Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation: Central drivers for growth

In recent times, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation activities in ministries and branches have achieved many important achievements, promoting economic growth, improving the quality of life and affirming the country's position in the international arena.

Science , technology, innovation and digital transformation in ministries and branches have achieved many important achievements. (Photo: DO BICH)

Three pillars of breakthrough

Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo identifies the three pillars of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as the central driving force, contributing to creating breakthroughs in socio-economic development. In which, science and technology are the foundation for creating new knowledge and tools, innovation is the driving force, transforming new knowledge and tools into ideas and solutions to solve socio-economic problems.

According to a report by the Ministry of Science and Technology , Vietnam has achieved remarkable achievements in the fields of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

In the pillar of science and technology, scientific and technological applications have contributed to creating high labor productivity, improving growth quality, promoting national competitiveness... Fields such as biotechnology with the creation of new plant and animal varieties and advances in disease diagnosis and treatment; information technology with the development of the internet, computers and artificial intelligence; new material technology such as superconducting and super-light materials; and energy technology with clean and efficient energy sources...

Not only science and technology, the pillar of innovation is also the driving force to turn ideas into economic value. Innovation helps Vietnam overcome the middle-income trap by encouraging the development of the national innovation system and creative startup ecosystem.

Recently, for the first time, innovation was legalized and placed on par with science and technology, demonstrating a fundamental change in development thinking. Vietnam has a vibrant startup ecosystem, with more than 3,000 startups by 2024, and venture capital value reaching 1 billion USD. Successful examples include Vingroup with VinFast electric cars or FPT with AI applications...

Along with science, technology and innovation, national digital transformation is an urgent requirement for governance innovation and digital economic development. Digital transformation helps Vietnam build a digital government, digital economy and digital society.

A report by the Ministry of Science and Technology shows that Vietnam will rank 52/193 in the E-Government Index (EGDI) in 2024, with 80% of online public services at level 4. The digital economy will reach 16% of GDP in 2024. Digital transformation will be a driving force for rapid growth, helping GDP increase by 1.5-2% per year thanks to optimizing management, governance and production processes.

Despite many remarkable achievements, there are still difficulties and challenges in terms of institutions, human resources and the connection between research and businesses, requiring continued efforts to reform, invest and apply new technologies for Vietnam to become a developed country.

According to the leader of the Ministry of Science and Technology, based on the spirit of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation, the two key goals of rapid (double-digit) and sustainable GDP growth, along with improving national competitiveness, are identified as strategic directions for Vietnam to realize its aspiration to become a developed country with upper-middle income by 2030 and high income by 2045.

To achieve that goal, the role of the three pillars is decisive. The science and technology pillar improves product quality through applied research, such as developing new materials and semiconductor technology, helping Vietnamese enterprises compete with regional countries.

The innovation pillar promotes a culture of innovation, with the goal of 40% of businesses having innovation activities by 2030, creating high value-added products such as exported AI software.

The digital transformation pillar improves corporate and government governance, with the goal of 80% of businesses digitizing processes, reducing operating costs by 15-20% and accelerating access to international markets. This combination will enhance competitiveness through increased labor productivity.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh, to develop these three pillars, it is necessary to focus on perfecting institutions, encouraging private investment in research and development (R&D); developing human resources, with the goal of achieving 12 researchers/10,000 people by 2030; technology development focuses on technology institutes and enterprises. At the same time, building a national innovation system, a national startup ecosystem, connecting universities, research institutes and enterprises...

In addition, it is necessary to build modern digital infrastructure, including a national data center; popularize digital skills, with a “digital learning” program for all people; ensure network security, and protect digital sovereignty. “For example, deploy smart cities in major cities and attract the world's leading technology enterprises,” said the Deputy Minister.

Focus on developing strategic technology

Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation are not only the tasks of the Science and Technology sector, but have been focused on development and application by many ministries and sectors. The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture develop smart production, apply digital technology in supply chain management, e-commerce and traceability of agricultural products. The Ministry of Finance and the State Bank promote Fintech, electronic payments and digital invoices... These efforts show that science, technology and innovation have become a common driving force, contributing to modernizing state management and promoting economic growth.

For the Industry and Trade sector, scientific and technological activities and innovation in the sector in general and the industrial sector in particular have achieved remarkable results in recent times. Many applied researches have been carried out, contributing to solving technical problems, improving product quality and optimizing production processes.

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai, the industry and trade sector is one of the pillars playing a key role in economic development and restructuring, renewing the growth model associated with improving competitiveness towards industrialization and modernization. The role of the sector becomes even more important in the international and regional context with complex and unpredictable fluctuations from natural disasters, epidemics, politics, competition and trade conflicts.

In addition, the Industry and Trade sector also focuses on supporting the implementation of research and application of technology development in industry and trade, prioritizing new industries, high-tech industries, priority areas with potential and strengths in the implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)...

In its role, the Ministry of Industry and Trade always identifies strategic technologies and priority areas to focus on research and development of technology applications from the Fourth Industrial Revolution; builds and implements the Project to Support Enterprises in Applying 4.0 Technology and Developing Smart Manufacturing in the 2021-2030 Period, focusing on priority industries and fields with competitive advantages and high levels of digital transformation readiness...

Although there have been certain results, in the recent period, science, technology and innovation activities still have limitations such as: Science, technology and innovation activities are not really synchronized, there is a lack of key breakthrough projects, closely linked to the practical needs of the fields of foundational industries, priority industries and strategic industries...

In addition, the connection between stakeholders (State-Scientists-Enterprises) is still limited, failing to create a substantive and effective cooperation mechanism; The innovation capacity of enterprises is also limited and the policy mechanism is sometimes not flexible enough to promote breakthrough ideas.

In the coming period, with the strong shift of the global supply chain and the requirement for sustainable development, the fundamental industrial sectors (such as materials, mechanical engineering), priority industries (such as electronics, information technology, new energy) and strategic industries (such as semiconductor industry, green hydrogen) will play a decisive role.

According to the Department of Innovation, Green Transformation and Industrial Promotion (Ministry of Industry and Trade), science, technology and innovation activities need to have a focus and key points to directly serve the development of these fields.

Therefore, to promote the effectiveness of science, technology and innovation activities, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has identified major orientations, focusing on tasks such as: Implementing Plan 01-KH/BCĐTW to implement Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, in which, the highlight is the development of the semiconductor industry, focusing on the design, packaging, testing and mastering of technology of some advanced materials serving the high-tech industry and national defense.

At the same time, build a National Energy Program with the orientation of strongly developing renewable energy, storage technology, smart grid, ensuring energy security associated with the Net Zero commitment.

In the manufacturing sector, promoting the application of digital technology, artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things and automation is considered the key to forming smart factories, improving productivity, quality and competitiveness, affirming the mark of "Make in Vietnam" technology products.

In parallel, researching and developing North-South high-speed railway technology suitable for Vietnam's conditions and linking it with the construction of smart super cities is a strategic step in developing modern infrastructure. In particular, mastering core technologies such as data, AI, positioning-navigation, network security; designing and manufacturing modern, multi-purpose unmanned equipment and robots to serve production and people's lives is considered the foundation for the country to catch up with new industrial trends...

On the side of the Department of Innovation, Green Transformation and Industrial Promotion, we will focus on promoting the “Three Houses” (State-Scientist-Enterprise) cooperation model in a practical way. Accordingly, the State plays a role in creating a favorable legal corridor, with appropriate financial and tax support policies. Research institutes and universities need to be more closely linked to the actual needs of businesses. Businesses need to proactively invest in R&D and apply research results.

In addition, the Department proposed that units need to deploy the construction of connection platforms, technology exchanges, and regular technology transfer promotion events; develop public-private partnership (PPP) models in research and development; pilot the construction of specialized Innovation Centers located in industrial parks, attracting the participation of three subjects.

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Source: https://nhandan.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-doi-moi-sang-tao-va-chuyen-doi-so-dong-luc-trung-tam-cho-tang-truong-post909244.html