Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung called for the development of a national innovation ecosystem focused on practical outcomes and market needs. By 2030, at least 50 per cent of research projects should be linked with businesses and deliver tangible products and results.
Speaking at a meeting with ministries and agencies in Hanoi on Wednesday, he said innovation must become a driver of economic development and growth, raising productivity and added value while creating new products, industries and markets. The ecosystem should be assessed by its contributions to productivity, quality, competitiveness and economic growth.
He called for a coordinated and practical ecosystem with businesses at its centre, with technology commercialisation and innovative enterprises as main breakthroughs. The Ministry of Science and Technology was told to review shortcomings in regulations, mechanisms and policies with the ministries of Finance, Education and Training, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Environment, and relevant agencies.
The ministry was asked to assess the national innovation system and propose development orientations for 2026–30 with a vision to 2045. It should also develop a network of innovation centres and intermediary organisations based on the strengths of industries, sectors and localities.
The Deputy Prime Minister ordered the ministry to issue guidelines for science, technology and innovation development funds. Ministries, sectors and localities were asked to complete their funds. Research should be driven by practical demand, with businesses as partners from setting priorities through research, testing, application and commercialisation.
He called for mechanisms to commission research and develop technological products, and support programmes for innovative enterprises with strong growth potential and the ability to master technologies. Enterprises with enough scale and capabilities should be developed to participate more deeply in global value chains, alongside stronger cooperation with technology corporations and international innovation centres.
The Ministry of Finance was assigned to study ways to attract experts and highly skilled workers. The Ministry of Science and Technology should organise meetings among state agencies, research institutes, universities and businesses to identify obstacles and improve collaboration. Ministries should improve their Global Innovation Index indicators, while localities should continue improving their Provincial Innovation Index and link results to socio-economic development.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh said Vietnam ranked 43rd among 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation. Vietnam rose one place from 2025 and ranked third in ASEAN.
Its innovation output ranking rose two places to 35th, while its innovation input ranking fell four places to 54th. Since 2022, Vietnam has climbed from 48th to 43rd. WIPO again recognised it as one of seven middle-income economies with the greatest improvement in innovation rankings since 2013. Its innovation performance has exceeded expectations for its development level for 16 consecutive years.
The ministry said Vietnam's strengths include trade, market scale, high-tech exports, creative goods and digital technology adoption. Its knowledge and technology output ranking rose from 44th in 2024 to 39th in 2025 and 35th in 2026.
Hoang Minh said the ecosystem still faces challenges involving institutional quality, policy implementation, research and development investment, highly skilled human resources and venture capital. Businesses have limited capacity to master technologies, create new knowledge and turn research into marketable products. Priorities include removing bottlenecks in institutions, human resources, infrastructure and research and development investment, strengthening business technology capabilities, and turning knowledge into high-value products and services.
Sources: Viet Nam News
