National Assembly discusses perfecting legal corridor to promote science, technology and innovation

Central driving force for development in the new era

The draft Law on Science, Technology and Innovation (S&I) consists of 8 chapters and 83 articles (an increase of 2 articles compared to the 2013 Law), adding content on innovation and adjusting the overall structure. The Law regulates the activities of organizations and individuals in the field of S&I; stipulates measures to ensure the development of this field and strengthen state management, aiming to improve national competitiveness, sustainable development, ensure national defense, security, quality of life and environmental protection.

The Draft Law has fully specified 6 major groups of strategic policies stated in Resolution No. 118/NQ-CP of the Government, including: Innovation in research, development and state management of science, technology and innovation; development of science and technology potential; attracting investment, facilitating the use of budget for this field; promoting science, technology and innovation in enterprises and developing the science and technology market; enhancing the dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge; supplementing the legal corridor for creative start-up activities - new content to institutionalize Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.

The draft Law is designed to reduce administrative procedures, strengthen post-auditing, and promote comprehensive digital transformation in management and activities of science, technology, and innovation. Management thinking is shifted from process control to efficiency assessment. A notable point is that the Law encourages businesses to invest in and fund research and development, and attract capital sources outside the state budget.

Promoting the role of enterprises, developing high-quality human resources

At the discussion session on the afternoon of May 13, National Assembly deputies expressed their agreement with the promulgation of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, considering this a necessary step to fully and promptly institutionalize the Party's guidelines and State policies.

The law-making not only creates a synchronous legal corridor but also establishes the foundation for the country's sustainable development in the new era, where science, technology and innovation play a central driving role.

The draft law is assessed to have clearly demonstrated the spirit of innovation, clearing bottlenecks, and removing barriers in the management and operation of the national science and technology system. With many preferential mechanisms and breakthrough policies, the law aims to mobilize the maximum participation of organizations and individuals in research, innovation and application of technology in production and business practices.

One of the issues of interest is the creation of a mechanism to attract social resources, especially from the business sector, including private enterprises, into science, technology and innovation activities. Instead of relying solely on public investment, the draft law encourages the formation of co-funding models and public-private partnerships in research and technology application. Science and innovation are identified as new and sustainable growth drivers of the economy.

Along with financial policy design, the development of human resources in science and technology is also emphasized as a key factor. The law needs to introduce more effective policies to attract, train, reward and make good use of talents, especially those working in research institutes, universities and high-tech enterprises. Practical solutions are needed such as personal income tax exemptions, simplifying procedures for foreign experts, supporting the retraining of digital technology talents, etc.

Another issue is how to identify and honor talents in scientific fields. Current criteria such as patents, awards or start-up achievements do not cover the specific characteristics of social sciences and humanities. Therefore, it is necessary to add appropriate criteria such as works that have policy influence, are applied in education or are widely cited at home and abroad, ensuring fairness in evaluating and recognizing contributions from different scientific fields.

Concluding the discussion, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai highly appreciated the enthusiastic and responsible opinions of the National Assembly deputies, focusing on clarifying the necessity of promulgating the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation. The contents that received in-depth comments included the name of the draft law, scope of regulation, subjects of application, along with criteria, principles and policies to promote the development of this important field.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly emphasized that the National Assembly Standing Committee will direct the verification agency to closely coordinate with the drafting agency and relevant agencies to fully absorb opinions, complete the draft law, and submit it to the National Assembly for consideration and decision in accordance with the legislative process.