Concluding at the working session of the Standing Committee of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation on May 25, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized a strong message: Basic scientific research is not purely academic activity, but the strategic foundation of national development in the 21st century. Investing in basic science is investing in the long-term future of the nation, in national autonomy capacity, in depth of development and in the country's long-term competitiveness.
Basic science development must directly serve the requirements of rapid and sustainable development of the country; improve strategic autonomy capacity; ensure national defense and security; improve forecasting capacity, national governance and adaptability to major world fluctuations.
According to Dr. Tran Van Khai - Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment (Ninh Binh Delegation), for a long time, thinking about investing in basic science was often placed after applied science, because of the psychology of wanting to see immediate results. However, the conclusion of General Secretary and President To Lam clearly repositioned: Basic science is the root of all development. If there is no solid foundation of basic science, we will forever be just latter people, processing or borrowing technology from outside.
Dr. Tran Van Khai said that one of the biggest barriers today is that the scientific management institution system is still heavily administrative, not suitable for the specific characteristics of creative labor. The conclusion of the Head of the Party and State clearly states the requirement to strongly innovate institutions to "liberate" the creativity of the intellectual community.
The direction of General Secretary and President To Lam also emphasized the innovation of investment mechanisms. Currently, investment resources for science are still dispersed and have not created a strong enough boost in key areas.
It is necessary to change the method of budget allocation in the direction of focusing on strong research groups, national key programs with a vision of 10-20 years instead of short-term, trivial topics. In addition to the State budget, there needs to be a strong incentive mechanism for businesses, especially large corporations, to invest in basic research through science and technology development funds.
In particular, the new investment mechanism must be linked to the concept of "investing in people". Income, remuneration and working conditions for leading scientists must be competitive enough to attract talent from all over the world to Vietnam, while preventing the "brain drain".
Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc - Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council on Culture - Society (Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front) - said that to develop applied science or modern technology, first of all, there must be a solid foundation of basic science. In particular, there needs to be a harmonious view between basic science and applied science. Applied scientists must firmly grasp the basic foundation, while basic science researchers also need to understand the purpose of application to create practical value for society.
The conclusion of the General Secretary and President reiterates very basic but extremely practical things. This is a matter of significance for both scientists and the leadership and management team in thoroughly grasping the role of basic science for the sustainable development of the country" - Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc emphasized.
