Circular No. 35/2012/TT-BGDĐT promulgates regulations on doctoral training under the project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period 2010-2020" approved by Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister.

CIRCULAR

Issuing regulations on training doctoral level according to the project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020" approved by Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister.

Pursuant to the Education Law on June 14, 2005; the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Articles of the Education Law on November 25, 2009;

Pursuant to Decree No. 36/2012/NĐ-CP dated April 18, 2012 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

Pursuant to Decree No. 32/2008/NĐ-CP dated March 19, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister approving the Project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020";

7. Components of a training program include a group of courses and other learning and research activities with common characteristics in specialized fields; clearly playing a role in achieving a set of goals and requirements of the training program. These components are used to design the overall structure of the training program (such as general education, basic sciences, core subjects, internships and experiences, scientific research, and other components).

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular regulating training at the doctoral level according to the Project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020" approved by Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister,

Article 1. This Circular hereby promulgates regulations on training at the doctoral level according to the Project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020" approved by Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister.

Article 2. This Circular takes effect from November 26, 2012.

Article 3. The Director of the Ministry's Office, Heads of the Department of Planning and Finance, the Department of Higher Education, the Department of International Education Cooperation, Heads of units under the Ministry of Education and Training, and Heads of higher education institutions shall be responsible for implementing this Circular.

REGULATIONS

Training at the doctoral level according to the project "training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020" approved by decision number 911/qđ-ttg dated June 17, 2010 of the prime minister
(Issued together with Circular No. 35/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated October 12, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training)

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This document regulates training at the doctoral level according to the Project "Training university and college lecturers with doctoral degrees for the period of 2010-2020" approved by Decision No. 911/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister (hereinafter referred to as Project 911), including: training at the doctoral level abroad; training at the doctoral level domestically; joint training methods; training and enhancing foreign language skills and research knowledge and skills (hereinafter referred to as pre-doctoral training).

2. This document applies to universities, academies, colleges, and scientific research institutes authorized to train at the doctoral level (hereinafter collectively referred to as higher education institutions), and related organizations and individuals.

a) Students who have won international Olympic competitions;

1. Regular staff members, contractual staff members with fixed-term or indefinite-term contracts working at universities, academies, colleges (hereinafter collectively referred to as schools).

2. Individuals who have the desire and commitment to become lecturers at schools include:

a) Those who have recently graduated with a bachelor's or master's degree (within 12 months from the date of application);

b) Researchers currently working at scientific research institutes;

c) Individuals with excellent capabilities and expertise working outside educational institutions;

3. Not exceeding 45 years old as of the date of application registration.

2. Training methods:

1. Implementation period: Admissions will continue until the end of 2020.

b) Combined training method including part-time training in Vietnam and part-time training abroad.

a) Overseas training: Doctoral students (Ph.D. candidates) are sent for full-time training at overseas training institutions;

b) Domestic training: Ph.D. candidates are mainly trained domestically, including periods of study abroad;

c) Joint training: Ph.D. candidates are trained part-time domestically and part-time abroad through cooperation between domestic doctoral training institutions and overseas doctoral training institutions.

Article 4. Responsibilities, rights, and obligations of research students

1. Responsibilities of research students:

a) Complete the registered training program;

b) Fulfill the tasks of research students as prescribed by domestic or foreign training institutions where the research students study;

c) Adhere to commitments signed with the school sending the research students for study;

d) For full-time research students studying abroad, research students studying through a joint program currently studying abroad, and research students studying domestically currently undergoing internships abroad: must comply with regulations on overseas students in the current Regulations on Managing Vietnamese Citizens Studying Abroad; report periodically every six months and upon completion of the study period abroad regarding their study and research situation and results, sent via postal mail, email, or submitted directly to the Department of International Training (ITD) and the Vietnamese Embassy abroad. The report form is attached as Appendix I;

e) For full-time research students studying abroad: after graduation, complete the procedures stipulated in the Procedures for Sending People to Study at Universities and Postgraduate Institutions Abroad, Procedures for Extending Study Periods Abroad, and Procedures for Accepting Overseas Students Returning to Vietnam issued together with Decision No. 740/QĐ-BGDĐT dated February 21, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training;

f) Within a maximum period of three months from the end of the training course, research students must return to the sending school to complete re-acceptance procedures (for those specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of this Regulation) or complete recruitment procedures (for those specified in Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation);

g) Pay training costs during extended study periods (if applicable).

2. Rights of research students:

a) Receive scholarships and training costs during the training period;

b) Be provided by the sending school with conditions and time arrangements to implement the training program as prescribed;

c) Be accepted back to work or recruited as lecturers after graduation according to the major studied;

d) Within a period not exceeding nine months from the date the research student completes the training program, if the sending school does not accept the research student back to work or does not officially recruit the research student as a lecturer and assign work, the research student is not required to reimburse the scholarship and training costs. Reimbursement of scholarships and training costs shall be carried out in accordance with current state regulations.

3. Obligations of research students:

a) After graduation, return to serve at the school that sent them for training. The minimum service period at the sending school shall be implemented in accordance with current state regulations;

b) Reimburse scholarships and training costs if the training program is not completed (except for reasons beyond control such as serious illness, natural disasters, war, accidents, death...) or if they have graduated but did not serve the required working period as stipulated in Point a, Clause 3 of this Article. Reimbursement of scholarships and training costs shall be carried out in accordance with current state regulations.

Article 5. Responsibilities of schools sending lecturers for training

1. Determine recruitment needs, develop lecturer training plans according to Project 911 annually and over different phases, including training plans for each specialty, group of specialties, and fields of expertise that need focused development by the school;

2. Prepare reports on the plan and number of lecturers sent for training by specialty and training method, accompanied by the names of domestic or foreign doctoral training institutions that the lecturers intend to apply to, the number of lecturers sent for pre-doctoral training by training method, and submit these to the Ministry of Education and Training before March 31 each year. The report form is attached as Appendix II;

3. Schools with the need to recruit the subjects specified in Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation as lecturers after training shall be responsible for:

a) Signing commitment contracts to recruit these subjects as lecturers after graduation; sending these subjects for training according to Project 911;

b) Ensuring measures for research students to fulfill the obligations set forth in Clause 3, Article 4 of this Regulation;

4. Pay 50% of pre-doctoral training costs for lecturers of the school, transferring payment to the higher education institutions assigned the task of pre-doctoral training (hereinafter referred to as pre-doctoral training institutions) where the lecturers study;

5. Create conditions for lecturers to pursue doctoral studies according to Project 911; accept back (for those specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of this Regulation) or recruit as lecturers (for those specified in Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation) and arrange work for these subjects within a period not exceeding six months after they have completed the post-graduation procedures stipulated in Point e, Clause 1 of Article 4 of this Regulation. Beyond this period, if the school does not issue a decision to accept or recruit as a lecturer and does not arrange work for the lecturer, the school shall be responsible for refunding the scholarship and training costs of that lecturer to the state budget.

Chapter II

DOCTORAL TRAINING ABROAD

Article 6. Subjects eligible for overseas training

Candidates for overseas training are the subjects specified in Clause 1 and Point a, Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Regulation.

Article 7. Eligibility criteria

1. Regarding academic qualifications:

a) Candidates who are the subjects specified in Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Regulation must have a bachelor's or master's degree;

b) Candidates who are the subjects specified in Point a, Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Regulation:

- Those who have recently graduated with a master's degree (within 12 months from the date of application): must hold a bachelor's degree with a grade of excellent or higher and simultaneously hold a master's degree with a cumulative GPA of 8.0 or higher (on a scale of 10). In cases where training takes place abroad, the assessment of graduation grades and academic performance will be based on the evaluation criteria and grading scale of the local educational institution or equivalent to the ranking assessment in Vietnam.

2. Registering for a field of study that matches their bachelor's or master's degree.

3. Being contracted by a university to commit to employment as a lecturer upon graduation.

4. Having a dispatch letter for application issued by the candidate’s workplace (for the subjects specified in Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Regulation) or the entity signing the commitment contract for employment as a lecturer after graduation (for the subjects specified in Point a, Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Regulation).

5. The candidates, their parents, or guarantors (for the subjects specified in Point a, Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Regulation) must commit to fulfilling the responsibilities and obligations stipulated in Clauses 1 and 3 of Article 4 and Clause 5 of Article 5 of this Regulation towards the dispatching institution.

6. Regarding language proficiency: Possess one of the following certificates or diplomas:

a) Hold a language proficiency certificate at level B2 or above, or level 4/6 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, issued by an authorized international institution within two years prior to the application date, meeting the requirements of the foreign educational institution;

b) Hold a bachelor's or master's degree obtained abroad and now returning to that country for further studies, or the language used during studies abroad is suitable for the language to be used in the doctoral program;

7. Have good moral character, sufficient health to study, and commit to fully fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of doctoral students as stipulated in Clauses 1 and 3 of Article 4 of this Regulation.

Article 8. Duration and form of training

1. Training duration: as required by the training program but not exceeding four years.

2. Training form: full-time (doctoral students dedicate all their time to studying and researching at the educational institution).

Article 9. Overseas Educational Institutions

1. Overseas educational institutions selected for sending full-time or cooperative training doctoral students are reputable institutions offering doctoral programs worldwide, accredited by professional associations or reputable national or international education accreditation organizations.

2. A list of recommended doctoral training institutions in each country is publicly announced annually on the website of the Ministry of Education and Training (www.moet.gov.vn) and the Overseas Training Center under the Ministry of Education and Training (www.vied.vn).

Article 10. Announcement of Admissions

1. Based on the provisions of this document, the Ministry of Education and Training announces admissions annually, specifying the number of positions, application deadlines, countries for training, eligibility criteria for each training program of each country, admission conditions, and conditions for obtaining a decision to study abroad.

2. The admissions announcement is publicly posted on the website of the Ministry of Education and Training (www.moet.gov.vn) and the Overseas Training Center (www.vied.vn).

Article 11. Establishment of Candidate Lists for Overseas Recruitment

Annually, based on the enrollment announcement of the Ministry of Education and Training, schools shall organize the selection process according to the conditions stipulated in Article 7 of this Regulation and in accordance with the school's lecturer training plan as stated in Clause 2 of Article 5 of this Regulation; establish candidate lists for overseas recruitment grouped or prioritized, for each training program (if applicable);

Article 12. Application Documents and Online Registration for Recruitment

1. Application Documents: Applicants studying abroad submit one set of paper application documents in Vietnamese to the National Office for Foreign Training, including the following types of documents:

a) The registration form for recruitment confirmed by the sending school (model at Appendix IV);

b) A dispatch letter from the workplace of the applicant (for the subject specified in Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Regulation) or the place where the employment contract for recruitment as a lecturer after graduation was signed (for the subject specified in Point a Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Regulation).

c) Legally certified copies of employment contracts, recruitment decisions, and agreements for job transfer (if any); employment commitment contracts for recruitment as lecturers issued by the sending school;

d) A commitment document between the research student, parents, or guarantor and the sending school regarding the responsibility and obligations for pursuing doctoral studies abroad under Project 911. The commitment model is attached at Appendix III(a).

đ) Legally certified copies of bachelor’s degree certificates, master’s degree certificates (if any), or temporary graduation certificates for cases awaiting issuance of the degree certificate (to be supplemented with legally certified copies of the official degree certificate after being admitted);

e) Legally certified copies of academic transcripts for bachelor’s and master’s degrees;

g) Legally certified copies of acceptance letters for training, full or partial scholarship grant letters issued by foreign educational institutions, agencies, organizations, or individuals (if any);

h) Legally certified copies of valid language certificates in accordance with the regulations;

i) List and legally certified copies of scientific research works (if any);

k) Other documents if available (awards, preferential documents...);

l) Legally certified copies of invoices and receipts for the application fee payment.

2. Online Registration for Recruitment

Simultaneously with submitting the paper application documents, candidates must scan (convert to PDF format) all documents in their application package as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article and register online at the address http://tuyensinh.vied.vn/.

Article 13. Selection Process and Dispatch of Research Students for Overseas Training

1. Upon the expiration of the application submission period, the National Office for Foreign Training shall take the lead in establishing a list of candidates by category and recruitment examination conditions; propose a list of candidates meeting the admission criteria; coordinate and unify with the Department of Higher Education to review the list of successful candidates for approval by the Minister of Education and Training;

2. The Minister of Education and Training decides the list of successful candidates for research students to study abroad. Before making the decision to study abroad, research students must achieve a language proficiency level of C1 or above Level 5/6 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, except in cases where foreign educational institutions have different requirements;

3. The admission result is valid for twelve months from the date of signing the decision approving admission for those who meet the language proficiency requirement, and it is valid for eighteen months for those who do not meet the language proficiency requirement as specified in Point b of this Clause;

4. Contacting Educational Institutions for Candidates Shall Be Conducted As Follows:

a) The National Office for Foreign Training shall handle procedures to register for study with foreign educational institutions for candidates.

b) Schools with candidates shall contact partner universities abroad to send lecturers of the school for training in groups or in fields that need focused development of the school;

c) Candidates may contact directly but not through overseas education consulting centers as stipulated in Article 9 of this Regulation to be accepted by foreign doctoral training institutions;

5. When candidates have acceptance letters from foreign doctoral training institutions and achieve a language proficiency level of C1 or above Level 5/6 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the Director of the National Office for Foreign Training shall be responsible for issuing a decision to dispatch lecturers for training and handling procedures for lecturers to study abroad.

Chapter III

DOCTORAL TRAINING WITHIN THE COUNTRY

Article 14. Conditions for Application

1. Conditions for application for domestic training for candidates specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of this Regulation shall be implemented according to the current Doctoral Training Regulations.

2. Conditions for application for candidates specified in Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation:

a) Regarding academic qualifications: meet one of the following cases

- Hold a Master's degree diploma and a regular Bachelor's degree diploma with a minimum of good grades;

- Hold a regular Bachelor's degree diploma with excellent grades. Graduates from advanced programs, high-quality engineers, talented bachelor’s degree holders must have a Bachelor's degree diploma with a minimum of good grades.

In case of graduation from a foreign university, the assessment of graduation grade and study results shall be conducted according to the evaluation criteria and grading scale of the foreign educational institution or recognized equivalent according to Vietnam's classification system;

b) Be contracted by a university to commit to employment as a lecturer after graduation,

c) Have a dispatch letter for application issued by the university that has committed to employ the applicant as a lecturer after graduation (for candidates specified in point a, Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation).

d) Other conditions for application according to the current Doctoral Training Regulations.

3. Candidates specified in Article 2 of this Regulation must have a commitment to fulfill responsibilities and obligations between the doctoral candidate, parents, or guarantor of the applicant (for candidates specified in point a, Clause 2, Article 2 of this Regulation) and the university dispatching the applicant for application as stipulated in Clause 1 and 3, Article 4 of this Regulation when the applicant is admitted. The commitment form is attached as Appendix III(b).

Article 15. Duration and Form of Training

1. Duration of training: according to the requirements of the training program but not exceeding four years, including a maximum of six months of overseas internship.

2. Form of training: full-time (the doctoral candidate dedicates all study and research time during the course at the training institution, excluding time spent on overseas internships).

Candidates specified in Clause 1, Article 2 of this Regulation may opt for part-time training if the dispatching university issues a recommendation letter. In this case, the doctoral candidate must have at least one and a half consecutive years of full-time study at the training institution.

Article 16. Conditions and Project for Registering Tasks for Domestic Doctoral Training under Project 911

1. Conditions for being assigned tasks for domestic doctoral training under Project 911:

a) Being a domestic doctoral training institution with at least five years of stable training experience;

b) Having a team of scientists and material facilities, libraries ensuring domestic doctoral training meeting the requirements of the current Doctoral Training Regulations and the requirements of Project 911;

c) Submitting a project for registering the task of domestic doctoral training under Project 911 constructed according to the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article.

2. The project for registering the task of domestic doctoral training under Project 911 shall be developed to ensure the main contents and requirements as follows:

a) Introduction to the training institution and training experience;

b) Registration of training program; annual number of admissions; training plan; organization method;

c) Admission conditions; tuition fees and implementation costs;

d) Quality assurance conditions for implementing the domestic training program including: scientific staff; material facilities; scientific research outcomes; international cooperation experience in doctoral training;

e) Training organization plan: appropriate, ensuring support for doctoral candidates to conduct scientific research at quality experimental and practical facilities; overseas internships; attending international conferences and seminars; publishing articles in reputable domestic and international scientific journals;

f) Responsibilities and duties of lecturers, supervisors, and doctoral candidates during the training process including supporting doctoral candidates to attend international conferences and seminars, conducting experiments, surveys, publishing international articles, and other scientific activities;

g) Commitment in organizing management of doctoral candidates, ensuring effective training processes and high-quality graduates demonstrated by one of the following cases:

- At least three domestic scientific articles published in specialized journals recognized by the State Council for Professor Titles or in leading journals with reputation in each field as defined by the university;

- At least one report related to thesis topics presented in full at national scientific conferences and international seminars/conferences;

- At least one scientific article published abroad (ISI international journal or reputable journal);

The project outline template is attached as Appendix V.

Article 17. Documents and Procedures for Assigning Doctoral Training Tasks within Vietnam under Project 911

1. The application package for receiving doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911 includes:

a) A proposal requesting to receive doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911;

b) An application for registering to receive doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911;

c) Minutes of the Scientific Council and Training Board's approval of the project at the training institution;

d) Decision on assigning doctoral training tasks within Vietnam issued by the competent authority.

2. Procedure for considering the assignment of doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911:

a) The Ministry of Education and Training receives one set of documents sent by the training institution through postal service or directly delivered to the Ministry of Education and Training’s office;

b) Within thirty working days from the date of receipt of a valid application, the Ministry of Education and Training will review the application.

- If the training institution's application meets the required conditions, satisfies the requirements stipulated, and fulfills the demand for doctoral student training under Project 911, the Minister of Education and Training will issue a decision to assign doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911 to the training institution;

- If the training institution's application meets the stipulated conditions but still requires some improvements, the Ministry of Education and Training will notify the training institution in writing about the review results and the necessary improvements;

- If the training institution's application does not meet the required conditions, the Ministry of Education and Training will notify the training institution in writing about the status of the application and suggest that the training institution continue to prepare the necessary conditions;

c) Within fifteen working days from the date of receipt of the completed application from the training institution (for applications that have been notified to complete certain conditions), if the application meets the stipulated requirements, the Minister of Education and Training will issue a decision to assign doctoral training tasks within Vietnam under Project 911 to the training institution.

Article 18. Admissions and Organization of Training

Admissions

Annually, the head of the training institution issues announcements on admissions, admission documents, organizes admissions, and convenes successful doctoral students according to the current regulations of the Doctoral Training Regulations and the requirements stated in the training institution's application for receiving doctoral training tasks within Vietnam approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Organization of Training

a) Domestic doctoral student training is conducted in accordance with the current Doctoral Training Regulations; doctoral students trained under Project 911 will be organized to study supplementary courses, doctoral-level courses, doctoral seminars, and general comprehensive reviews together with other doctoral students of the training institution;

b) During the process of implementing and defending the thesis, the training institution supports doctoral students to attend international conferences and seminars; conduct research and experiments; publish articles in reputable international journals; invite foreign scientists to participate in joint guidance, thesis evaluation, and thesis defense committees;

c) The training institution is responsible for fully complying with the reporting system stipulated in the current Doctoral Training Regulations.

3. Sending Doctoral Students for Internship and Research Abroad:

a) The head of the training institution decides to send doctoral students for internship and research at overseas doctoral training institutions to implement part of their thesis topics; participate and report at scientific conferences related to their thesis topics; collaborate with lecturers at overseas doctoral training institutions to publish articles in reputable international journals;

b) Before going abroad for internship, doctoral students must reach level C1 or above level 5/6 in foreign language proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, except in cases where the overseas training institution has different requirements;

c) Overseas training institutions accepting doctoral students for internship must be those currently engaged in training and researching issues related to the doctoral students' thesis topics, having a team of scientists, facilities, laboratories, and research conditions that allow doctoral students to carry out their thesis work as planned to enhance the quality of their theses; or to complete scientific reports presented at international scientific conferences and published in reputable foreign scientific journals;

d) After completing the internship period abroad, doctoral students must submit a report on their studies and research to the domestic training institution. The report format is attached as Appendix I.

Article 19. Responsibilities and rights of lecturers teaching the doctoral program and supervisors guiding domestic doctoral students under Project 911

1. Lecturers teaching the doctoral program and supervisors under Project 911 shall be responsible for fully implementing the regulations on responsibilities and tasks of lecturers and supervisors as stipulated in the current Doctoral Training Regulations and the requirements set forth in the project to undertake domestic doctoral training tasks under Project 911, which have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Rights of lecturers participating in teaching the doctoral program and supervisors guiding doctoral students under Project 911.

In addition to the rights of lecturers and supervisors as prescribed in the current University Charter and the current Doctoral Training Regulations, lecturers and supervisors under Project 911 shall also be entitled to:

a) Enjoy financial benefits and favorable conditions for teaching and research when participating in training under Project 911;

b) Enjoy other rights as prescribed by law.

Article 20. Responsibilities of specialized units and domestic doctoral training institutions

1. Each year in April, domestic training institutions shall report to the Ministry of Education and Training their plans for training quotas according to assigned specialties and plans for sending doctoral students abroad for internships in the following year.

2. The training institution shall be responsible for disbursing and managing funds during the time doctoral students are abroad for internships.

3. Specialized units and domestic doctoral training institutions undertaking doctoral training under Project 911 shall be responsible for implementing the provisions in the current Doctoral Training Regulations and the requirements and stipulations set forth in the project to undertake domestic doctoral training tasks under Project 911, which have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Chapter IV

DOCTORAL TRAINING THROUGH COOPERATION

Article 21. Admission Conditions

Admission conditions for doctoral training through cooperation shall be implemented in accordance with Article 14 of this Regulation.

Article 22. Duration and Form of Training

1. The duration of training shall be from three to four years, agreed upon between domestic training institutions and foreign training institutions, but the total time spent training abroad shall not exceed 50% of the total training period.

2. Form of training: full-time.

Article 23. Conditions and Proposals for Undertaking Doctoral Training Tasks Through Cooperation

1. Conditions for training institutions to be assigned tasks for undertaking doctoral training through cooperation:

a) They must be institutions that offer doctoral training, having at least five years of experience in stable and effective training.

b) They must have a team of scientists meeting the requirements of the current Doctoral Training Regulations and sufficient language proficiency to participate in joint doctoral training.

c) They must have a training program jointly developed and agreed upon by both parties, suitable for the conditions of both sides;

d) They must have a cooperation agreement for doctoral training signed between both parties, ensuring the implementation of the basic contents outlined in the proposal to undertake doctoral training tasks as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article.

đ) They must have facilities and libraries to ensure the implementation of joint doctoral training programs meeting the requirements of foreign training institutions;

e) Domestic training institutions may only cooperate with foreign training institutions as specified in Article 9 of this Regulation;

g) They must have a proposal for undertaking doctoral training tasks through cooperation, constructed in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article.

2. Proposals for joint doctoral training shall be developed based on the following main contents and requirements:

a) Introduction to the foreign partner university; experience in cooperative doctoral training.

b) Field of training, training program, scale of training;

c) Target audience, recruitment conditions;

d) Quality assurance conditions for implementing joint training programs including: scientific staff; infrastructure; training and research experience of both sides; international cooperation experience in doctoral training with partner universities; commitments regarding doctoral student outcomes as stipulated in point h of this clause;

đ) Regulations of domestic doctoral training institutions and foreign doctoral training institutions on joint training, clearly stating the tasks and responsibilities of each side in organizing training, supervising dissertations, defending dissertations, supporting doctoral students to publish international papers, attend international conferences and seminars; applying the organizational regulations of foreign training institutions to domestic training institutions;

e) A detailed training plan specifying the time and route of training in Vietnam and at the foreign training institution; responsibilities of both sides throughout the doctoral student training process; joint supervision of doctoral students;

g) Organization of training activities: applying the regulations and requirements for training doctoral students of the foreign training institution in joint training; organizing scientific research, specialized seminars... at the domestic training institution with the participation of foreign professors; organizing dissertation defense at the domestic training institution with the participation of foreign professors; dissertations shall be written and defended in a foreign language;

h) Commitments of the training institution: in addition to the commitments stipulated in point g of Clause 2 of Article 16, doctoral students must have at least one report published in the proceedings of an international conference or seminar or one scientific paper published abroad (ISI journal or reputable journal);

i) Organizational structure for implementing the proposal and risk management measures;

k) Responsibilities of all parties in coordinating the selection, training, and evaluation of graduation dissertations; Vietnamese lecturers, foreign lecturers participating in teaching and supervision; location for dissertation defense, the training institution responsible for issuing degrees; related matters;

l) Detailed budget estimate.

The proposal outline template is attached as Appendix VI.

Article 24. Documents and procedures for assigning tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method

1. Application documents for receiving tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method:

a) A proposal requesting to receive tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method;

b) Minutes of the agreement on cooperation in training between domestic training institutions at the doctoral level and foreign training institutions at the doctoral level;

c) Project for receiving tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method;

d) Minutes of approval of the project by the Scientific Council and Training Board of the training institution;

đ) Documentation proving that the foreign training institution or the doctoral-level training program of the foreign training institution has been quality assessed;

2. Procedures for considering the assignment of tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method.

a) The Ministry of Education and Training receives two sets of application documents sent by the training institution through postal service or directly at the One-Stop Service Center of the Ministry of Education and Training's Office;

b) Within thirty days, the Department of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Overseas Training Administration, will review the application documents.

- If the application documents of the training institution meet the required conditions, satisfy the requirements stipulated, and fulfill the demand for training doctoral students under Project 911, the Minister of Education and Training shall issue a decision assigning tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method to the training institution;

- If the training institution's application meets the stipulated conditions but still requires some improvements, the Ministry of Education and Training will notify the training institution in writing about the review results and the necessary improvements;

- If the application documents of the training institution do not meet the required conditions, the Ministry of Education and Training shall notify in writing the status of the application documents and request the training institution to continue improving the conditions;

c) Within fifteen working days from the date of receipt of the completed application documents of the training institution (for those application documents that have met the required conditions notified to be improved), if the application documents meet the requirements stipulated, the Minister of Education and Training shall issue a decision assigning tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method to the training institution.

Article 25. Admissions and organization of training

1. Each year, training institutions assigned tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method shall issue announcements on admissions, specifying the number of positions, fields of study, target groups, admission requirements; application documents and admission fees, selection time; organization of admissions and issuance of decisions recognizing successful doctoral student candidates.

2. The organization of training shall be carried out in accordance with the current regulations on training at the doctoral level, the regulations of the foreign institution, and the training plan stated in the project for receiving tasks to train doctoral level according to the cooperative method approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Domestic training institutions are responsible for determining the plan to send doctoral students to train at foreign training institutions according to the agreed training program; the Overseas Training Administration is responsible for coordinating with domestic training institutions to issue decisions and handle procedures for sending doctoral students to train abroad according to the plan. Before going to study abroad, doctoral students must reach a language proficiency level of C1 or above, grade 5/6 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, except where the foreign training institution has other requirements.

4. Doctoral students must submit reports on their academic and research results every six months and at the end of their training period abroad to the Overseas Training Administration and the domestic doctoral training institution. The report form is attached as Appendix I.

Article 26. Responsibilities and rights of lecturers teaching doctoral programs and supervisors of joint training research students

1. During the period when research students are trained domestically, lecturers teaching doctoral training programs and supervisors (including foreign lecturers and supervisors) shall fully implement the provisions on the duties and responsibilities of lecturers and supervisors as stipulated in the current Doctoral Training Regulations and the joint training project approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. During the period when research students are trained at overseas educational institutions, supervisors (including supervisors from domestic educational institutions) shall fully implement the provisions on the duties and responsibilities of supervisors of overseas educational institutions and the provisions in the approved joint training project by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. The rights of lecturers participating in teaching doctoral programs and supervisors of research students under the joint training method shall be implemented according to Clause 2, Article 19 of this Regulation.

Chapter V

TRAINING AND ENHANCEMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Article 27. Subjects for training and enhancement of foreign languages and research knowledge and skills

1. Candidates who have been admitted to study for a doctorate abroad or research students undergoing joint training before going abroad who have not yet reached level C1 or level 5/6 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

2. Those preparing to apply for domestic training programs, joint training programs, with language proficiency at level A2 or level 2/6 or higher but not reaching level B1 or level 3/6 according to the CEFR.

3. Those preparing to study abroad who have not yet attended orientation knowledge enhancement classes.

Article 28. Time, form, and content of training and enhancement

1. Time and form of training and enhancement

Pre-doctoral training is conducted within a maximum of nine months in a concentrated form.

2. Content of training and enhancement

a) Enhance foreign language proficiency from level B2 to level C1 for subjects specified in Clause 1, Article 27; from level A2 to level B1 for subjects specified in Clause 2, Article 27 of this Regulation;

b) Enhance specialized knowledge and skills for subjects mentioned in Clauses 1 and 2, Article 27 of this Regulation;

c) Provide orientation knowledge enhancement for subjects mentioned in Clause 3, Article 27 of this Regulation.

Article 29. Tasks and responsibilities of pre-doctoral training institutions

1. Tasks of pre-doctoral training institutions:

a) Enhance foreign language proficiency (mainly English, Russian, Chinese, German, French) for candidates meeting the requirements to study as research students both domestically and abroad;

b) Enhance specialized knowledge and skills for trainees; compile a list of electronic information website addresses and links connecting to doctoral training programs by field of various doctoral training institutions both domestically and abroad for trainees to understand;

c) Provide orientation knowledge enhancement for research students before going abroad.

2. Responsibilities of pre-doctoral training institutions:

a) Ensure conditions for training and enhancement programs; teaching staff and speakers; material resources to organize language enhancement and specialized knowledge and skill enhancement classes; issue certificates to trainees who complete the training and enhancement content;

b) Commit to enhancing foreign language proficiency for trainees to meet the required standards (level B1 for domestic research students and level C1 or level 5/6 or higher according to the CEFR for research students going abroad) in accordance with contracts signed with relevant parties;

c) Implement and settle contracts based on the financial management and utilization regulations for implementing Project 911 currently in effect as stipulated in the Circular guiding such management and utilization;

d) Report to the Ministry of Education and Training on the implementation and results of each training and enhancement session.

Article 30. Conditions and registration project for pre-doctoral training tasks

1. Conditions to be assigned pre-doctoral training tasks:

a) Being a higher education institution that has been assigned to train foreign language majors at the bachelor's level, having experience in cooperation with universities and international organizations in the field of foreign language teaching and professional skill development for students preparing to become PhD candidates;

b) Having a sufficient number of lecturers in terms of quantity and ensuring quality to organize pre-doctoral training programs, specifically:

- The foreign language lecturer team includes native-speaking lecturers with experience in foreign language teaching, who have been trained at postgraduate level in foreign languages at universities abroad;

- The lecturer and seminar speaker team responsible for knowledge and skill enhancement are those with doctoral degrees in educational management, pedagogy, scientific research methodology; they have experience in training and enhancing the skills of scientific researchers, and experience in providing knowledge orientation for PhD candidates before studying abroad;

c) Having a suitable pre-doctoral training program to implement the tasks specified in Article 30 of this Regulation;

d) Having material facilities, equipment, and libraries that ensure the requirements for pre-doctoral training, specifically:

- Having sufficient classrooms equipped with modern devices suitable for foreign language teaching, each class ranging from 15-20 students, including projectors, DVD players, internet-connected computers, multimedia equipment, language learning rooms;

- The library has a resource center and self-study area, diverse information resources, study materials, audio discs, and various foreign language learning software, fully equipped with devices and means (internet-connected computers, cassette players, multimedia listening and viewing devices...);

e) Ensuring a suitable and effective student scale;

f) Having a project to register for the assignment of pre-doctoral training tasks constructed according to the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article.

2. The project to register for the assignment of pre-doctoral training tasks shall include the following contents:

a) Functions, responsibilities, and activities of the educational institution in foreign language training; scale, training programs, plans for foreign language training and professional knowledge and skill enhancement; methods of organizing courses;

b) Provisions on participation conditions, commitments of students; conditions of the institution to fulfill commitments to students; supervision of the training and enhancement process; commitment to implementing contracts and terminating contracts according to agreements;

c) Quality assurance conditions to implement the pre-doctoral training program: Lecturer team (including Vietnamese and native-speaking foreign language lecturers; lecturers and seminar speakers responsible for professional knowledge and skill enhancement and knowledge orientation); material facilities, equipment, and libraries; training and enhancement programs; ability to organize training and enhancement; experience in cooperation with universities and international organizations in the field of foreign language teaching and professional skill enhancement for students preparing to become PhD candidates;

d) Commitment to the level of foreign language proficiency of students upon completion of each doctoral training method and the contents of professional knowledge and skill enhancement, knowledge orientation.

The draft outline of the project is attached in Appendix VII.

Article 31. Documents and Procedures for Assigning Pre-doctoral Training Tasks

1. Application Documents for Receiving Pre-doctoral Training Tasks

a) A proposal requesting to receive pre-doctoral training tasks;

b) A registration project for receiving pre-doctoral training tasks;

2. Procedure for Considering Assignment of Pre-doctoral Training Tasks

a) The Ministry of Education and Training receives one set of documents submitted by higher education institutions through postal service or directly at the Ministry's Office;

b) Within thirty days, the Department of Higher Education conducts an examination of the documents;

- If the documents from the higher education institution meet the required conditions, comply with the regulations, and satisfy the requirements for pre-doctoral training under Project 911, the Minister of Education and Training issues a decision assigning pre-doctoral training tasks to the higher education institution;

- If the documents from the higher education institution meet the required conditions but still need some improvements, the Ministry of Education and Training notifies the higher education institution in writing about the examination results and the necessary improvements;

- If the documents from the higher education institution do not meet the required conditions, the Ministry of Education and Training notifies the higher education institution in writing about the status of the documents and requests further improvements;

c) Within fifteen working days from the date of receipt of the completed documents from the higher education institution (for those documents that were notified to be improved), the Minister of Education and Training issues a decision assigning pre-doctoral training tasks to the higher education institution.

Article 32. Organization of Training and Refresher Courses

1. Institutions conducting pre-doctoral training must publicly announce on their educational website the plan for organizing training and refresher courses: target audience, duration of each foreign language and content course, tuition fees and financial arrangements, issuance of certificates, and other necessary information.

2. Registration of Student Lists with Pre-doctoral Training Institutions:

a) For candidates who have been admitted to study abroad but need additional foreign language training: carried out by the Overseas Training Center;

b) For PhD students in joint training programs: carried out by domestic PhD training institutions;

c) For individuals preparing to apply for domestic PhD training or joint training programs: individuals register directly with the pre-doctoral training institution.

3. Based on the student lists registered by organizations or individuals as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article, pre-doctoral training institutions arrange classes, prepare budget estimates according to the categories, and the responsible parties pay based on current regulations governing financial management and utilization for implementing Project 911.

4. On the basis of the number of applicants registered as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article, pre-doctoral training institutions proceed with procedures to sign training contracts with the Ministry of Education and Training to receive training funds and settle accounts after each training session.

5. At the end of each training session, pre-doctoral training institutions report to the Department of Higher Education - Ministry of Education and Training on the training outcomes and financial settlement of the classes within that session.

Chapter VI

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 33. Responsibilities of the Higher Education Department

1. Take the lead and coordinate with relevant units of the Ministry of Education and Training to organize the implementation of the project to ensure quality and effectiveness; develop annual training plans and those for each phase; monitor, compile, and organize the evaluation of training outcomes and quality of various training methods; conduct mid-term and final reviews of the project's implementation; compile and evaluate the situation regarding the utilization of individuals trained under the project.

2. Take the lead in managing and directing doctoral training within the country, joint doctoral training, and pre-doctoral training.

3. Coordinate with the Planning-Finance Department and the Overseas Training Center to develop overall plans, annual plans, and budget estimates to implement the project.

4. Coordinate with the Overseas Training Center in issuing announcements for recruiting candidates to study abroad, reviewing lists of successful candidates to study abroad, and submitting them to the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Training for decision.

Article 34. Responsibilities of the Overseas Training Center

1. Take the lead in managing, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation, training results, and quality of overseas training methods; compile and evaluate the situation regarding the utilization of individuals trained abroad according to the project.

2. Take the lead and coordinate with the Higher Education Department in issuing announcements for recruitment, admission review, and sending doctoral candidates to study abroad.

3. Coordinate with the Higher Education Department and the Planning-Finance Department to develop overall plans, annual plans, and budget estimates to implement the project.

4. Develop guidelines and instruct doctoral candidates on procedures related to enrollment, extension of study with self-funded financial commitment during the extension period, post-graduation reception procedures; contact foreign educational institutions to arrange for doctoral candidates to study; liaise with foreign authorities responsible for managing their studies; compile the situation of doctoral candidates studying abroad and report periodically to the Ministry of Education and Training.

5. Serve as the main point of contact to coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and Vietnamese representative offices abroad to protect internal political stability; assist with entry and exit procedures for students studying abroad, Vietnamese professors abroad, and foreigners entering Vietnam to implement joint training programs.

Article 35. Responsibilities of the Planning-Finance Department

1. Take the lead in developing overall plans, annual plans, and budget estimates to organize the implementation of the project.

2. Serve as the main point of contact to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to establish management and usage mechanisms for financial resources; develop expenditure standards, annual budget estimates, and allocate budgets to implement the project.