Circular No. 09/2015/TT-BKHCN stipulates the management of activities to enhance national scientific and technological capacity supported by the National Science and Technology Development Fund.

CIRCULAR

Regulations on managing activities to enhance national scientific and technological capacity and development

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Pursuant to Decree No. 20/2013/NĐ-CP dated February 26, 2013 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Science and Technology;

Pursuant to Decree No. 23/2014/NĐ-CP dated April 3, 2014 of the Government on the Charter on organization and operation of the National Science and Technology Development Fund;

Pursuant to Decree No. 40/2014/NĐ-CP dated May 12, 2014 of the Government on the use and promotion of individuals engaged in scientific and technological activities;

At the proposal of the Director of the National Science and Technology Development Fund and the Head of the Legal Affairs Department;

The Minister of Science and Technology issues this Circular regulating management of activities to enhance national scientific and technological capacity supported by the National Science and Technology Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Fund).

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates the organization and implementation of activities to enhance national scientific and technological capacity supported by the National Science and Technology Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as the Fund), including:

1. Participating in and reporting research results at international scientific conferences and seminars.

2. Post-doctoral research.

3. Internship and short-term research abroad.

5. Publishing scientific and technological works domestically and internationally.

6. Improving the quality and standards of domestic scientific and technological journals.

7. Registering intellectual property protection for inventions and plant varieties both domestically and abroad.

8. Supporting talented young scientists to use national key laboratories and other laboratories.

Article 2. Applicability

1. Scientific and technological organizations of Vietnam, foreign scientific and technological organizations operating in Vietnam.

2. Individuals engaged in scientific and technological activities in Vietnam, individuals engaged in scientific and technological activities abroad registering post-doctoral research programs in Vietnam.

3. State agencies, other organizations and individuals related to the matter.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

2. Specialized international scientific seminar is an international scientific seminar focusing on a specific field of science.

5. Specialized scientific journal is a regularly published scientific journal that publishes in-depth research results in a specific field of science.

Article 4. Support Objectives

Enhance the capacity and quality of scientific research in Vietnam through creating a favorable environment for scientists to exchange knowledge, publish research results, and integrate internationally in scientific research.

Article 5. Principles of Support

1. Ensuring objectivity, democracy, and equality in reviewing support applications; publicly announcing the program and procedures for support on the electronic portal of the Fund.

2. Supporting high-quality activities according to international standards in scientific research.

3. Funding part of the expenses to support the activities mentioned in Article 1 of this Circular and not duplicating funding for contents already supported by other organizations or agencies.

4. The annual support budget for the activities mentioned in Article 1 of this Circular shall not exceed the total approved budget according to the Fund's plan.

Chapter II

CONTENTS OF SUPPORT AND APPLICATION FOR SUPPORT

Article 6. Participation and Reporting Research Results at International Scientific Conferences and Seminars

The Fund will consider and provide support for young scientists to participate in international scientific conferences and seminars, and for scientists who attend and report outstanding scientific research works at specialized international scientific seminars.

1. Conditions for Consideration of Support:

a) For young scientists applying for support to participate in international scientific conferences and seminars: Not exceeding 35 years old at the time of the conference opening, having an accepted presentation (in oral form) at the international scientific conference organized by reputable organizations in the field. The conference must have scientists with research results published in reputable international journals in the field attending and presenting reports, and having an online news page for reporting and introducing.

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Quality of the conference/seminar: evaluated based on the organization of the conference/seminar (organizing unit, organizing committee, program committee, participating scientists), reputation of the conference/seminar (quality of previous conference/seminar organizations, impact factor if available).

b) Research achievements of the applicant.

c) Reasonable budget estimate.

a) The Fund supports individual scientists attending international scientific conferences and seminars with one (01) round-trip economy class air ticket from Vietnam to the conference/seminar location, travel expenses at both ends of the airport, food and accommodation costs during the conference/seminar period (excluding departure and return days), and conference/seminar registration fees as stipulated by the organizing committee (if applicable).

b) The time interval between two consecutive support periods provided by the Fund for a scientist attending international scientific conferences and seminars shall not be less than twenty-four (24) months (calculated from the opening dates of the conferences/seminars). For talented young scientists not belonging to public science and technology organizations, the time interval between two consecutive support periods provided by the Fund shall not be less than twelve (12) months.

4. Application Documents Include:

a) A support application form confirmed by the working or studying organization, according to Model NCNLQG 01 specified in the Appendix of this Circular.

b) An invitation letter to present a scientific report at the conference/seminar.

c) The scientific report to be presented at the conference/seminar.

d) A scientific curriculum vitae of the applicant for support, according to Model NCNLQG 02 specified in the Appendix of this Circular.

e) A budget proposal requesting Fund support, clearly stating the expenses committed to be funded by the conference/seminar organizing committee or other organizations (if applicable), according to Model NCNLQG 03 specified in the Appendix of this Circular.

5. Application for Support:

a) Submission Location: National Science and Technology Development Fund Office.

b) Deadline for Submission: At least two (02) months before the opening date of the conference/seminar.

1. Conditions for consideration of support: The Fund considers and supports Vietnamese and foreign scientists who fully meet the following conditions to conduct post-doctoral research studies in Vietnam:

a) Hold a Doctorate degree and be the main author of at least one (01) article published in an internationally reputable journal within five (05) years from the date of submitting the application. The Fund prioritizes considering talented young scientists not belonging to public scientific and technological organizations.

b) Be sponsored by a Vietnamese scientist to carry out post-doctoral research. The sponsor must meet the following criteria: i) Be the main author of at least one (01) scientific article published in an internationally reputable ISI journal within five (05) years from the date of submitting the application; ii) Not be the supervisor of the scientist applying for support during their doctoral training.

c) Have a Vietnamese scientific and technological organization accept to be the main host unit for the post-doctoral research study. The host unit must have the necessary material conditions to implement the research, agree to accept the person to conduct the post-doctoral research study, and agree to provide support, create favorable conditions, and allow the use of the unit's equipment for research implementation. The Fund prioritizes considering cases where the host unit for the post-doctoral research study is different from the doctoral training institution of the scientist applying for support.

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Quality of the research outline description;

b) Research achievements of the applicant.

c) Research achievements of the sponsor; Professional suitability and material conditions of the host unit for the research.

3. Contents of Support:

a) The Fund provides a one-time travel expense directly to the host unit for the post-doctoral research study and back for the person conducting the post-doctoral research study who does not reside in the province or city with the host unit for the post-doctoral research study.

b) Provide living expenses for the person conducting the post-doctoral research study for a period not exceeding twelve (12) months. In case the scientist completes the post-doctoral research program on schedule and continues to submit an application to conduct further post-doctoral research study, the Fund will prioritize considering support. The total time the Fund supports a scientist to conduct post-doctoral research study shall not exceed twenty-four (24) months.

4. Requirements for the results of post-doctoral research study:

a) Be the main author of at least one (01) article published in an internationally reputable journal relevant to the registered research direction;

b) Research results must acknowledge the support of the Fund.

5. Application documents include:

a) An application for support from the person registering to conduct the post-doctoral research study according to Model NCNLQG 04 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Scientific curriculum vitae of the person registering to conduct the post-doctoral research study according to Model NCNLQG 02 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

c) A copy of the Doctorate degree certificate;

d) Documents proving that the applicant is a talented young scientist not belonging to a public scientific and technological organization (if applicable);

đ) Description of the post-doctoral research outline (clarifying objectives, contents, methods, research plan, and expected results) confirmed by the sponsor and the host unit for the research;

e) An application for support from the sponsor of the post-doctoral research study according to Model NCNLQG 05 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

g) Scientific curriculum vitae of the sponsor of the post-doctoral research study according to Model NCNLQG 02 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular.

6. Application for Support Request:

a) Submission Location: National Science and Technology Development Fund Office.

b) Deadline for submission of application: at least three (03) months before the planned start date of the post-doctoral research study.

Article 8. Internship and Short-term Research Abroad

a) Being invited by a foreign scientific and technological organization or a foreign scientist whose research has been published in reputable international journals within five (05) years from the date of submitting the application for internship and research;

b) Falling into one of the following cases: - Engaging in national-level scientific and technological tasks or equivalent, where the internship and research aim to resolve research issues that cannot be addressed domestically; - Participating in cooperation programs between the Fund and foreign organizations aimed at enhancing the capacity and research collaboration capabilities between Vietnamese and international scientists; - Being a talented young scientist not affiliated with a public scientific and technological organization, registering to conduct short-term research abroad in priority development fields of Vietnam at the time of registration.

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Quality of the research outline description;

b) Research achievements of the applicant.

d) A reasonable budget estimate.

4. Application Documents Include:

a) An application for support with confirmation from the working agency or organization according to Model NCNLQG 06 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Two letters of recommendation from scientists according to Model NCNLQG 07 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular. The scientists writing the letters of recommendation must have the same field of expertise as the applicant, hold a Doctorate degree, and have relevant research results published in reputable international journals within five (05) years from the date of application submission;

đ) A scientific curriculum vitae of the applicant for support according to Model NCNLQG 02 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

e) Documents proving compliance with the conditions specified in Point h Clause 1 of this Article;

g) A budget proposal requested for support, detailing the expenses committed to be funded by the foreign side (if any) according to Model NCNLQG 08 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular.

5. Application for Support:

b) Application Submission Deadline: At least three (03) months before the planned start date of research abroad.

1. Conditions for Consideration of Support: The Fund will consider and support organizations that meet all of the following conditions when organizing international scientific conferences in Vietnam:

a) The international scientific conference is organized by reputable organizations in the field with a website introducing the conference;

b) There are domestic and foreign scientists with research results published in reputable international journals in the field who have registered to attend and present scientific reports at the conference;

c) The conference is sponsored by scientific and technological agencies and reputable professional organizations in the field;

d) It is consistent with the field of activity of the organizing unit.

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Quality of the conference: evaluated based on the organization of the conference (organizing unit, organizing committee, program committee, participating scientists), the reputation of the conference (quality of previous conference sessions);

b) The significance of the conference for research in Vietnam;

c) Research achievements of foreign scientists requesting the Fund to support participation costs at the conference;

d) Reasonable budget estimate.

3. Content of Support: The Fund supports the following contents: costs for reviewing reports, printing the conference proceedings (not exceeding three hundred copies), and accommodation and travel expenses for up to ten invited foreign experts and scientists attending and presenting reports at the conference.

4. Application Documents Include:

a) A request for support form from the main agency or organization according to Model NCNLQG 09 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Decision allowing the organization of the conference by the competent authority;

c) Budget estimate for organizing the conference, including detailed estimates of costs requested for Fund support according to Model NCNLQG 10 stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular;

d) List of scientists registering to participate in the conference;

đ) Scientific curriculum vitae and scientific reports (in English) of foreign scientists requesting the Fund to support participation costs at the conference.

5. Application for Support:

a) Submission Location: National Science and Technology Development Fund Office.

b) Deadline for submission of application: not later than three (03) months before the opening date of the conference.

Article 10. Publishing Scientific and Technological Works Domestically and Internationally

1. Conditions for Consideration of Support: Scientific works considered and supported for publication must meet all of the following conditions:

a) They are the result of research conducted in Vietnam;

c) The author of the work clearly identifies any content in the publication related to ethical, security, political, sovereignty, and state secrets issues (if applicable) and commits to publishing without violating or negatively impacting these issues.

a) In cases where research results of projects, tasks, or programs funded by the State budget and implemented in Vietnam are published, the Fund supports the publication fees for the research results;

b) In cases where research results are published by individual scientists without using the State budget, the Fund supports part of the labor costs for completing the research results, writing articles for submission to journals, and publication fees for the research results. The Fund prioritizes supporting talented young scientists not affiliated with public scientific and technological organizations.

4. Application Documents for Supplementary Support:

a) Proof of the applicant being a talented young scientist not affiliated with a public scientific and technological organization (if applicable);

d) Copy of the published scientific work;

đ) Legal receipts for payment of publication costs for the scientific work.

5. Application for Support:

b) Deadline for submission of application: maximum six (06) months from the publication date recorded on the work.

Article 11. Improving the quality and standards of domestic scientific and technological journals

1. Conditions for consideration of support: Domestic scientific and technological journals to be considered and supported for improving quality and standards must meet the following conditions:

a) They are specialized scientific journals of Vietnam published in English;

b) The journal has a process for receiving, reviewing manuscripts, and publishing articles according to international standards for publishing scientific works.

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Current quality of the journal;

b) Plan to improve the quality and standards of the journal (clear objectives and contents; appropriate approaches and plans);

c) Reasonable budget estimate.

3. Content of support: The Fund considers supporting the following items:

a) Funding for evaluating the quality of the journal (no more than once every two (02) years);

b) Publication fees for a period not exceeding two (02) years to enable reputable publishers worldwide to publish the journal;

c) Funding for hiring English editors for a period not exceeding two (02) years.

4. Application documents:

a) Request form for support according to Model NCNLQG 12 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Description of the organization of the journal, the publication process of scientific works of the journal, and the plan to improve the quality and standards of the journal;

c) Scientific curriculum vitae of members of the Editorial Board of the Journal according to Model NCNLQG 02 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

d) Evaluation results of the journal's quality from an independent evaluation organization;

đ) Budget estimate for requested support according to Model NCNLQG 13 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

5. Application for Support:

b) Deadline for submitting application documents: based on the needs of the organization applying for support.

Article 12. Registration of intellectual property rights domestically and internationally for inventions and plant varieties

1. Conditions for consideration of support: The Fund considers and supports cases that fully meet the following conditions:

a) Inventions and plant varieties are research results conducted in Vietnam;

b) Intellectual property protection certificates for inventions and plant varieties have been issued by competent authorities;

c) Intellectual property rights for inventions and plant varieties are entirely owned by Vietnamese organizations or individuals.

2. Criteria for consideration of support: Significance and applicability of inventions and plant varieties.

3. Content of support: The Fund supports the initial registration fee for intellectual property rights for inventions and plant varieties.

4. Application Documents Include:

a) Request form for support according to Model NCNLQG 14 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Copy of the scientific work registered for intellectual property protection;

c) Detailed explanation of the significance and applicability of the invention and plant variety;

d) Copy of the intellectual property protection certificate for the invention and plant variety issued by the competent authority;

đ) Scientific curriculum vitae of authors according to Model NCNLQG 02 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

e) Legal receipts for payment of the initial registration fee for intellectual property rights for the invention and plant variety.

5. Application for Support:

b) Deadline for submitting application documents: within one (01) year from the date the competent authority issues the intellectual property protection certificate.

1. Conditions for consideration of support: The Fund considers and supports talented young scientists who meet the following conditions to use national key laboratories and other laboratories:

b) Need to use national key laboratories and other laboratories to carry out meaningful and practical scientific and technological activities;

2. Criteria for Consideration of Support:

a) Quality of the research outline description;

b) Research achievements of the applicant.

c) Professional suitability and material conditions of the laboratory proposed for use.

d) Reasonable budget estimate.

3. Content of support: The Fund supports costs for using equipment and services at the laboratory for a maximum period of two (02) years, including:

a) Operating costs of machinery and equipment (including labor costs) at the laboratory approved by the management unit of the laboratory;

b) Purchase costs of materials, raw materials, fuel used during the experimental process; costs for hiring services provided by the laboratory.

4. Application documents for support:

a) Request form for support according to Model NCNLQG 15 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

b) Scientific curriculum vitae of the applicant according to Model NCNLQG 02 specified in the Appendix of this Circular;

d) Detailed explanation of the significance and necessity of using the laboratory, objectives, contents, methods, and research plans, expected outcomes;

đ) Budget estimate for requested support according to Model NCNLQG 16 specified in the Appendix of this Circular.

5. Application for Support:

b) Deadline for submitting application documents: no later than three (03) months before the planned use of national key laboratories and other laboratories.

Annually, the Fund will consider commendation for organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in conducting basic research, applied research, and activities to enhance scientific and technological capacity funded and supported by the Fund.

1. Conditions for consideration of commendation:

b) For organizations: Successfully implementing projects and tasks funded and supported by the Fund in accordance with regulations, having individuals within the organization commended by the Fund and agreeing to participate in the Fund's commendation activities.

2. Criteria for consideration of commendation:

a) For individuals: The significance and scientific and practical value of published research results, individual contributions in the publication as introduced by the Science Council.

b) For organizations: The number of projects and tasks funded and supported by the Fund that have been successfully implemented and the research achievements of scientists within the organization participating in projects and tasks funded and supported by the Fund.

3. Documents serving the work of considering commendation by the Fund include the results of implementing projects and tasks funded and supported by the Fund, the Science Council's recommendation for commendation, and confirmation from related organizations and individuals agreeing to participate in the Fund's commendation activities. The Fund does not require organizations and individuals to prepare registration documents for commendation requests.

4. The Fund Management Board presents Certificates of Merit and monetary rewards according to current regulations to organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in conducting basic research, applied research, and activities to enhance scientific and technological capacity funded and supported by the Fund. Commendation records of organizations and individuals awarded by the Fund are kept at the Fund and will be considered for priority in reviewing and evaluating funding applications for future support.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 15. Examination of Support Request Applications

a) Post-doctoral research;

b) Short-term overseas research internships;

c) Improving the quality and standards of domestic science and technology journals;

d) Registering intellectual property rights protection for inventions and plant varieties domestically and internationally;

đ) Supporting talented young scientists not belonging to public scientific and technological organizations to use national key laboratories and other laboratories.

4. The maximum processing time and notification period for examining support request applications by the Fund is thirty (30) working days from the date the Fund receives the registration application.

Article 16. Responsibilities of organizations and individuals receiving support from the Fund

1. Responsibilities of organizations and individuals receiving support from the Fund:

a) Implement the supported contents according to the plan and schedule approved by the Fund;

b) Use the supported funds for their intended purposes, in accordance with regulations, effectively; provide all valid receipts and conduct settlement in compliance with current regulations;

c) Adhere strictly to the laws of the host country during the time spent abroad to carry out activities supported by the Fund;

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 17. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from August 1, 2015. The Provision on Supporting Scientific Research Activities issued together with Decision No. 03/QĐ-HĐQLQ dated June 15, 2009 of the Management Board of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect.

2. Research support activities approved by the Fund before the effectiveness date of this Circular and research support activity proposals submitted to the Fund but not yet reviewed and approved by the Fund when this Circular takes effect shall continue to be implemented in accordance with the Provision on Supporting Scientific Research Activities issued together with Decision No. 03/QĐ-HĐQLQ dated June 15, 2009 of the Management Board of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development.

3. Amendments and supplements to this Circular shall be proposed by the Director of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development to the Minister of Science and Technology for approval./.