Decision No. 235/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister approving the overall Project "Application and Development of Open Source Software in Vietnam for the period 2004-2008"

DECISION OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Approving the Overall Project "Application and Development of Open Source Software in Vietnam for the Period 2004-2008" Approving the Overall Project "Application and Development of Open Source Software in Vietnam for the Period 2004-2008" with the following contents:

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PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 07/2000/NQ-CP dated June 05, 2000 of the Government on building and developing the software industry for the period 2000-2005;

Pursuant to Decision No. 81/2001/QĐ-TTg dated May 24, 2001 of the Prime Minister approving the Action Program to implement Directive No. 58-CT/TW dated October 17, 2000 of the Politburo on accelerating the application and development of information technology in the industrialization and modernization process for the period 2001-2005;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Science and Technology,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approving the Overall Project "Application and Development of Open Source Software in Vietnam for the Period 2004-2008" with the following contents:

I. Objectives.

1. Accelerating the application and development of open source software (OSS), contributing to protecting copyright and reducing costs for purchasing software, thereby promoting the development of the information technology industry in general and the software industry in particular in Vietnam.

2. Forming a team of technical staff capable of mastering technology and fostering creativity in the application and development of OSS.

3. Creating some specific information technology (IT) products suitable for domestic conditions and requirements based on OSS.

II. Main Contents of the Project.

1. Main Tasks:

a) Establish policies to promote the application and development of OSS.

- Developing and promulgating mechanisms and policies to encourage the application and development of OSS to attract educational institutions, training centers, and scientific research organizations to participate in training and researching OSS; encouraging and creating favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese experts, foreign experts, and international companies and organizations to invest in business, develop, transfer technology, and train about OSS in Vietnam.

- Issuing policies for the use of certain OSS in the public sector.

b) Implementing the application of OSS.

- Organizing pilot applications of OSS, initially in some Ministries, agencies, and localities, then expanding nationwide.

- Applying OSS to some specialized applications and national defense security applications. Establishing and putting into operation high-performance computing systems and network computing systems based on OSS to solve application problems requiring strong computational power for Ministries, sectors, and localities throughout the country.

c) Training human resources for the application and development of OSS.

- Organizing training for a teaching staff on OSS in universities, colleges, vocational schools, and vocational training centers; teachers for civil servant training work.

- Forming a cadre team capable of implementing the application and development of OSS at Ministries, sectors, and localities.

- Supporting the training of technical staff to serve the implementation, guiding the OSS specialist network at Ministries, sectors, and localities, with a training program and maintaining this team.

- Developing and implementing a training program on using OSS for civil servants, university students, college students, vocational school students, vocational training students, and secondary school students. Developing software tools, utilities, and applications to support teaching and learning activities.

- Attracting domestic and foreign organizations and individuals, including overseas Vietnamese, to participate in OSS training activities in Vietnam.

- Sending outstanding teachers, lecturers, and students abroad for short-term and long-term training on OSS.

d) Developing core software, establishing standards, certification systems, and training senior specialists.

- Organizing research, proposing, and developing some core software of Vietnam, selecting and localizing some software to meet basic application needs in Vietnam.

- Establishing a system for evaluating and testing the quality of OSS products and issuing recommendations for their use to the community.

- Researching and promulgating technical standards and skill standards for OSS, establishing a skills examination system and issuing certificates for OSS.

- Encouraging the formation of businesses engaged in OSS business and development, companies, and scientific institutions providing services to support OSS application. Building a center for OSS development and laboratory.

đ) International cooperation on OSS.

- Participating in regional and international OSS organizations to enhance cooperation and exchange of experience among members of these organizations.

- Organizing joint research and development and business activities on OSS with foreign partners.

2. Sub-projects:

a) Establishing mechanisms and policies for the application and development of OSS led by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

b) Application and training of OSS in universities, colleges, and vocational schools led by the Ministry of Education and Training.

c) Application and training of OSS in vocational training centers led by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

d) Training the use of OSS for civil servants and state employees led by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

đ) Testing the application and development of OSS in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City led by the People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

e) Testing the application and development of OSS in national defense led by the Ministry of National Defense.

g) Testing the application and development of OSS in security led by the Ministry of Public Security.

h) Developing core software, establishing standards, certification systems, and training senior specialists led by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

III. Solutions.

1. Enhancing awareness in the community about protecting software copyrights and the benefits of OSS in the development of IT in Vietnam in general and the software industry in particular.

2. Strictly enforcing the implementation of software copyrights.

3. Organizing assessments of the impact level, solutions related to the transition to using OSS in the public sector as well as the compatibility of OSS applications with commercial software products. Organizing research, experimentation, and widespread application of some OSS.

4. Training on PMNM within the education system and training institutions.

5. Developing and maintaining core PMNM that are beneficial to the community and establishing national standards for PMNM.

6. Developing business models for PMNM, particularly professional service activities supporting PMNM.

7. Funding for the application and development of PMNM generally and for sub-projects shall be mobilized from various sources including enterprises, individuals, international organizations, ODA, and state budget.

Article 2. Implementation:

1. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall take the lead and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, provincial People's Committees, and municipal People's Committees under the central government to organize and implement the Project.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science and Technology to balance and integrate resources into the annual state plan for the Project, sub-projects, and plans for the application of PMNM by ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, and relevant provinces and municipalities.

3. The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Science and Technology to establish financial mechanisms and policies for the application and development of PMNM.

4. Ministries such as Science and Technology, Education and Training, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Home Affairs, National Defense, Public Security, Posts and Telecommunications, and the People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City shall be responsible for leading sub-projects and directing the construction and implementation of sub-projects in accordance with current regulations.

The implementation of sub-projects must ensure effective coordination and integration with other information technology programs and projects.

5. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, and provincial People's Committees shall develop plans for the reasonable use of PMNM in their respective operational activities and build technical staff teams with expertise in PMNM.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the date of signature.

Article 4. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees under the central government are responsible for implementing this Decision.