Since the beginning of 2010, science, technology and innovation have been playing an increasingly important role in the socio-economic development of Vietnam.

A collage with various landmarks from Vietnam

Today, the state is still the biggest funder of research, with the lion’s share of the budget allocated to government R&D institutes. The national gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) in 2016 was about 0.21 per cent of the country’s GDP, but nearly 81 per cent of that was accounted for by the public sector.

As a result, the Government of Vietnam has recently been focusing on a few key strategic tasks to reshape its innovation ecosystem, including:

  • Reforming the management and operational mechanisms of organisations involved in the science and technology (S&T) sector;
  • Increasing state expenditure levels and prioritising expenditure on national S&T initiatives and products, including promoting firms investing in S&T development;
  • Linking the development of a strong S&T national market with the enforcement of a law on intellectual property, to boost technology R&D and encourage innovation;
  • Enhancing the international integration of Vietnamese science and technology products and services.

Authors

Florence Engasser

Florence Engasser

Florence Engasser

Senior Foresight Analyst

Florence was a senior foresight analyst within Nesta’s Discovery Hub, which aims to create a link between Nesta’s current portfolio and our pipeline of future work.

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Benjamin Reid

Benjamin Reid

Benjamin Reid

Head of International Innovation - Development Programmes

Benjamin was head of the International Innovation team within Nesta's Policy and Research division.

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Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Assistant Programme Manager, A Fairer Start mission

Silvia is an Assistant Programme Manager.

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Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Design Lead, International Innovation

Paulina was the Design Lead for the Global Innovation Policy Accelerator, a 14-country collaborative development programme for senior innovation policymakers.

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Anna Schlimm

Anna Schlimm

Anna Schlimm

Learning Experience Designer, Global Innovation Policy Accelerator

Anna was a Learning Experience Designer for the Global Innovation Policy Accelerator.

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Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Senior Strategy Analyst

Nathan worked on the design and delivery of Nesta's strategy

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