Encourage scientists to dare to think and dare to do

In recent times, one of the problems for scientists has been the lack of clear regulations and mechanisms regarding risks in scientific research. The 2013 Law on Science and Technology and its guiding documents have created a basic legal framework to protect scientists, but there are no detailed regulations on risk management, and no mention of high-risk research.

Therefore, management agencies and public opinion all believe that state-funded research projects must be successful, and if they are not successful, they will be considered wasteful, causing loss of state budget, and the project leader will have to recover the funding and will not be able to receive projects for the next few years. This leads to a situation where scientists are not bold enough to register for challenging projects, and highly creative products also limit the opportunities for research and development.

Scientists and management agencies have repeatedly stated that considering investment in science and technology as a normal investment, requiring results commensurate with the investment costs, is not suitable for the characteristics of scientific research. The nature of research activities is to experiment, find new things to apply and always has the potential for failure. However, not all research produces final results or is applied in practice, especially basic research of a pioneering nature, which is the premise for applied research. Moreover, whether or not it is applied in practice depends largely on the capacity of society.

Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation has recently removed the above-mentioned barriers with the innovative regulation of "accepting risks, risky investments and delays in scientific research, technology development and innovation". Accepting risks as one of the methods to implement creative breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation. Many opinions believe that Resolution No. 57 will certainly encourage scientists to dare to think, dare to do, dare to take on tasks when accessing state budget investment sources for science and technology and innovation.

According to experts, even in developed countries, the rate of successful topics applied in practice is only about 20-30%. That is also the reason why developed countries have a system of venture capital funds and a culture of accepting failure in research, thanks to which they have unicorn businesses, technology corporations with many high-tech products.

In the country, the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) with its new governance model has long accepted failure as an inevitable part of research activities, through transparency of research results, reporting risks honestly and promptly, exempting the project leader from responsibility and considering unsuccessful research as a lesson to help scientists avoid failure in future tasks.

In the coming time, the 2013 Law on Science and Technology and related laws need to be adjusted to create a favorable legal corridor, promote science, technology and innovation; risks in scientific research need to be accepted according to international practices and standards.

Many scientists recommend that it is necessary to clarify the concept of risk in scientific research, group the types of risks that may be encountered in the process of implementing topics and tasks and solutions for each type of risk to help scientists have an overall view in the process of implementing topics and tasks. Because breakthrough research is often high-risk, the State needs to establish a fund to support highly creative but high-risk research to encourage new ideas.

Instead of relying on safety or short-term success, the fund will focus on assessing the long-term potential and innovation of projects, encouraging risk-taking to achieve important technological breakthroughs. In addition, research teams will be encouraged to cooperate with international organizations and institutes to learn and implement innovative ideas, reducing risks through cooperation and knowledge sharing. On the scientists' side, it is necessary to improve the quality of research, and need experts to support the assessment of the feasibility and breakthrough of projects as well as provide professional advice during the research process.

In addition, it is necessary to invest in developing laboratories and shared technology infrastructure to enhance research potential in universities and research institutes; have policies to promote connections between research institutes and businesses to optimize resources and expand the practical application of research.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/khuyen-khich-nha-khoa-hoc-dam-nghi-dam-lam-post858807.html