Notice on the Funding Plan for Applied Research in 2026
NOTICE OF THE FUNDING PLAN FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN 2026
Pursuant to Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation;
Pursuant to the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation No. 93/2025/QH15;
Pursuant to the Law on State Budget No. 89/2025/QH15;
Pursuant to Decree No. 229/2026/ND-CP dated June 25, 2026 of the Government stipulating the organization and operation of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development;
Pursuant to Decree No. 265/2025/ND-CP dated October 14, 2025 of the Government guiding the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation on finance and investment in science, technology and innovation;
Pursuant to Decree No. 267/2025/ND-CP dated October 14, 2025 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation on programs, science, technology and innovation tasks and a number of regulations on promoting scientific research, technology development and innovation activities;
Pursuant to Program No. 02-CTr/BCĐTW dated February 02, 2026 of the Central Steering Committee on the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation on the 2026 Work Program;
Pursuant to Decision No. 604/QD-TTg dated April 02, 2026 of the Prime Minister approving the adjustment and supplementation of the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Development through 2030;
Pursuant to Circular No. 24/2025/TT-BKHCN dated October 30, 2025 of the Minister of Science and Technology promulgating the Classification Table of Science and Technology Fields;
Pursuant to Circular No. 39/2025/TT-BKHCN dated November 30, 2025 of the Minister of Science and Technology detailing and guiding the preparation of estimates, management, use and settlement of a number of state budget expenditures for the implementation of science, technology and innovation tasks;
Pursuant to Circular No. 44/2025/TT-BKHCN dated November 30, 2025 of the Minister of Science and Technology stipulating the management of science and technology tasks funded and ordered by the Ministry of Science and Technology;
Pursuant to Decision No. 2227/QD-BKHCN dated April 24, 2026 of the Minister of Science and Technology promulgating the Master Plan on Science, Technology and Innovation for the five-year period 2026-2030;
Pursuant to Decision No. 2276/QD-BKHCN dated May 01, 2026 of the Minister of Science and Technology adjusting tasks and approving the 2026 financial plan for funding, ordering and supporting activities of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development;
The National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (the Foundation) respectfully announces the Funding Plan for Applied Research in 2026, specifically as follows:
1.Scope and subjects eligible for funding
a) Funding scope
Within the framework of this call, the Foundation shall consider funding tasks and clusters of tasks under the “applied research” category aimed at generating research results with application potential, contributing to the creation of solutions serving production and business needs, policy formulation, socio-economic development, and national defense and security in the following priority fields:
– Information and communications: artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, 5G/6G mobile communication networks, cybersecurity, quantum computing, Digital Twin.
– Automation: robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, Drone), autonomous vehicles.
– Semiconductors: electronic materials, semiconductors, quantum technology, integrated circuit design, photonic components, sensors.
– Medicine and biology: gene editing, cell and immune therapies, preventive medicine, precision medicine, regenerative biomedicine, 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering, smart medical devices, wearable devices and biosensors.
– Pharmaceuticals: new drugs, vaccines, biologics, medicinal herbs, advanced pharmaceutical formulation and drug delivery systems, pharmaceutical analysis and testing technologies.
– Agriculture: agricultural biotechnology, breeding of crops, livestock and aquatic species; precision agriculture, smart agriculture, digital agriculture; sustainable farming, processing and preservation of agricultural products.
– Materials: new materials, nanomaterials, composite materials, smart materials.
– Energy and sustainable environment: green hydrogen, next-generation batteries, energy storage, smart grids, material recycling and circularity, automated environmental monitoring systems.
– Marine and earth sciences: marine robots, marine energy, geological investigation and exploration technologies.
b) Type of funding: Applied research.
c) Subjects eligible for funding: Agencies, organizations, enterprises and individuals engaged in science, technology and innovation activities in Vietnam or outside the territory of Vietnam but having rights and obligations under Vietnamese law and international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.
2. Funding
The ceiling of funding from the state budget corresponds to a maximum of 80% of the total cost of task implementation, specifically as follows:
– For 01 applied research task, the ceiling of support from the state budget is VND 8 billion/task.
– Each applied research task cluster shall comprise a maximum of 05 tasks.
The lead organization must have a plan and evidence demonstrating the mobilization of lawful resources outside the state budget to cover the remaining funding; the Foundation encourages applications with a higher proportion of mobilized non-state-budget resources than the minimum level (20%), with clearly committed and feasible resources that are consistent with the objectives, contents and products of the task or task cluster.
3. Criteria and requirements for tasks registered for funding
Tasks and task clusters registered for funding must satisfy the criteria stipulated in Article 6 and Clause 2, Article 7 of Decree No. 267/2025/ND-CP, Clause 2, Article 4 of Circular No. 44/2025/TT-BKHCN and relevant regulations.
The implementation period for a task or task cluster is 36 months (tasks of a specific nature may propose an appropriate implementation period).
A task or task cluster may be considered for one extension of no more than 12 months.
4. Conditions for the lead organization
The lead organization registering to implement the task must satisfy the conditions prescribed by the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, Article 5 of Decree No. 267/2025/ND-CP and relevant regulations.
5. Application dossier
The application dossier for implementation of the task or task cluster shall be prepared according to the forms prescribed in Article 11 of Decree No. 267/2025/ND-CP and Article 7 of Circular No. 44/2025/TT-BKHCN, including:
– Application for registration as the lead organization for implementation of the task cluster (Form BM-02); Application for registration as the lead organization for implementation of the task (Form BM-03);
– Task proposal (Form BM-04);
– Scientific curriculum vitae of the task leader and research members (Form BM-06);
– Information on the capacity and facilities of the lead organization (Form BM-07);
– Documents proving the plan for mobilizing counterpart funds or resources outside the state budget;
– Written commitments on coordination, testing, receipt, application, exploitation or commercialization of results by individuals/organizations (if any);
– Documents evidencing lawful ownership rights, use rights and exploitation rights over technologies, data and intellectual property objects; documents on standards, measurement and testing, inspection, testing, certification; documents proving the ability to use laboratories, testing facilities, technical infrastructure or other relevant professional documents (if any);
– Other documents as prescribed in Article 11 of Decree No. 267/2025/ND-CP and required by the forms and current regulations;
– The detailed cost estimate for implementation of the task or task cluster shall be supplemented after the task or task cluster is proposed for funding by the Funding Review Council, according to the form applicable to the cost estimate.
6. Method and deadline for dossier submission
Step 1: The lead organization shall complete the application dossier on the Online Management System for Science, Technology and Innovation Tasks (STM System) at https://stm.mst.gov.vn.
Step 2: After submitting the application dossier on the STM System, the organization shall select one of the following two methods of dossier submission:
– Method 1: Submit a digitally signed application dossier on the STM System. The minimum digitally signed documents include the Application for Registration and the Task Proposal.
– Method 2: Submit a paper dossier directly at the Foundation’s One-Stop Service Division or send it to the Foundation via postal service.
Address for receipt of paper dossiers: One-Stop Service Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology, 1st Floor, Building of the Authority for Innovation, No. 113 Tran Duy Hung Street, Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi City.
The dossier envelope must clearly state: Application dossier for funding of the applied research task in 2026 and the field registered for funding.
In the case of submission via postal service, the submission time shall be determined according to the postmark of the place of dispatch. The dossier must be sent before the application receipt deadline and delivered to the Foundation within an appropriate period to facilitate the review of its validity in accordance with regulations.
The Foundation encourages the submission of applications using digital signatures in accordance with the policy of administrative procedure reform, digitalization and transparency in the management of science, technology and innovation tasks.
7. Tentative implementation plan
a) Application submission period
– Start: 8:00 a.m., July 10, 2026;
– End: 5:00 p.m., August 10, 2026.
b) Announcement of results
Expected before November 10, 2026.