On the morning of June 27, the National Assembly voted to pass the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation. This is considered a breakthrough in institutionalizing important resolutions of the Party, especially Resolution 57 on the development of science, technology and innovation, Resolution 66 on the development of a knowledge-based economy and Resolution 68 on innovation in the management mechanism of science and technology tasks.
The Law takes effect from October 1, 2025, contributing to promoting activities such as: Forming a technology exchange, promoting the transfer and commercialization of research results, removing administrative barriers, and strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology , in the context of the world entering the era of knowledge, science, technology and innovation are becoming key driving forces for every country to develop.
For Vietnam, the promulgation of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation is not only a requirement for legal reform, but also a strategic orientation step, creating an institutional foundation for development based on Vietnamese intelligence.
The new law comes at a special time when the entire political system identifies innovation as one of the three strategic breakthroughs. The thinking behind this law is not simply to revise old technical content, but to “redesign” the institutional framework to operate an open, interconnected, and market-oriented innovation ecosystem.
Law on ensuring sustainable development orientation
The Law on Science, Technology and Innovation clearly defines the scope of regulation, subjects of application, along with fundamental concepts such as science, technology and innovation, creative ecosystem, digital platform and national database. The operating principles are established to ensure sustainable development orientation, respect freedom of research, promote scientific integrity and promote international integration.
From the beginning, the Law has chosen a post-audit management method, while enhancing the autonomy of organizations and individuals in scientific, technological and innovation activities.
For the first time, innovation has been codified as an independent field, with a status equivalent to science and technology in the national legal system. This is an important shift in perception, demonstrating the view that innovation is a seamless chain of activities, from idea generation, testing to practical application and commercialization.
The scope of the law is also expanded to cover new organizational models, innovative production mechanisms and innovative management methods in both the public and private sectors. Activities that were previously less recognized by law, such as community initiatives, innovation in public services, and digital technology applications, have now officially become a part of the national innovation ecosystem.
The law recognizes and promotes the role of diverse actors, from research institutes, universities, businesses, intermediary organizations to open technology communities and non-profit organizations. Thereby, not only the public sector, but the whole society is mobilized into the comprehensive innovation process.
Clearly demonstrate the State's creative role and management mechanism
One of the highlights of institutional innovation is the strong shift from the pre-control model to the post-control model, focusing on process transparency, result assessment and risk management instead of deeply intervening in initial activities. This is a modern approach, consistent with the flexible and continuous experimental characteristics of the science, technology and innovation sector.
The law also establishes a “controlled testing” (sandbox) mechanism, a new legal tool that allows the implementation of new models, technologies or policies within a limited time frame and scope. This approach allows high-tech innovations such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, health technology and digital education to operate in a safe legal environment before being widely applied.
At the same time, the law clearly demonstrates the principle of protecting scientists and host organizations when they follow the correct procedures and legal regulations, even if the results may not be as expected. This contributes to nurturing the spirit of dedication, creativity and willingness to experiment - indispensable qualities in an innovative and pioneering science.
In addition, the State's role as a facilitator is also demonstrated through the development of long-term development strategies, transparent and flexible allocation of resources for science, technology and innovation tasks. The law clearly stipulates the responsibility for funding, infrastructure support, and ensuring a favorable environment for organizations and individuals to implement initiatives effectively and safely.
Promoting practical application and transparency in intellectual property management
The Law establishes a legal basis to promote the commercialization of research results and protect forms of technology transfer. Ownership or economic benefits from research results are guaranteed to organizations and individuals according to their level of contribution, thereby encouraging active participation from scientists and businesses.
In particular, the law has removed a long-standing bottleneck related to the ownership mechanism of research results using the state budget. Instead of having to ask for permission from the superior agency, the host organization is automatically granted ownership or the right to use the research results. This is an important step forward to promote practical application and increase transparency in intellectual property management.
The law also facilitates the development of an ecosystem to support commercialization with tools such as technology exchanges, intellectual property valuation organizations, transfer support centers, etc. to effectively connect research and production-business. Scientists are allowed to receive direct economic benefits from intellectual products, while the revenue sharing ratio is clearly regulated to ensure harmony of interests between parties.
Promoting comprehensive digital transformation across the industry
The Law has established a digital platform and a national science, technology and innovation information system with the aim of enhancing data connectivity between research organizations, businesses and management agencies.
Periodic data updates become the responsibility of public budget spending units. At the same time, the non-state sector is also encouraged to contribute information on a voluntary and transparent basis, thereby expanding the open data repository serving the research and innovation community.
Not only a management support tool, the data platform also plays a role in promoting comprehensive digital transformation throughout the industry. The law emphasizes integration, sharing and synchronization between information systems, creating conditions for technology solutions to be deployed quickly, effectively and in the right direction.
By digitizing the process of managing, monitoring and evaluating scientific, technological and innovative activities, the law lays the foundation for a sustainable and flexible data infrastructure that meets development requirements in the digital age.
Establishing an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism between ministries, branches and localities
The Law clearly stipulates the roles and responsibilities of the Government, ministries, branches and local authorities in implementing science, technology and innovation policies. In particular, the initiative is given to provinces and cities to develop and operate science and technology programs suitable to local socio-economic development conditions.
Thereby, localities are allowed to establish innovation funds, provincial innovation centers, and provincial creative startup support centers, thereby creating a unique creative ecosystem closely linked to local potential.
For science and technology organizations, the Law has substantially expanded autonomy. These organizations have full authority to decide on research orientation, cooperation models, human resource management as well as financial resource allocation, including asset use and profit sharing.
This not only eliminates the long-standing request-grant mechanism, but also helps units improve flexibility and competitiveness in the modern innovation environment.
In addition, the Law also establishes an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism between ministries, sectors and localities in solving multi-disciplinary issues related to science, technology and innovation.
Areas such as healthcare, education, high-tech agriculture, or renewable energy require close and synchronous coordination of policies, resources, and technological solutions. Thanks to this mechanism, science, technology, and innovation activities will be implemented more effectively, limiting overlap and enhancing connectivity between levels and sectors in the entire system.
The Law on Science, Technology and Innovation is not only a legal document, but also a manifesto for development through knowledge. With a creative spirit, the Law opens up new institutional space, promotes social innovation, encourages research commercialization, effective decentralization and links research with the market.
In the country's new development journey, this is a fundamental law that helps Vietnam accelerate, compete with intellectual quality, improve endogenous capacity and firmly step on the path of global integration.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/luat-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-va-doi-moi-sang-tao-dinh-hinh-cach-tiep-can-hoan-toan-moi-post889961.html
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