The Government has just issued Decree No.271/2025/ND-CP on the establishment, capital contribution and participation in enterprises to commercialise the results of scientific research and technology development in the capital. This is a step to concretise the Capital Law (amended) and Resolution No.57-NQ/TW, at the same time marking an institutional turning point, paving the way for science to step out of the laboratory and become practical solutions and products.
From “bottleneck” to policy breakthrough
As the “locomotive” of research in the country, the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) has thousands of highly appreciated topics, but the number of commercialised products is still limited.
Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Tien Dung, Head of the Department of Technology Application and Deployment, Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology, said that most of the research results in the country are from universities and public research institutes, but the ownership belongs to the governing body. When transferring, scientists cannot be the subject of negotiation, making investors hesitant, while scientific products remain in the filing cabinet.
The biggest problem lies in the mechanism for pricing intellectual property and state ownership. Meanwhile, previous regulations did not allow public institutions to directly contribute capital with research results, leading to a “gap” between ideas and commercial products.
“We have many valuable projects, but when commercialising, we encounter a deadlock because the ownership does not belong to the research group. Investors cannot buy the right to sell the products, and that is the reason why many technologies only stop at the experimental scale,” Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Tien Dung shared.
In that context, Decree No.271/2025/ND-CP has allowed research institutes, universities, and public science and technology organisations to use assets, research results, and intellectual property rights to contribute capital and establish enterprises. At the same time, scientific officials are allowed to contribute personal capital and directly participate in the management of spin-off enterprises (start-up enterprises). This is a common model in countries with developed science.
Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Tien Dung said that when institutes are allowed to use research results and intellectual property rights to contribute capital and scientists can directly participate in enterprises, the process of “from laboratory to market” will be significantly shortened.
This not only helps turn research projects into practical products, but also creates an environment that encourages creativity, where scientists see practical benefits from their work.
According to Pham Hong Quat, Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the breakthrough of Decree No.271 lies in three key aspects: First, expanding the list of assets allowed to be contributed as capital, including intellectual property rights, scientific research results, technology development and innovation. Second, allowing civil servants to directly participate in contributing capital, managing and operating science and technology enterprises (spin-off) with the consent of the head of the public institution. Third, establishing a flexible pricing mechanism for intellectual property, removing the most persistent bottleneck over the past many years.
“Decree No.271 is not only a technical guide, but also the key to realising the three-party cooperation model including the State, Universities and Enterprises. This is a new chapter for science and innovation in Viet Nam,” Quat affirmed.
Ha Noi is a pioneer in solving the “commercialisation issue”
With more than 80 research institutes, nearly 100 universities and a team of thousands of scientists, Ha Noi has the foundation and resources to become a pioneer in testing new mechanisms, connecting knowledge with the market and turning research into a driving force for economic development.
According to Tran Anh Tuan, Director of the Ha Noi Department of Science and Technology, the capital is ready for the action phase with specific determination. In particular, the capital commits to spending 4% of the regular budget expenditure, equivalent to about 5 trillion VND, on science and technology, and at the same time, building an interdisciplinary working group to guide the pilot model of science and technology enterprises according to Decree No.271.
“In the next few months, we expect to have the first enterprises born from schools and institutes in Ha Noi”.
The highlight of Ha Noi is the vision of “piloting first, spreading later”. From the results of implementing Decree No.271, the city aims to build a closed chain of “ordering, research, commercialisation and experimental sandbox”. From there, a unique innovation ecosystem of the capital is formed.
Associate Professor, Dr. Huynh Dang Chinh, Vice Rector of Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, shared that Decree No.271 was issued at a very suitable time, when the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation had just come into effect.
“More importantly, the decree allows public officials to participate in contributing capital and directly managing spin-off enterprises to commercialise scientific products. This is a great opportunity for technical schools like us”.
From another perspective, the representative of Foreign Trade University emphasised that not only tangible assets, but also brands and intellectual properties are allowed to be valued and contributed capital. For universities with strong brands and reputations, this opens up a more flexible direction for cooperation between universities and businesses.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Council of Ha Noi Capital University, said that Decree No.271 is a unique and outstanding policy, but to put it into practice, it is necessary to clarify the intellectual property valuation process and capital contribution mechanism. In particular, the vocational education sector also needs support to participate in innovation in a substantial way.
Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises Pham Hong Quat emphasized that Decree No.271 is a significant upgrade compared to previous documents, because it allows the implementation of outstanding mechanisms right in Ha Noi in the role of the country’s “institutional laboratory”.
Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises Pham Hong Quat:
We believe that, with the city’s determination, Resolution 57-NQ/TW, the Law on Science and Technology, and Decree No.271 will soon come into effect, creating a breakthrough for the innovation ecosystem and digital transformation of the capital.
In fact, Ha Noi has begun to synchronously implement, including issuing six specialised resolutions of the City People’s Council on science and technology development. At the same time, an interdisciplinary working group has been established to guide the piloting of science and technology enterprises and prepare a sandbox for testing new models.
The goal is to form the first science and technology enterprises by 2025 with direct capital contributions from schools and institutes, the “seeds of innovation” for the creative economy of the capital.
International reality showed that countries with developed science such as the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, etc. have all faced similar problems. That is the result of research being “boxed” in the public sector.
It was only when governments amended intellectual property policies, allowing schools and institutes to exploit and commercialise research products, that the wave of innovation exploded.
The US Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 is a classic example: After granting patent ownership to universities, in just 10 years, thousands of spin-off companies were born, contributing greatly to economic growth.
Viet Nam, with Decree No.271 specifically for Ha Noi, is on the right track of the world, but with an approach suitable to the domestic context “piloting in the capital, perfecting for replication”.
