"Find support instead of waiting for scientists to ask for meetings and topics"

(Dan Tri) - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, quoted Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung at the scientific conference on technology, innovation, and digital transformation on the afternoon of June 21.

The conference is an important forum to identify challenges, orient fundamental solutions in science and technology development, innovation to solve major problems in the fields of agriculture and environment in Vietnam; discuss mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in science and technology development in these fields.

Seek support instead of waiting for a topic

Opening the conference, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, quoted Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung: "I was very impressed when the minister said that the ministry's responsibility is to find scientists, find facilities with research capabilities to support and assign research tasks, not to wait for scientists to ask for meetings and topics."

With today's conference, the head of the academy hopes that this will be an opportunity for the minister to listen to direct dialogue with scientists and science and technology managers to promptly resolve difficulties, support, encourage and inspire the passion and enthusiasm of scientists and teachers of the academy.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung (Photo: S. Dien).

According to Ms. Lan, in recent times, the academy has focused its research on both basic and applied research.

On the one hand, the academy creates applied products and technological processes to restore national livelihoods and serve people and businesses. On the other hand, it creates products that are international publications to serve academia.

“The Academy has applied science to many fields in training and research. Among them, many products have been commercialized. There are many strong groups in the fields of scientific research, some group leaders have preferential salaries, attractive enough in many fields.

However, many results cannot be transferred or completed due to many reasons, including problems in the mechanism," said Ms. Lan.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of Vietnam Academy of Agriculture (Photo: S. Dien).

From 15 leads to only 1

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung talked about innovation and digital transformation inspired by “contract 10”. The head of the Ministry of Science and Technology said that we should not manage the process but manage the output, the important thing is the result.

If Vietnam wants to become rich, it must rely on science and technology and digital transformation. To do so, scientists must become rich. If scientists do not become rich, the country cannot become rich.

Only when science and technology flourishes can a nation prosper. Only when science and technology is strong can a nation be strong. Science and technology is not for the sake of science and technology but for the prosperity of the nation and its contribution to humanity.

Along with that, the Minister put forward 7 main groups of issues for the country's technological development path in the coming time.

Firstly , science and technology must aim at socio-economic development, must solve major national problems and improve people's quality of life.

Second, comprehensive digital transformation is required to create an environment for science and technology and innovation.

Third , innovation for the whole people to develop science and technology.

Students practice in the laboratory of Vietnam National University of Agriculture (Photo: Ng. Nhung).

Fourth , science and technology focus on mastering strategic technologies that Vietnam has great demand for but is currently dependent on.

Fifth, linking science and technology with industry and industrial innovation, supporting production capacity.

Sixth , talent is the core of science and technology.

Finally , the institutions of science and technology must be continuously reformed, aiming to master technology, restructure research costs, remove thinking barriers and give more autonomy to individuals and science and technology organizations.

“For the Agricultural Academy, scientists must commercialize their research to help them get rich.

Only when businesses use the academy’s scientific research to generate revenue, creating added value 5-10 times higher than the research cost, will the academy create an impact on socio-economic growth. Based on this impact of the academy, the State will provide research funding for the following years,” said the Minister.

The Minister affirmed that the Academy should have a new development strategy in line with the trend of the times. Regarding the mechanism, instead of waiting for science and technology organizations to send task proposals, the Ministry of Science and Technology will go to science and technology organizations to learn, listen, orient and place orders, including the Academy's Biomedical Group.

Previously, to have a research task, the unit had to go through 15 places in the Ministry of Science and Technology, now it only has to go through one focal point, the Science and Technology Fund, which creates conditions for scientific research units to shorten the mechanism and procedures.

Vietnam National University of Agriculture is a multidisciplinary, national key university. Up to now, the university has trained over 120,000 engineers, bachelors, over 12,000 masters and over 700 doctors for the country. The university has nearly 100 lecturers with the titles of professor and associate professor; over 360 lecturers with doctoral degrees; many lecturers have been awarded the title of People's Teacher, Excellent Teacher, Kovalevskaya Award, etc.

In the period 2015-2025, the academy has implemented 1,187 topics at all levels, including 33 national-level science and technology topics/projects; 23 basic research topics of the National Science and Technology Development Fund; 92 ministerial-level science and technology tasks; 100 international programs, projects, and contracts; 126 provincial/municipal science and technology topics/projects; 913 grassroots science and technology topics. The academy has also published over 4,500 Vietnamese articles and over 1,200 ISI/Scopus international articles.

Since 2014, the academy has organized startup activities for students and high school students.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tim-de-ho-tro-thay-vi-doi-nha-khoa-hoc-di-xin-gap-xin-de-tai-20250621172222555.htm