When private resources come together

From effective models around the world…

Scientific research or research and development (R&D) plays an increasingly important role in determining the position and potential of a country. Leading countries in the technology field such as the US, Germany, South Korea and Israel always show the world's leading R&D spending, accounting for 3 to 4% of GDP.

In the United States - the country with the largest R&D investment budget in the world, according to statistics from the National Center for Science and Technology Statistics, in 2023, the proposed federal budget for R&D is 191 billion USD, an increase of 12.7% compared to 2022. Looking more broadly, in 2020, 700 billion USD of GDP contribution in the United States was spent on research and development, far exceeding Japan (172 billion USD), Germany (147 billion USD), South Korea (111 billion USD) and significantly different from China (465 billion USD).

Đầu tư cho nghiên cứu khoa học: Khi nguồn lực tư nhân cùng ghé vai - Ảnh 1.

This huge amount of money is funded through government funds such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NASA, the Pentagon or defense and security investment units. In addition, we must mention the world's leading technology companies such as Alphabet (Google's parent company), Microsoft, Meta, Apple or Amazon... In 2021, the "Big Fives" alone spent up to 149 billion USD on R&D, including mergers and acquisitions of other technology companies.

And we cannot fail to mention Private Funds and Non-profit Funds, a resource that has gradually asserted its position in recent years through funding R&D effectively, quickly and globally.

First of all, we must mention the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - the world's largest charitable organization, funded by Bill Gates, chairman and founder of Microsoft Corporation, and his wife, Melinda Gates. This is the largest private foundation in the world, with $46.8 billion in assets and will continue to increase after the donation commitments of benefactors. Since 2000, the Foundation has sponsored a total of $53.8 billion with the aim of improving health care and reducing poverty on a global scale. The Foundation has made its mark with funding for vaccine research, infectious disease control, family planning as well as programs to develop health policies, agriculture and administrative management in poor countries. As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, with its experience and resources in the field of public health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spent billions of dollars on technologies to develop vaccines against nCov, opened the Covax Mechanism - Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, as well as funded testing and protection tools for health organizations.

In addition, we can mention Funds such as Simons Foundation (USA) which funds individuals to carry out research projects in 4 areas: Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Autism Research, Science, Society and Culture; Ford Foundation (USA) which funds scientific research, education, charity and social welfare; Tatatrusts (India) which supports issues of health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, livelihoods, social equity and inclusion, skills development, migration and urbanization, environment and energy, digital literacy, sports, arts, crafts and culture, disaster management, etc.

Not only investing directly in science and technology, many funds in the world today also invest in improving the quality of human resources through scholarships, training programs and academic exchanges. For example, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, established by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, is sponsored by many partners. The Fund was established in 1860, aiming to promote international academic cooperation with an annual budget of nearly 150 million Euros. Another example, in Vietnam in the past, the activities of the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) also received many positive responses. This is a Fund established by the US Congress to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam. In more than 10 years of operation, VEF has awarded nearly 600 scholarships to Vietnamese citizens to study in the United States, sponsored 55 Vietnamese PhDs to do research and 48 US professors to teach at universities in Vietnam. Following that success, VEF2.0 is being implemented by the community of researchers and scholars who previously received VEF scholarships, becoming a non-profit Foundation with the goal of supporting outstanding Vietnamese students in science and technology fields.

Obviously, the above private and non-profit funds have been creating global influence, associated with timely and effective activities in hot spots around the world, as well as providing significant resources for the innovation process in science and technology. In Vietnam in particular, the above "external resources" have partly relieved the "thirst" in the science and technology community, but also posed an urgent need for comprehensive, sustainable, and easily accessible "internal resources" to help Vietnamese scientists wholeheartedly devote themselves to their research careers.

…to the role of pioneer in Vietnam

Inspired by private funds around the world, Vingroup Innovation Foundation (VINIF) is the first private fund in Vietnam with a budget of thousands of billions of VND committed to completely non-profit funding for scientific research and innovation activities to create positive and sustainable changes for Vietnam. Established in 2018, after 5 years of operation, VINIF has contributed to creating a new research and development culture in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the above-mentioned "external resources" have, to a certain extent, partly relieved the "thirst" in the science and technology community, but also posed an urgent need for comprehensive, sustainable, and easily accessible "internal resources" to help Vietnamese scientists wholeheartedly devote themselves to their research careers.

Like other funds in the world, VINIF focuses on key areas of the country, including science, technology, engineering, medicine, economics, education, culture and history. This focus has expanded over time to promptly meet the needs of society.

With a flexible mechanism and simple procedures from VINIF, scientists have the resources to purchase necessary equipment and machinery, receive appropriate remuneration and fully focus on research, realizing ideas and bringing research results to the world. Young scientists also have the opportunity to participate in projects to develop, accumulate experience in a scientific environment and have a healthy research culture. Nearly 800 billion VND has been disbursed by VINIF through 7 funding programs, helping more than 2,500 domestic scientists access and realize excellent research ideas in many different fields and professions.

In addition to financial support, VINIF has also established a scientific council of 300 scientists who are leading experts in many fields. This is an extremely valuable resource, contributing to the selection and evaluation of potential projects, as well as accompanying, guiding and advising projects throughout the research process.

In the context of limited investment resources for science, technology and innovation, and policy mechanisms in the process of being perfected, the establishment and development of the Vingroup Innovation Fund has breathed new life into the scientific research environment with great potential in Vietnam.