Hanoi (VNA) - ওHanoi is crafting a resolution detailing special policies for science –technology development and innovation, with a specific chapter penned to attract world-class experts, scientists, and innovators for the capital city’s development.

This document not only concretises the 2024 Capital Law, but also provides a significant push in addressing the challenges of utilising high-quality human resources. Although the city is home to the country’s largest pool of leading intellectuals, many with internationally comparable qualifications, it lacks elite experts, especially those with leadership capability, technology transfer, and international networking, while having great demands for high-quality workforce in the domains of science, technology, and innovation. The capital has struggled to attract top-tier specialists or individuals with breakthrough initiatives to work in public agencies and institutions. Existing policies have not yielded tangible results, primarily due to inflexible mechanisms, cumbersome administrative procedures, a lack of professionalism at working places, as well as the absence of a long-term strategy for effectively utilising intellectual resources. Against the backdrop, the city is crafting a clear mechanism, targeting two key groups, Vietnamese citizens with exceptional capabilities, both domestic and overseas, and high-level foreign experts whose work has been effectively applied. It offers flexible framework for attracting talent, including employment contract, research collaboration, technology transfer, consultation, and engagement in scientific advisory boards, among others. A breakthrough element in the policy is that it allows leaders to directly select experts based on their organisations’ needs, helping streamline administrative processes and increase autonomy. Besides, a remuneration package is designed in accordance with international competitive standards, with incomes negotiated based on job requirements and reference to international organisations or foreign companies. Additionally, experts will receive support for airfare, accommodation expenses up to 50 million VND (over 1,900 USD) per month, work equipment, secretarial services, translation services, access to modern laboratories, and participation in key innovation programmes. Experts said beyond offering competitive compensation, an effective policy must create a working environment that allows individuals to fully realise their potential. Dr. Duong Thi Thanh Mai, former Director of the Institute for Legal Strategy and Science under the Ministry of Justice, acknowledged the draft resolution's breakthrough points while stressing the need for clarity in several areas to improve its feasibility such as priority sectors for attracting experts as well as their roles. She believed that specialists should be assigned specific tasks tied to substantial autonomy rights, stating their rights and obligations must be expressed through clear commissioned contracts. They need to lead laboratories, interdisciplinary R&D programmes, use committed budgets, and select collaborators. Financially, the policy needs sufficient flexibility and fairness, particularly allowing profit-sharing from research product commercialisation. Besides, experts could work in a state-owned organisation while being permitted to invest, set up spin-off businesses, and engage in startup projects, provided there are no conflicts of interests, she suggested. In the same vein, Prof.Dr. Bui Thi Minh Hong, a Vietnamese scientist whom VinUni recruited from the University of Birmingham in the UK, said that as scientists want to test themselves with new ideas and creativity, it is necessary to develop a research ecosystem with clear goals, sufficient scale, and social significance. Compensation is important but it is not a decisive factor, she said, adding talent will come if they see opportunities to make substantive contributions and work in an environment that respects scientific values./.