Spirit of Contract 10 in the digital age: Innovating education with science and technology

"Education is the top national policy. But each era needs its own method to realize that national policy. In this era, there is no other way than to use technology to innovate education."

Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized at the Conference on Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation (STEM, IDT & CDS) organized by the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture on the afternoon of June 21, 2025.

The conference aims to implement Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on strategic breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation.

The Presidium chaired the discussion session.

Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture will be the core of the innovation ecosystem in agriculture.

Speaking at the Conference, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung said that Vietnam had opened the path to innovation with Contract 10, a turning point that brought the country out of poverty, formed a commodity production base and sowed the seeds of reform belief. Today, as the country enters the "second innovation", the inspiration from Contract 10 needs to be rekindled, not only in policy, but also in research thinking. That is the spirit of empowerment, target-based contracting, so that workers can take the initiative and enjoy the results they create; we should not manage the process but manage the output, the important thing is the result. The Minister also suggested that the Academy move towards a research university model: "When the Academy's revenue from ordering enterprises accounts for 70%, then the Academy will truly stand firmly on the land of science".

The Minister pointed out that scientific research cannot exist only to produce a result. It must solve the problems of the country, the industry, the locality and most importantly, create economic impact. In which, the participation of enterprises is key. Topics with accompanying enterprises are often the topics closest to the market, with the ability to go the furthest. Therefore, the Academy needs to change its thinking to find such companions. Only when enterprises use the Academy's scientific research to generate revenue, creating added value 5-10 times higher than the research cost, then the Academy will create an impact on socio-economic growth. Based on this impact of the Academy, the State will provide research funding for the following years," the Minister emphasized.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung added that instead of letting scientists worry too much about funding or procedures, the Ministry of Science and Technology committed to proactively going to the site, listening, placing orders and removing obstacles. The new mechanism is also clear, currently all research support is concentrated through one focal point - the National Science and Technology Development Fund, to simplify the process and speed up the process.

Therefore, the units of the Ministry will work directly with the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture to clearly unify the registration results and transferred products in 2025. "There must be new research to create changes, from changing awareness, changing behavior, to changing policy," the Minister emphasized.

The State will base on the impact of research results on socio-economic development to provide research funding, and the Ministry of Science and Technology will monitor the entire project life cycle from the beginning of research to application in production. Scientific research results must be commercialized, bringing profits to the Academy and tax revenue to the State.

The State has a policy of turning universities into centers for research in science, technology and innovation; in which, the Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture will be the core of the innovation ecosystem in agriculture. The Academy needs to have a new development strategy, in line with the times and the orientation of the Party and State, linking research with digital transformation and mastering technology.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the Conference.

In conclusion, the Minister emphasized: "Education is the top national policy. But each era needs its own method to realize that national policy. In this era, there is no other way than to use technology to innovate education." Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture is standing at a historical crossroads. Either continue to be a training school, or break through to become a real research center, a place where ideas originate, products are created and impact the national GDP.

But to do that, we must first answer a question: "How much does the Agricultural Academy contribute to the growth of the industry?" That is not just a question of a Minister. It is an awakening from the roots, drawn from thousands of years of history. It is also an invitation to write a new page of history, starting from the very land that sowed the first seeds for Vietnamese agriculture.

Thereby, the Minister noted that the Academy should pay attention to and further strengthen the commercialization team, be able to connect to the market, build a transfer network, call for capital for startups, and bring results from the laboratory to life.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will accompany and coordinate with the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture to specify the research tasks for 2025. Research results must measure the added value created for the economy, for the agricultural sector and environment, and for farmers.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized: "Education is the top national policy. But each era needs its own method to realize that national policy. In this era, there is no other way than to use technology to innovate education."

Prioritize and support resources to implement major, strategic problems of the agricultural and environmental sectors.

Reporting on the results of scientific and technological research, innovation and digital transformation of the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of the Academy, said that in recent times, the Academy has focused on both basic and applied research. Specifically, in the period of 2015-2025, the Academy managed and implemented 1,187 topics at all levels and over 800 student scientific research topics; 102 scientific and technological products were registered for intellectual property, recognized for circulation, and recognized for technical progress. Furthermore, in the period of 2020-2025, the Academy completed the construction of the Center for Research Excellence and Innovation with 20 laboratories in the field of life sciences; continued to manage and operate well with 06 laboratories meeting ISO 17025:2017 standards to conduct in-depth research and carry out testing activities to serve society. In 2025, Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture was honored to be ranked 5th among scientific research institutions in Vietnam by Scimago Institutions Rankings.

Implementing Resolution 57, Vietnam Academy of Agriculture has developed projects on science and technology, including 2 projects with over 60 tasks, including 11 application projects and 13 basic research tasks.

According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, the Academy always attaches importance to the golden triangle: "Scientist/Research Institute/University - Enterprise - State" throughout research and training activities; many results have been applied in practice and transferred to localities. In particular, the Academy maintains 82 science and technology models serving scientific research and technology transfer; closely cooperates with most provinces/cities nationwide and cooperates with over 200 enterprises in the fields of agriculture, processing and export to support output for the Academy and has close cooperative relationships with over 200 international organizations. "This is an important "soft" resource of the Academy in implementing training activities, scientific research and technology transfer", Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan affirmed. However, many results cannot be transferred or completed due to many reasons, including problems in the mechanism.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan, Director of Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, spoke at the Conference.

Speaking at the Conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment (MARD) Hoang Trung assessed that Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture is one of the prestigious training and scientific research units in the industry. With the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the MARD hopes that the Academy will maximize its advantages to successfully implement its tasks, especially the tasks of research, transfer of science and technology, training and development of high-quality human resources. The MARD will support, consider, allocate resources and create all conditions for Vietnam National Academy of Agriculture to participate in implementing breakthrough tasks in developing national science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung expressed his hope that the Ministry of Science and Technology would consider and support the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture to perfect policies and regulations on the management of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation; plan a streamlined, effective and efficient network of science and technology organizations; invest in infrastructure, equipment, and national key laboratories to ensure synchronization and modernity to meet the requirements for creating breakthrough products. At the same time, create a unified foundation in the management of national science and technology, innovation and digital transformation; evaluate the effectiveness of science and technology contributions to ensure connectivity in the effective management of investment in research, transfer and trade of science and technology products; promote international cooperation on innovation and digital transformation to access advanced technology, form a network of experts and excellent research groups at home and abroad in the field of agriculture and rural development. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment wishes to be prioritized and supported with resources to implement major, strategic issues of the industry," Deputy Minister Hoang Trung emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung spoke at the Conference.

At the Conference, delegates gathered, exchanged and discussed to clarify the challenges and orient fundamental solutions in the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation to solve major problems in the field of agriculture and environment in Vietnam. At the same time, delegates also discussed mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in the development of science and technology in these fields.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/tinh-than-khoan-10-trong-thoi-dai-so-doi-moi-giao-duc-bang-khoa-hoc-va-cong-nghe-197250621213752095.htm