Decision No. 1874/QD-BNN-KHCN on the organization and implementation of the sub-component "Customer-oriented agricultural research program" under the agricultural science and technology project funded by ADB.

Pursuant to …;

Issuing regulations on the organization and implementation of the sub-component "Customer-oriented agricultural research program" under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-financed agricultural science and technology project

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THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Pursuant to Decree No. 01/2008/NĐ-CP dated January 3, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant to Decision No. 471/QĐ-BNN-KHCN dated February 15, 2007 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development approving the ADB-financed Agricultural Science and Technology Project;

Pursuant to Decision No. 455/QĐ-BNN-DANN dated February 1, 2008 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development delegating authority for implementing the ADB-financed Agricultural Science and Technology Project;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment,

Pursuant to …;:

Article 1. Attached hereto are the regulations on the organization and implementation of the Sub-component "Customer-oriented agricultural research program" under the ADB-financed Agricultural Science and Technology Project.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from the date of signature.

Article 3. The Director of the Ministry's Office, the Head of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, the Director of the Central Project Management Board of the Agricultural Science and Technology Project, and the heads of relevant units shall be responsible for enforcing this Decision.

REGULATIONS

Organization and implementation of the sub-component "customer-oriented agricultural research program" under the ADB-financed agricultural science and technology project

(Issued together with Decision No.: 1874/QĐ-BNN-KHCN dated June 20, 2008 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development)

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These regulations provide guidance on the organization and implementation of the Sub-component "Customer-oriented agricultural research program" of the ADB-financed Agricultural Science and Technology Project, hereinafter referred to as the Program.

Article 1. Management and administration of the Program

1. The Department of Science, Technology and Environment (KHCNMT) is the leading agency of the Program, responsible before the Minister for all aspects of the Program's implementation, including topic selection, inspection, evaluation, acceptance, and other tasks related to the Program assigned by the Minister.

2. The Central Project Management Board of the Agricultural Science and Technology Project (Ban QLDATW) is responsible for providing funds for the Program's implementation; monitoring, managing, and settling accounts for the Program's implementation to ensure that it operates according to the agreed principles between ADB and the Government of Vietnam as stipulated in signed documents, and organizing the implementation of ADB's requirements for the Program.

3. The Advisory Board of the Program consists of eleven members, whose composition is specified in the ADB-financed Agricultural Science and Technology Project document established by the Minister, and has the following responsibilities:

- Evaluating preliminary topic registration forms provided by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment based on the prescribed criteria and recommending topics for initial screening (Round 1).

- Evaluating detailed topic descriptions of Round 1 pre-screened topics, taking into account independent reviewers' comments (not members of the Board) provided by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment for each topic, and selecting topics based on the prescribed criteria and recommending topics for final selection (Round 2).

- Participating in evaluating the implementation process of topics at the request of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment.

- The Advisory Board works through general discussion meetings but individual member comments are independent, and voting is done by secret ballot. A meeting of the Board is valid only if at least two-thirds of its members are present.

- The Advisory Board's opinions serve as a basis for the Department of Science, Technology and Environment to submit winning topics from Rounds 1 and 2 for approval by the Ministry, but they do not have the final decision-making power.

Article 2. Objectives of the Program

The objectives of the Program are to select and fund research topics in agricultural science aimed at customers, with the goal of enhancing the efficiency of agricultural product production and business, particularly for customers in mountainous areas, remote regions, and far-flung areas.

The customer subjects include farming households, cooperatives, and other economic entities operating in agricultural product production and rural development sectors.

Article 3. Content of the Program

The priority content of the Program includes:

1. Research to create or apply scientific and technological advancements serving customers' development of production towards increasing income and protecting the environment, prioritizing studies related to agricultural product production, preservation, processing, and consumption in mountainous areas, remote regions, and far-flung areas.

2. Research to create or apply scientific and technological advancements serving to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products, supporting customers' commodity production.

3. Research to develop organizational models for production, linking individual farmers or collective economic organizations to practice good agricultural practices and connect with markets.

4. Research to develop information systems for customers.

Article 4. Principles of Implementation of the Program

1. Research topics of the Program must produce specific products that customers can directly use.

2. Research topics must receive support and commitment to use the results from at least one agricultural extension agency or provincial state management agency on agriculture and rural development.

3. Research topics serving mountainous areas, remote regions, and far-flung areas (North Midlands - Northern Mountains, North Central Coast, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, and Southwest) must account for at least 40% of the total budget of the Program.

4. Topics must not overlap with those already being implemented elsewhere.

5. The maximum budget for one research topic proposed by scientific and technological organizations shall not exceed 100,000 USD. The implementation period of the topic ranges from 1 to 3 years but must be completed before December 30, 2011.

Article 5. Subjects Eligible to Register Topics

1. The leading agency of the topic is a state or non-state agency engaged in research and technology transfer in the field of agriculture and rural development.

2. The topic leader is an employee of the above agencies who has been agreed upon by the head of the agency to lead the topic. The topic leader may only lead one topic under this Program.

3. The Program does not accept individual registrations for topics.

4. The Program does not accept topic registrations from foreign organizations.

Article 6. Selection of Topics

1. The Department of Science, Technology, and Environment disseminates these Regulations on the Websites of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and through mass media, and announces the acceptance of preliminary topic registration applications.

2. The Advisory Board reviews preliminary topics and recommends selected preliminary topics (Round 1).

3. The Department of Science, Technology, and Environment submits the list of selected preliminary topics to the Ministry for approval and notifies the topic leaders and proposing agencies of the selected preliminary topics to submit detailed topic descriptions.

4. The Department of Science, Technology, and Environment selects two independent reviewers for each topic and sends the detailed topic descriptions to the reviewers.

5. After receiving the review comments, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment forwards them to the Advisory Board and organizes an Advisory Board meeting to evaluate each detailed topic description. In cases where there are inconsistent evaluation opinions, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment will report to the Ministry leadership for consideration.

6. As the Secretary of the Advisory Board, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment will compile the opinions of the independent reviewers and Advisory Board members, notify the topic leaders and proposing agencies to supplement and perfect the topic descriptions. The Department of Science, Technology, and Environment will lead and coordinate with the Department of Finance and the National Target Program Management Board to conduct the final review of the topic descriptions and budget estimates.

7. Based on the Advisory Board's review results and the final review results regarding content and budget estimates, the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment will submit to the Ministry for a decision approving the selection results and notify the National Target Program Management Board and the leading agencies and topic leaders to proceed with signing the implementation contracts.

Article 7. Approval of the Project Description and Signing of the Contract to Implement the Project

1. The Department of Science, Technology and Environment approves the Project Description pursuant to the authorization of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Based on the approved Project Description, the National Committee for Land Management will proceed to sign the contract to implement the project with the agencies and individuals primarily responsible for the project.

Article 8. Organization and Reporting on the Implementation of the Project

1. The agencies and individuals primarily responsible for the project shall be responsible for organizing the implementation of the project in accordance with the approved Project Description and the signed contract.

2. The primary responsible party submits periodic reports on the project's implementation every six months and interim reports, following the prescribed report format.

3. The primary responsible party submits the final report on the project no later than fifteen days from the date of the project's completion as recorded in the contract, following the prescribed report format.

Article 9. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Inspection of the Project's Implementation

1. The Department of Science, Technology and Environment, together with the National Committee for Land Management, organizes regular monitoring and inspection of the projects. Additionally, the National Committee for Land Management conducts independent inspections.

2. Mid-term evaluation of each project is conducted when the project has been implemented halfway through its duration by two independent experts selected by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment. If the two independent experts have differing opinions, the Department of Science, Technology and Environment will invite a third independent expert to evaluate. The final evaluation result follows the majority opinion of the independent experts.

3. Final acceptance evaluation of the project upon its conclusion is carried out by an Acceptance Board established by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment upon approval by the Ministry’s leadership. Members of the Acceptance Board include representatives of management agencies, users of results, reputable subject matter experts, including two experts who participated in mid-term evaluations and two members of the advisory board.

Article 10. Submission of Project Products

Based on the signed contract, the primary responsible party submits the project products to the Department of Science, Technology and Environment no later than fifteen days from the date of the project's completion.

Article 11. Project Acceptance and Settlement

1. Based on the results of the Acceptance Board's evaluation, the Department of Science, Technology and Environment requests the Ministry’s leadership to approve the project acceptance results.

2. Based on the approved project acceptance results, the National Committee for Land Management proceeds with the settlement of the project and the termination of the contract according to current regulations applicable to scientific research projects funded by the state budget and consistent with the provisions of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Article 12. Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property rights to the research results under this Program belong to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 13. Timeframe for Implementing the Program

1. Announcement of Call for Project Proposals:

- June 2008: The Department of Science, Technology and Environment widely announces on the Websites of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and mass media the provisions of this Regulation and invites preliminary project proposals.

- The deadline for submitting preliminary project proposals is from the issuance of this Regulation announcement until December 30, 2008.

2. First Round Selection:

- August 25 - September 1, 2008: First round selection of proposals submitted before August 20, 2008.

- September 11-15, 2008: Announce the first round selection results and request detailed project descriptions.

- October 11-15, 2008: Receive detailed project descriptions (one original and ten copies) and send them to independent reviewing experts.

- November 6-10, 2008: Second round selection.

- November 21-25, 2008: Review the content and budget of projects selected in the second round.

- December 5-15, 2008: Officially decide on selected projects, announce, and proceed with signing implementation contracts.

3. Second Round Selection:

- January 5-10, 2009: First round selection of proposals submitted up to the deadline of December 30, 2008.

- January 21-25, 2009: Announce the first round selection results and request detailed project descriptions.

- February 21-25, 2009: Receive detailed project descriptions (one original and ten copies) and send them to independent reviewing experts.

- March 21-25, 2009: Second round selection.

- April 1-5, 2009: Review the content and budget of projects selected in the second round.

- April 15-25, 2009: Officially decide on selected projects, announce, and proceed with signing implementation contracts.

Article 14. The attached Appendices

The Appendices attached to this Regulation include:

a) Appendix 1: Sample preliminary research topic registration form

b) Appendix 2: Detailed research topic description sample

Article 15. Implementation Organization

The Director of the Science, Technology and Environment Department, the Director of the Central Project Management Board for Agricultural Science and Technology Projects, and the heads of relevant units are responsible for implementing this Regulation./.