In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology has become a decisive factor in business development.

In recent years, the Vietnamese business community, particularly science and technology enterprises, has shown clear signs of maturity.

This group directly undertakes activities in science, technology and innovation, possesses the capacity to master technologies, and generates socio-economic value.

Enterprises recognised as science and technology enterprises are entitled to various preferential policies and support in investment, taxation, credit and land use.

They are given priority in leasing infrastructure in industrial parks, hi-tech parks and hi-tech agricultural zones; and are granted access to shared laboratories, incubation facilities, innovation centres, as well as trade promotion and communications support.

In practice, however, although many enterprises fully meet the criteria, the number granted certificates as science and technology enterprises remains modest. One of the main reasons is that enterprises have yet to clearly perceive tangible benefits from government policies for science and technology enterprises.

In fact, when the government issued a decree on science and technology enterprises in 2007, the authority to grant certificates was assigned to provincial Departments of Science and Technology.

Yet in many localities, competent authorities have faced considerable difficulties in implementation due to a shortage of personnel capable of appraising enterprise projects, thereby affecting the review and certification process.

Notably, amid the boom in digital technologies, semiconductors, microchips and digital transformation, which should provide favourable conditions for science and technology enterprises to achieve breakthroughs, the implementation of support policies remains limited.

According to Dr Nguyen Quan, President of the Viet Nam Automation Association and former Minister of Science and Technology, although most science and technology enterprises are built on digital platforms, they still lack clear guidance, making access to incentives, particularly in taxation and land, difficult, with procedures remaining a major barrier.

For small, micro-sized enterprises and start-ups, the greatest challenge is capital. Their primary assets are intellectual property, while traditional collateral is virtually absent, making access to bank credit difficult.

From the business perspective, Tran Thanh Viet, CEO of VGreen, said enterprises continue to face numerous barriers, especially in accessing resources for research and development, completing specialised scientific documentation, and translating support policies into concrete operational mechanisms.

These challenges are compounded by constraints in scientific and technological human resources, limited technology absorption capacity, and increasingly stringent requirements for quality management and technical standards.

As Viet Nam promotes private-sector development and identifies science, technology and innovation as pillars of sustainable growth, removing barriers to the development of science and technology enterprises is regarded as a crucial requirement for strengthening the innovation ecosystem.

Recent policy directions continue to underscore the role of innovation and the commercialisation of research outcomes in long-term development strategies. In this regard, the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW is viewed as providing strategic orientation and promising prospects for science and technology enterprises.

The key issue now is to organise the implementation of breakthrough solutions under these resolutions in a way that is closely aligned with enterprises’ substantive interests, while freeing them from administrative red tape.

At the same time, the science and technology enterprise community needs to proactively bring research outcomes and new technologies into production and business, and actively engage with state management agencies to promptly benefit from preferential policies.

According to Dr Nguyen Quan, state management agencies, particularly the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance, need to promptly issue guiding documents that are open, transparent and minimise administrative procedures.

This would facilitate the granting of certificates to science and technology enterprises and enable more effective access to government incentives, especially financial resources for enterprises’ own research, application and technology development activities.

Dr Pham The Dung of the Viet Nam Automation Association noted that current support solutions need to focus on enhancing enterprises’ capacities in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

Greater financial support is needed for research and development; technology transfer, mastery and development should be promoted; and intellectual property assets should be increased.

At the same time, guidance should be provided to help entities participate effectively in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation programmes suited to each type of enterprise.

Enterprises must proactively innovate and strengthen internal capabilities, while the government continues to refine support mechanisms and policies and promote linkages within the science, technology, innovation and digital transformation ecosystem, especially the “state-scientists-enterprises” linkage model.

In recent years, the Viet Nam Automation Association has carried out numerous activities to support the science and technology enterprise community, focusing on consultancy and accompanying enterprises throughout their operations and development.

The association has also strengthened connections between automation enterprises and the innovation ecosystem, acting as a focal point in building and developing the automation enterprise ecosystem, thereby contributing to enhanced competitiveness and sustainable development.