Journal SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICIES AND MANAGEMENT

Selection criteria for talent in the people's republic of China: Implications and recommendations for Vietnam

Nguyen Quynh Anh — 2025-10-17

The article not only compares policies but also focuses on an in-depth analysis of the talent evaluation criteria systems in China and Vietnam, with a particular emphasis on the quantitative, hierarchical, and flexible aspects of attracting Science and Technology (S&T) talent. This analysis aims to draw specific lessons for Vietnam in the context of global integration. In the face of global competition for S&T talent, China has established a system that classifies talent into three groups (A, B, C), accompanied by a quantitative scoring scale. This system encompasses both international academic achievements (such as major awards and publications in JCR Q1/Q2 journals) and practical contributions in enterprises and startups. The system is designed to ensure transparency, flexibility, and relevance to market demands and international standards. Conversely, Vietnam currently relies primarily on criteria based on applied achievements (such as inventions, awards, or startup projects). However, the current level of hierarchy/classification is unclear, the evaluation scoring scale is lacking, and the flexibility in implementation remains limited. Based on this comparison, the article proposes that Vietnam needs to diversify its evaluation criteria, implement classification and quantitative mechanisms, and improve its competitive incentive policies to attract talent, including overseas Vietnamese and international experts. China’s experience suggests that balancing high standards and feasibility is a crucial factor in a talent attraction strategy that serves S&T development and global integration.

Code: 25060201

Policies that encourage enterprises to invest in science, technology and innovation for achieving the sustainable development goals - Lessons for Vietnam

Bui Ngoc Thu Ha — 2025-10-17

The article analyzes how three groups of policy instruments-fiscal-credit tools, standards and regulations, and awards and recognition-are utilized by China, the Netherlands, and Denmark to incentivize enterprises to invest in Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) for sustainable development.

The experience of these countries demonstrates that building a comprehensive, consistent, and mutually reinforcing policy environment - which combines financial incentives, strict technical standards and compliance, and award mechanisms accompanied by tangible benefits - is the key to activating corporate investment in ST&I, thereby ensuring the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Code: 25060503

Assessment of the current status of professional capacity-building programs for science and technology personnel and recommendations for job position-based training programs

Hoang Thu Hien — 2025-10-17

In the context of implementing the National Digital Transformation Strategy and the requirement for high-quality human resource development, enhancing the professional competency of the specialized Science and Technology (S&T) public workforce becomes a pivotal task for the 2025–2035 period.

This research, conducted under the framework of a research project led by the Vietnam Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (now the Vietnam Institute of Science and Technology Strategy), analyzed and assessed the current status and identified the limitations of existing professional capacity building programs.

The study proposes a training program tailored to job position requirements, with content closely linked to professional demands, thereby fully meeting the competency development needs of the specialized S&T public workforce in the context of innovation and international integration.

Keywords: .

Digital transformation policy framework for public science and technology organizations in Vietnam: Current situation and policy implications

Nguyen Hong Anh — 2025-10-17

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the global trend of digital transformation (DT), public science and technology (S&T) organizations in Vietnam play a pivotal role in knowledge creation, technology development, and high-quality human resource training. This study analyzes the DT policy framework for such organizations based on six pillars: institutional and legal framework; digital infrastructure; human resources; financial resources; data governance; and innovation culture and cooperation. Employing policy analysis, international comparison (Singapore, South Korea, China, Thailand), and expert interviews, the results indicate that while Vietnam has established an important legal foundation-particularly with the promulgation of the 2025 Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation-there remain gaps, including the absence of a dedicated framework, limited inter-agency coordination, the lack of a specific evaluation index, and constraints in financial resources and digital infrastructure. Drawing on international experience, the article proposes developing shared digital platforms, standardizing data, increasing public investment in data and AI infrastructure, aligning DT with national socio-economic development strategies, and fostering public-private partnerships, with the goal of building a sustainable innovation ecosystem.

Code: 25081801

Study on the evaluation of local innovation capacity under Vietnam's two-tier local government model

Tran Vu Tuan Phan — 2025-10-17

In 2025, Viet Nam is implementing a landmark administrative reform that restructures the national governance model. This article analyses the implications of two major changes: (i) the merger of 63 provinces and centrally governed cities into 34 provincial-level administrative units under Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15; and (ii) the dissolution of district-level administrative units and the shift to a two-level local government model (province-commune) under Resolution No. 203/2025/QH15. The study focuses on how these reforms affect local innovation capability. Drawing on qualitative policy analysis, literature review and comparative case studies, it constructs a baseline of Viet Nam’s innovation capability using the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the Provincial Innovation Index (PII) for the period 2023-2024. The findings suggest that the reform creates a “high reward-high risk” scenario. On the opportunity side, the emergence of “mega-provinces” with larger economic scale may enable the concentration of R&D resources and reduce fragmented competition. However, the reform also generates several risks: (i) short-term institutional shocks that may disrupt existing innovation networks; (ii) a governance void arising from the removal of the district level, which has been the key node for implementing innovation policy at the grassroots; and (iii) widening innovation gaps between urban cores and rural areas within the enlarged provinces. The article concludes with policy recommendations to narrow institutional gaps - strengthening digital governance, introducing flexible decentralisation and promoting polycentric development-to minimise disruption and maximise the benefits of the two-level local government reform for enhancing local innovation capability.

Keywords: .

Reorganising the science, technology and innovation system in China and lessons for Vietnam

Cao Thi Thu Anh — 2025-10-17

This article analyzes China's experience in restructuring the science and technology system that began in 2023 based on the philosophy of national security protection and national technocracy. This reform in China represents a profound shift towards a centralized, state-led innovation model, in which the establishment of the Central Science and Technology Commission as the highest authority and the “Whole-of-Nation System” is the main operating mechanism. This is not a mere administrative adjustment but the activation of a national mobilization model to respond to external threats, especially U.S. technological sanctions. The Vietnam science, technology and innovation strategy up to 2030 identify enterprises as the center of the science, technology and innovation system. In reality, Viet Nam is currently facing significant challenges in terms of fragmentation, lack of linkages and over-reliance on the FDI sector. This requires adjustments in coordination, domestic capacity building as well as institutional reforms to create a national science, technology and innovation system led by domestic enterprises, similar to how China has implemented in recent years. Policy recommendations for Vietnam from China's experience are to focus on creating a flexible coordination mechanism, prioritizing improving the technology absorption capacity of domestic enterprises, “unshackling” financial mechanisms and university autonomy and positioning the role of the state as the creator of the science, technology and innovation system.

Keywords:

Policies to promote university-industry linkages: International experience and lessons for Vietnam

Pham Thi Tham — 2025-10-17

University-industry linkages (UIL) in Vietnam currently remain limited and lack substance, despite various policy efforts. This paper aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of international experience in order to derive lessons and propose policy recommendations to strengthen these linkages in Viet Nam. The study employs a qualitative analysis methodology, focusing on the policy experiences of three countries: the United States, Germany, and China. The analytical framework is based on three main groups of policy instruments identified by the OECD (2019): financial instruments, regulatory instruments, and “soft” instruments. The key policy recommendations proposed by the study include: (1) designing target-oriented, direct collaborative R&D funding programs; (2) fundamentally reforming intellectual property policies to grant maximum autonomy to universities; and (3) enhancing the state's role as a “convener” in developing strategic technology roadmaps and establishing reliable networking platforms.

Code: 25110301

Selected models of innovation governance worldwide and an adaptive policy framework for Vietnam

Nguyen Quoc Hung — 2025-10-17

This article analyses selected models of local-level innovation governance and proposes an adaptive policy framework for Viet Nam. Against the backdrop of a global shift from national innovation systems (NIS) to regional innovation systems (RIS), the paper argues that Viet Nam’s main bottleneck lies not in a lack of policies, but in the persistence of a hierarchical, administrative “management” paradigm that conflicts with the inherently risk-taking nature of innovation. Using comparative case-study and systems-analysis methods, the paper examines three representative international models: (1) the “Developmental and Experimental State” model of Shenzhen (China); (2) the “Distributed Network and Specialisation-Oriented Coordination” model of Baden-Württemberg (Germany); and (3) the “Public-Private Partnership and Smart Specialisation” model of the European Union/Basque Country. The study identifies three major institutional bottlenecks in Viet Nam: (1) rigid public finance mechanisms for R&D; (2) fragmented cross-sectoral coordination; and (3) weak linkages among universities, research institutes and enterprises due to the absence of effective intermediary organisations. Building on these findings, the paper proposes an “asymmetric innovation governance” framework for Viet Nam that differentiates among localities according to their innovation capabilities. For leading provinces and cities, the paper recommends piloting Local Innovation Councils and institutional sandboxes to enable controlled policy experimentation. For follower localities, it recommends adopting Smart Specialisation (S3) processes and restructuring intermediary organisations along Fraunhofer-type governance principles to strengthen application-oriented R&D and enterprise linkages.

Keywords: