minister issue a set of official criteria to identify Vietnamese digital technology enterprises with capabilities on par with those in advanced countries.

The development of this set of criteria aims to establish a clear measure for Vietnamese enterprises to strive for, thereby improving the national capacity for science , technology, innovation and digital transformation (S&T). This is also the basis for the State to focus on supporting and forming a strong force of digital technology enterprises, capable of solving big problems and leading the development of the domestic digital technology ecosystem.

Enterprises need to ensure that the R&D expenditure ratio is at least 6% of the total revenue of the most recent year.

The draft states that enterprises wishing to be identified as " digital technology enterprises on par with advanced countries" must simultaneously meet criteria groups on legality, revenue, labor, research and development capacity and international level of operation. Enterprises must be established under Vietnamese law, have headquarters in Vietnam and operate mainly in the field of digital technology; for enterprises with foreign capital, the ownership ratio of the Vietnamese side must reach at least 51%. In terms of financial capacity and scale of operation, enterprises must achieve a total revenue of at least 1 billion USD in the most recent year and have at least 5,000 employees as of December 31 of the most recent year.

In the research and development (R&D) criteria group, the enterprise must have an affiliated science and technology organization; ensure that the R&D expenditure ratio is at least 6% of the total revenue in the most recent year; and at the same time own at least one patent granted by one of the five leading intellectual property agencies in the world including USPTO, EPO, JPO, KIPO or CNIPA. In addition, the enterprise must have branches or subsidiaries abroad, preferably in countries developed in science and technology, and must achieve an international revenue ratio of at least 10% of total revenue.

The draft set of criteria is currently being widely consulted by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Once issued, this set of criteria is expected to make an important contribution to identifying, developing and supporting groups of enterprises with the ability to reach international standards, thereby creating momentum for the effective implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/de-xuat-ban-hanh-bo-tieu-chi-xac-dinh-doanh-nghiep-cong-nghe-so-ngang-tam-cac-nuoc-tien-tien-197251116131631482.htm