Expanding decentralization, promoting autonomy in science, technology and innovation

The Government issued Decree No. 262/2025/ND-CP to provide detailed guidance on the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation. This Decree is assessed to have many new points in decentralization, delegation of authority and empowerment of local authorities, institutes - schools - enterprises, while removing many legal "bottlenecks" that have existed for many years in the management of science and technology activities.

According to the Department of Information and Statistics, the new highlights focus on four main content groups:

Decentralization to localities in establishing science and technology organizations

One of the notable changes is the delegation of authority to the provincial People's Committee in permitting the establishment and approval of charters of foreign-invested science and technology organizations. This delegation of authority aims to implement the decentralization policy, increase local initiative, and at the same time improve the efficiency of management, attraction and use of foreign investment resources in the field of science and technology.

Previously, before the Ministry of Science and Technology allowed the establishment and approval of the charter of a foreign-invested science and technology organization, the organization needed to ask the provincial People's Committee for permission to set up headquarters in the province or city, with the decentralization of authority over management being unified, reducing administrative procedures and reducing compliance costs for organizations.

Mr. Dao Manh Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Statistics, provided information at the regular October press conference.

In addition to inheriting the subjects of authority to grant the Certificate of registration for scientific and technological activities of Decree No. 08/2014/ND-CP, the specialized agency of science and technology under the People's Committee of the province or city where the scientific and technological organization has its head office shall grant the certificate of registration for scientific and technological organization to foreign-invested scientific and technological organizations and provincial and city-level hospitals; and private hospitals.

Recognition of Research and Development Center

According to Clause 3, Article 47 of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, the Research and Development Center enjoys many special incentives such as: Priority in renting land and infrastructure in industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones, high-tech zones, high-tech agricultural zones, concentrated digital technology zones; priority in using research and development equipment in shared laboratories, incubators, and innovation centers; support in information, communication, and trade promotion; and incentives and support according to the provisions of law. Accordingly, the Research and Development Center may request recognition from competent authorities as a basis for applying incentive and support policies according to the provisions of law.

Decree 262/2025/ND-CP clearly stipulates the division of authority. The authority to grant the Certificate of Recognition of Research and Development Center is the agency that grants the Certificate of Registration of Science and Technology Organizations (Agency performing information and statistics functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the specialized agency of Science and Technology under the People's Committee of the province or city) to recognize the Research and Development Center for that Science and Technology organization. Or simply, the authority to grant the Certificate of Recognition of Research and Development Center is the agency that has granted the Certificate of Registration of Science and Technology Organizations.

Establishing a national science and technology assessment system

For the first time, Decree 262/2025/ND-CP establishes a unified national assessment system for science and technology activities, overcoming the previous lack of a synchronous assessment, statistics and digital transformation mechanism.

For ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, People's Committees of provinces and local cities: Focal point for implementation at the grassroots level, guidance and review of data of science and technology organizations; Clear decentralization, giving real initiative to localities, proactively organizing evaluation (through specialized agencies, independent consultants, or advisory councils). Especially encouraging hiring independent consulting organizations for large and complex programs; Publicizing evaluation results on information portals and media; Linking evaluation results with emulation, rewards, budget allocation and human resource development; Periodically reporting results to the Ministry of Science and Technology for synthesis and monitoring.

For research institutes, universities, and science and technology organizations: Tools for self-assessment and improvement of competitiveness, positioning in the national science and technology system; Being a ranked, recognized, and certified facility for R&D capacity or an innovation center; Linking assessment results with financial policies, granting autonomy, appointment, reward, or handling responsibilities; Creating motivation for innovation in organizational governance, shifting from "administrative - asking for" to "results-oriented"; Providing input data for the national science, technology, and innovation statistics system, serving strategic reporting and international comparison.

Promote the application of information technology in information collection to ensure correct, complete, clean and live data.

Previously, there was a lack of clear assessment mechanisms, statistical information and digital transformation for S&T activities. The assessment of S&T activities, statistics and publication of results were not regulated in detail and synchronously, making it difficult for S&T organizations and localities to be autonomous and responsible. Decree 262/2025/ND-CP has detailed regulations on the S&T assessment system, consolidated and systematized all assessment regulations, creating a unified legal basis nationwide on assessment principles; subjects, contents, criteria; processes, methods; responsibilities and use of results.

Exploitation and use of scientific and technological information

Decree 262/2025/ND-CP stipulates promoting the application of information technology in information collection to ensure correct, sufficient, clean, live data and the ability to integrate and share data.

Information serving the state management of the Ministry of Science and Technology will be collected through the national digital platform for science, technology and innovation management; centrally and uniformly managed on the National Information System on Science, Technology and Innovation. Ministries, branches and localities are granted accounts to update, exploit and use science and technology information.

Decree 262/2025/ND-CP not only specifies the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, but also addresses many long-standing legal barriers such as overlapping jurisdiction, cumbersome procedures, lack of assessment mechanisms and lack of information connectivity.

With new regulations on decentralization, delegation, digital transformation and data transparency, Vietnam's science and technology system is expected to be more dynamic, transparent and closely linked to the development needs of localities, businesses and society.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/mo-rong-phan-quyen-thuc-day-tu-chu-trong-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-va-doi-moi-sang-tao-197251109154600775.htm