Removing institutional barriers to mastering strategic technologies.

Universities and research institutes are shifting strongly towards research models that are closely linked to products and business needs in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

However, many experts believe that if the barriers to finance, investment, and testing new technologies are not removed soon, it will be difficult to create technological products that can compete domestically and internationally.

Investing in AI, semiconductors, and robotics aims to build an innovation ecosystem. (Image caption: Robocon Vietnam 2026 competition. Photo: Nguyen Linh)

Identify bottlenecks

The gap between research and market remains a major bottleneck in the innovation ecosystem. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, the commercialization rate of research results funded by the state budget is currently only about 5%, while approximately 37% of research results that are ready for transfer cannot be put into practice due to obstacles in the intellectual property valuation mechanism, procedures for transferring ownership, contributing capital in the form of research results, and a lack of funding for the product development phase.

Many major universities, such as Vietnam National University, Hanoi ; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, have recently been continuously proposing to expand the mechanism of research autonomy, increase proactive cooperation with businesses, and develop spin-off business models to shorten the gap from the laboratory to the market.

"There are research groups that have developed quite good technologies but face difficulties in purchasing equipment, testing products, or connecting with businesses for commercialization. If the mechanisms don't change, it will be very difficult to create strategic technology products that are truly competitive," commented Le Xuan Manh, a lecturer at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology.

According to Mr. Le Xuan Manh, one of the current bottlenecks is that the research management mechanism still tends to focus on risk mitigation rather than encouraging innovation. In fields such as AI, semiconductors, or quantum technology, not every project succeeds from the outset, and the failure rate can even be very high. However, if all research activities prioritize absolute safety and accountability according to traditional administrative procedures, research groups will be hesitant to experiment with groundbreaking new approaches. Therefore, research units need to be allowed to experiment faster, more flexibly, and have the right to accept failure in their research.

As a key national research university, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is strongly shifting towards a research model closely linked to business needs and practical problems. The university has changed its approach from decentralized research to interdisciplinary program-based research and task clusters. Currently, Vietnam National University, Hanoi has established strategic industrial technology research institutes such as: Semiconductor Microchips, Quantum, AI4SD, along with 16 key research programs focusing on AI, semiconductor chips, robotics and automation, UAVs, quantum technology, cybersecurity, and biomedical technology.

Simultaneously, Vietnam National University, Hanoi currently has 50 strong research groups, numerous key laboratories, and a large-scale research infrastructure system in Hoa Lac, expected to be completed in 2026. Beyond theoretical research, many projects have clearly defined outputs and practical applications. In the semiconductor field, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is developing low-power, open-source RISC-V microprocessor IP cores for IoT and Edge AI devices, expected to be completed in 2026...

How to commercialize strategic technology products?

The practical implementation process at Hanoi National University shows that, to successfully commercialize strategic technology products, several bottlenecks in the mechanism need to be removed, such as: Allowing the implementation of strategic technology tasks under a medium-term investment mechanism, disbursing funds in stages according to funding needs instead of annually, with a sufficiently large scale and evaluation based on output results. Providing specific guidance for budget planning for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation based on task categories, needs, research capacity, and the ability to create final products, instead of controlling inputs and complex appraisal procedures. Along with that, there is a need for breakthrough policies on developing human resources for strategic technology, especially mechanisms for full-time doctoral scholarships, mechanisms for the rotation of scientists between universities and businesses, as well as attracting international experts to co-guide and implement research tasks.

Notably, representatives from Vietnam National University, Hanoi also proposed allowing the implementation of a "sandbox" mechanism in Hoa Lac for new technologies such as AI, big data, semiconductors, UAVs, and quantum technology, in order to facilitate research groups in conducting rapid testing, quick evaluation, and early deployment of their products.

In today's global technological competition, advantage lies not only in ideas or human resources but also heavily in the speed of innovation and the ability to commercialize products. If institutional bottlenecks are removed in a timely manner, universities and research institutes will have more opportunities to participate more deeply in mastering strategic technologies, contributing to enhancing technological self-reliance and national competitiveness.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/go-rao-can-co-che-de-lam-chu-cong-nghe-chien-luoc-1015273.html