Universities will be established as businesses and companies.

One of the new points included in the draft amendment and supplement to the Law on University Education is allowing schools to establish businesses and companies.

The draft amendments and supplements to the Law on Higher Education are being widely circulated by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) for public consultation. One of the new points included in the draft is allowing higher education institutions to establish businesses and companies.

Article 14 of the draft revised Law allows higher education institutions to establish enterprises and companies. The purpose is to promote scientific research applied to practice, not business.

This is the institutionalization of the idea in Resolution 19-2017/NQ-CP of the Government, which is to have a policy mechanism and create favorable conditions for the establishment of multi-ownership enterprises in universities to carry out application activities to commercialize research results and provide public career services.

Universities will be allowed to establish businesses and companies. Illustrative photo

“If scientists were to commercialize their research results themselves, it would probably not be very effective. Because scientists are not trained in business. Therefore, there needs to be a business mechanism to help them transfer research results during the application process into practice.

The commercialization results will encourage researchers to explore and invent research in areas that meet market demands, and be able to sell their results," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Training.

Ms. Vu Thi Lan Anh, Vice Principal of Hanoi Law University, said that schools have close connections with businesses, companies, and corporations to carry out experimental production and business activities as well as distribute and apply research products.

The Law on Education or the Law on University Education in some countries has allowed universities to decide on their own business structure and to deploy and apply scientific and technological activities within the school.

Ms. Vu Thi Lan Anh, Vice Principal of Hanoi Law University (far left).

In France, there are regulations that, based on the resolution of the Board of Directors, universities can determine their own structure. In Japan, there are regulations that universities will have faculties, but in cases where it is beneficial to scientific research and education, organizations can be established to serve as a basis for research outside the faculty.

When studying to amend a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Training and the drafting committee combined and promoted the positive aspects of the 2012 Law on Higher Education, Resolution 19 and the operational experience of universities in many countries around the world.

In fact, in Vietnam today, some universities already have businesses operating and applying their scientific, technological and research products very well.

According to Ms. Lan Anh, this new regulation will create a clear legal corridor, creating better conditions for universities to apply scientific and technological products to serve the country's development./.

According to VOV