Building a strong intellectual team in both quantity and quality

After 15 years of implementing Resolution 27 of the 10th Central Executive Committee on "Building a contingent of intellectuals in the period of promoting industrialization and modernization of the country", many important results have been achieved, especially policies to attract, treat and honor intellectuals.

However, the activities of intellectuals, scientists, and those who provide scientific arguments for the Party and the State are also facing many difficulties and challenges that require synchronous solutions in terms of policies and mechanisms to promote creativity, so that intellectuals can fully develop their abilities and capacities.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met with delegates and intellectuals attending the ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's meeting with intellectuals and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations on the morning of March 24 in Hanoi.

With more than 40 years of scientific research, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Tat Khuong - Director of the Institute for Regional Research and Development, Ministry of Science and Technology, cannot remember how many lands he has visited and how many farmers he has met. Every time he implements a scientific project in a locality, he always carries the hope of helping people there escape poverty. Recently, he was the head of the projects: "Developing some high-quality orange and grapefruit varieties in Bac Son district, Lang Son province"; "Building a model for experimental planting of some avocado lines and varieties in Bac Giang province" and "Researching a closed production model in the direction of organic for some agricultural products with strengths in the North Central region... The results of the projects are an important basis for people to research, select and apply in production practice. He was honored to be one of 112 outstanding intellectuals honored in 2019.

Associate Professor Dr. Le Tat Khuong recalled: “We have researched the agriculture of each region and identified their key agricultural products and helped them build plans and research programs to develop sustainable agricultural products. Second, we have researched and selected crops to supplement the crop structure of each region.”

Professor Nguyen Lan Dung - Member of the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development.

Not only Associate Professor, Dr. Le Tat Khuong, in recent times, thousands of intellectuals have actively participated in research, application, and innovation of science and technology and have become an important force promoting the realization of goals, tasks, strategies, and plans for rapid and sustainable national development. Implementing Resolution No. 27 of the 10th Central Executive Committee, after 15 years, the Vietnamese intellectual community has grown rapidly in quantity, increasingly improved in quality, and is a leading force in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Professor Nguyen Lan Dung - Member of the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development affirmed: “Talent is a precious resource of the nation. Uncle Ho always stated the slogan of respecting talent. In the era of the 4.0 industrial revolution, we are in great need of this industrial revolution. They are intellectuals, famous names, and have made great contributions in the digital age. There needs to be policies for them to have a place, contribute to the country, and be supported by the Party and State's policies".

However, recently, when giving opinions on the Project to Summarize 15 Years of Implementing Resolution No. 27 on “Building a Team of Intellectuals in the Period of Promoting Industrialization and Modernization of the Country”, the Politburo also pointed out many shortcomings, including attracting, treating, and honoring intellectuals at home and abroad, especially elite intellectuals and leading scientists. At the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences - where leading social scientists gather, the research results here are scientific arguments to help the Party and State formulate policies. However, in recent years, this activity has faced many difficulties and challenges.

Dr. Phan Chi Hieu - President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences stated: “Our team of scientific researchers is getting thinner, many famous scientific researchers of the country with high academic titles and degrees have reached retirement age. In addition, many good scientists also ask to transfer their work agencies, for various reasons, one of which is a very simple reason: the guarantee for research activities and policy settlement is not as good as that of agencies outside. We are witnessing the phenomenon of “brain drain”.

In order for intellectuals and scientists to contribute more to the development of the country, breakthrough mechanisms and policies are needed, especially policies to mobilize resources, attract, reward and honor intellectuals, especially elite intellectuals and leading scientists. This has been emphasized by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong: “Building a strong intellectual team is directly raising the intelligence of the nation, the strength of the country, improving the leadership capacity of the Party and the quality of the political system. Investing in building an intellectual team is investing in sustainable development”.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Building a strong intellectual team in terms of quantity and quality, with a reasonable structure associated with promoting the role, responsibility and capacity of intellectuals in implementing goals, tasks and socio-economic development strategies... is the responsibility of the Party, the State, the political system and the whole society. Determining the focus on promoting institutional reform, mobilizing social resources; respecting and practicing democracy in creative research activities; having special mechanisms and policies to promote talents, elite intellectuals, and leading scientists, is to create an environment, conditions and fundamental motivation to develop and promote the intellectual team.

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung - Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations said: “All countries in the world that want to develop must consider science and technology as the top national policy. That is a major policy, this policy must be truly concretized into policies and solutions for application. That is to respect intellectuals, use intellectuals, honor intellectuals and create conditions for intellectuals to work. Here it is not just about salary but working conditions, respecting them, assigning them work, and importantly when their products are created, they must be applied”.

In the 15 years of implementing Resolution 27, the number of Vietnamese intellectuals has increased rapidly, contributing directly to enhancing Vietnam's position and prestige in the region and the world. However, to promote their creativity in research and application of science and technology, there is still a need for policy mechanisms and levers for the intellectuals to fully develop their abilities and capacities./.