STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION OF VNU UNIVERSITY OF LAW THROUGH 2030, WITH A VISION TO 2045
I. Perspectives
1.1.
Scientific research, innovation, knowledge dissemination and knowledge transfer constitute the pillars and key drivers for developing VNU University of Law as a research-oriented university with a pioneering mission, maintaining its foundations and shaping development trends in modern Vietnamese legal scholarship; contributing to maintaining and enhancing its position as a leading national center for education and training, research, policy and legal consultation and critique, and becoming one of the reputable institutions for education and training, scientific research, and innovation in the field of legal studies in the region.
1.2.
Encouraging creativity and promoting academic freedom constitute important foundations for the development of legal science and represent a longstanding tradition of VNU University of Law.
1.3.
The development of legal science shall serve the Fatherland and the People, with all efforts directed toward the goal of a “prosperous people, strong country, democracy, justice and civilization,” while serving the community.
1.4.
The internationalization, socialization and commercialization of research activities and research outputs are important orientations for further improving quality, promoting successful international integration, and optimizing resources for development investment.
1.5.
Governance shall be reformed toward greater streamlining and efficiency, accompanied by digital transformation and enhanced application of scientific and technological achievements to the development of legal science, in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and international integration.
1.6.
Basic legal research shall constitute a pillar, while promoting interdisciplinary research shall be a priority for investment and development. High-quality research outputs shall serve as a foundation for modernizing and internationalizing training programs, affirming and enhancing the quality of education and training, and preserving and developing the brand of VNU University of Law.
1.7.
Investment in scientific development shall be comprehensive, practical and effective, consistent with the national development objectives identified by the Party, aligned with the development strategies of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and the University through 2030, with a vision to 2045, and responsive to the requirements of university autonomy in the new context.
II. Objectives
2.1. Overall Objective
By 2030, science, technology and innovation shall become one of the key pillars and drivers of development, making a decisive contribution to establishing VNU University of Law as a high-quality research-oriented university and a leading, reputable and highly internationally integrated center in Vietnam for legal education and training, research, policy consultation, knowledge transfer, innovation, community service and the provision of legal science services. The University shall take a pioneering role in shaping development trends in modern Vietnamese legal scholarship, rank among the leading reputable law schools in Southeast Asia, and by 2045 become one of Asia’s reputable law schools with a strong regional and international brand.
2.2. Specific Objectives
By 2030, with a vision to 2045, VNU University of Law shall achieve the following specific objectives in science, technology and innovation:
– Establish and develop research groups, research centers and research organizations with a high level of international integration and a leading position in domestic legal science. Each research group, center or organization should be capable of producing at least one flagship research output with its own distinctive brand, significant social impact, potential for commercialization, and community value.
– Establish a number of leading and distinctive schools of legal thought in Vietnam, bringing together reputable domestic and international leading experts, with distinctive identities and contributions to shaping the development trends of modern Vietnamese legal scholarship, while promoting the internationalization and quality of the University’s legal education and research activities.
– Make high-quality international publications an established academic culture and a quality benchmark for the University’s scientific workforce. The University’s scientific publication capacity shall consistently exceed the average publication standards applicable to faculty members of reputable domestic institutions providing legal education and conducting legal research.
– Make student research an integral part of the University’s academic culture and identity, a benchmark for evaluating the quality of education and learning outcomes of training programs, and an inseparable and distinctive component of the University’s high-quality educational products.
– Establish the University and its affiliated scientific research organizations as trusted and reputable partners for the Party, the State, society and international organizations in policy consultation and critique, and in providing high-quality legal science services for the country.
– Develop or participate in reputable domestic and international academic forums so as to serve as platforms for bringing together and connecting experts, disseminating knowledge, and promoting an open-minded and high-quality approach to legal scholarship. Develop the Vietnam Academic Law Forum (VALF) into one of the most reputable scientific forums in Southeast Asia, widely recognized and attracting the participation of leading regional and international experts. Develop the VNU University of Law Spring Forum (VSLF) into a reputable legal academic forum and a platform for bringing together and connecting young scholars from Vietnam and abroad.
– Fully digitalize governance in the fields of science, technology and innovation, implementing smart governance to effectively support the achievement and advancement of the University’s strategic objectives in science, technology and innovation.
– Develop the University’s scientific journal into a reputable journal recognized by prestigious organizations and indexed in reputable international journal databases in the field of law.
– Ensure sustainable financial autonomy for science, technology and innovation activities. Revenue generated from the University’s science, technology and innovation activities shall not only be capable of covering all costs of developing these activities but also contribute to increasing the overall revenue of VNU University of Law.
III. Key Tasks
3.1. Develop VNU University of Law as a research-oriented and innovation-driven university in response to the requirements of university autonomy and the University’s development strategy in the new phase
Study domestic and international experience, as well as legal requirements, conditions, standards and criteria and infrastructure requirements, in order to promptly consolidate and develop VNU University of Law as a research-oriented and innovation-driven university in the context of university autonomy and modern, streamlined and effective governance.
3.2. Reform university governance and science and technology governance toward greater streamlining, modernity and efficiency; accelerate digital transformation and comprehensively apply scientific and technological achievements in science and technology governance
Decisively reform the modern university governance model toward greater streamlining and efficiency, including governance of science and technology. Promptly achieve digital transformation, develop and operate modern, user-friendly and integrated management software. Digitize and connect science and technology data with other integrated and unified databases to effectively support education and training, research, innovation, knowledge dissemination, promotion and commercialization of products and the University’s brand, thereby contributing to the effective use of resources and the University’s new legal status.
3.3. Develop research groups, strong research groups under new standards, and key research, service, policy consultation and policy critique centers to generate scientific outputs with significant impact, strong brands and high social credibility
Study the conditions and requirements and develop policy mechanisms to promote and improve the effectiveness of research groups and strong research groups. Recognize research groups and strong research groups as distinctive features of a research-oriented and innovation-driven university model and as important factors in connecting scientists and scientific and technological organizations domestically and internationally, contributing to the development and enhancement of human resources, improving the quality of research outputs, creating research incentives, and shaping and supporting the development of major schools of research within the University. Each school of thought and research group shall develop outputs with distinctive brands and identities consistent with the University’s traditions and development orientations and possessing significant social influence and credibility.
Develop policy mechanisms to encourage the establishment and development of research centers, including both existing and new research centers. Create breakthroughs in human resources policies and governance mechanisms, ensuring autonomy and accountability while remaining consistent with the University’s development orientations, strategy and legal status; encourage and support research centers to promote the internationalization of research activities and outputs. Classify research centers according to their respective functions and responsibilities and develop appropriate mechanisms and policies to enable them to produce distinctive scientific outputs with significant impact and strong brands.
3.4. Develop cooperation, promote integration, and internationalize scientific research and innovation activities and outputs
Develop activities and forms of cooperation with partners, promote international cooperation, develop academic networks, and maintain and expand reputable international partnerships in order to effectively mobilize resources for science and technology and internationalize research activities, including scholar exchanges, enhancing faculty capacity for high-quality international publications, joint publishing, co-organizing academic forums, seminars, conferences and academic discussions, jointly implementing research projects and programs, and jointly utilizing scientific data from international organizations and partners for research and innovation.
Develop policies and mechanisms for human resource development in line with internationalization trends, with effective mechanisms to promote and support improvements in the capacity, quality and quantity of high-quality international publications.
3.5. Develop mechanisms and policies to attract high-quality and highly internationally integrated human resources, while focusing on internationalizing and developing the existing workforce
Develop preferential mechanisms and policies regarding the working environment, working conditions and remuneration for high-quality scientists with strong academic reputations and extensive academic networks; attract and retain existing scientists and nurture and develop the current workforce to improve the quality and quantity of scientific outputs and internationalize research activities and outputs. Outstanding researchers with high academic reputations are important factors in providing leadership and creating the foundation for developing research groups and centers, building an increasingly high-quality and highly qualified workforce, promoting international integration, and ensuring alignment with the University’s development orientations and strategy.
3.6. Develop the Legal Studies Special Issue into a specialized law journal of VNU University of Law with a high degree of international integration and internationalization and inclusion in reputable international journal indexes
Implement the relevant Project together with appropriate policies and mechanisms to develop the Legal Studies Special Issue into one of Vietnam’s leading reputable specialized law journals, with a high level of international integration and internationalization, by the end of 2027. Establish appropriate management mechanisms, organizational structures and human resources, and expand international cooperation so that by the end of 2030 the law journal of VNU University of Law is indexed in reputable international journal databases.
3.7. Identify priority research directions
During the 2025–2030 period, with a vision to 2045, the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation shall focus on the following priority research directions:
– Study the viewpoints, ideologies and policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam to contribute to the successful development of a socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam of the People, by the People and for the People, and propose specific solutions for institutional reform, particularly legal institutional reform, in response to the requirements of the New Era and the era of the nation’s rise.
– Study and propose models and principles of modern, streamlined, effective and efficient national governance consistent with the objectives of building a socialist rule-of-law state, international integration, a socialist-oriented market economy, and the context of the Party-initiated and Party-led reform of organizational structures and administrative apparatuses toward greater streamlining.
– Conduct research and provide consultation to the Party and the State on major relationships, such as the relationship between Party leadership, State management and the People’s exercise of mastery, as well as the relationship among the Party, the State, the Market and Society.
– Promote research in foundational legal sciences and intensify theoretical research on the State and law to meet the need for strengthening the theoretical foundations of law in response to the country’s development requirements in the New Era.
– Conduct research and provide scientific consultation and recommendations on solutions for continuing reforms in the legislative, executive and judicial sectors, consistent with the objectives of building a socialist rule-of-law state, international integration and the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
– Conduct research and propose solutions and policy recommendations to take a pioneering role in addressing issues facing Vietnamese society in the context of the accelerated development and use of artificial intelligence.
– Continue to conduct research and propose solutions and policy recommendations to improve mechanisms for controlling state power in Vietnam and preventing and combating corruption, waste and misconduct. Provide consultation on improving mechanisms and models for organizing state power in response to the requirements of a socialist rule-of-law state in Vietnam. Continue to conduct research and propose solutions and policy recommendations to improve models and mechanisms for decentralization and delegation of powers in Vietnam.
– Conduct research and provide consultation to the Party and the State on theoretical and practical issues concerning the path toward socialism from the perspective of institutions, particularly legal institutions and the organization of state power, in response to the requirements of the country’s new era of development.
– Conduct research and propose solutions to improve the legal framework in the fields of private law and international commercial law in response to the requirements of international integration and the improvement of Vietnam’s socialist-oriented market economy institutions.
– Conduct research to improve criminal law and the criminal justice system toward greater democracy, openness, transparency, rigor, accessibility and international integration, while protecting justice and human rights.
– Conduct research and propose orientations for improving legislation and enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement concerning human rights and citizens’ rights, as well as mechanisms for protecting, guaranteeing and promoting human rights and citizens’ rights, in accordance with the Party’s documents and solutions for implementation.
– Conduct research and propose solutions to improve Vietnamese law in response to the requirements of sustainable development and to effectively address challenges relating to non-traditional security, security, peace, borders and territories in a volatile and unpredictable world.
IV. Implementation Solutions
– Develop and effectively implement the University’s Strategy for the Development of Science, Technology and Innovation through 2030, with a vision to 2045.
– Continue to improve policies, regulations and implementation mechanisms to promote high-quality international publications, while encouraging international publications by research groups and students.
– Improve mechanisms and policies for developing high-quality human resources with international integration capacity. Develop appropriate mechanisms and policies to attract reputable international experts to work and collaborate with the University.
– Improve mechanisms and policies for developing research groups and strong research groups toward reducing administrative constraints, ensuring autonomy and accountability, and providing greater support for the creation of branded final outputs aligned with the development orientations of the respective groups and capable of commercialization.
– Develop projects for establishing new research centers and organizations within the University. Reorganize and classify existing centers and organizations and develop appropriate financial, human resource and infrastructure policies so that each affiliated research center or organization can produce a branded final output with a high degree of international integration and potential for commercialization and transfer.
– Develop policies to encourage basic research and research serving policy consultation for the Party and the State in the new development context, as well as research serving the community.
– Improve regulations on intellectual property management. Develop mechanisms and policies for managing, protecting and developing the University’s intellectual property assets, together with mechanisms to encourage and support their exploitation and commercialization.
– Decisively implement and concretize new policies and regulations concerning faculty regimes and policies and regulations on the development of science, technology and innovation.
– Develop the Science, Technology and Innovation Development Fund and establish appropriate mechanisms and regulations to ensure financial autonomy and attract and rationally allocate financial resources for the development of science, technology and innovation.
– Reform governance, apply technology in management, and promote digital transformation in scientific, technological and innovation activities. Reform the governance mindset toward an output-oriented approach and develop specific plans and roadmaps for achieving the strategic objectives of science, technology and innovation.
– Establish mechanisms and policies to promote international cooperation in science and technology, particularly by supporting and encouraging participation in international academic forums and developing cooperation in science, technology and innovation with reputable international partners.
– Effectively and promptly implement the Project for the Development of the University’s scientific journal in accordance with the roadmap toward developing it into a reputable international journal.
– Strengthen communication and dissemination of the Strategy and the objectives for the development of science, technology and innovation, build consensus, and mobilize comprehensive resources to develop priority objectives and research directions and create breakthrough outputs with strong brands.
– Innovate communication activities concerning science, technology and innovation in order to affirm the University’s brand as a leading national academic center for policy consultation and the provision of legal science services, with the capacity to orient and lead academic discourse and with a strong spirit of intellectual openness and social responsibility among its scientists. This shall help the University’s scientific research products and activities gain wider recognition and support the effective commercialization of its scientific outputs.
– Establish mechanisms and policies to develop science, technology and innovation activities among students, recognizing students’ activities, quality and outputs in science, technology and innovation as an important component of the University’s overall development strategy as a high-quality research-oriented university. These mechanisms and policies shall actively support students in achieving learning outcomes, contribute to building a capable and forward-looking next generation, and promote the development of the University’s research schools.
V. Implementation Arrangements
The University Council shall supervise the implementation, while the President of VNU University of Law shall direct and assume overall responsibility for leading the implementation of the Strategy.
One Vice President shall be assigned primary responsibility for implementing the Strategy. Other Vice Presidents shall participate, while advisory councils, deans, heads of research centers, heads of units under the University, and heads of research groups and strong research groups shall provide advice and recommendations and implement research directions, research programs and tasks, and specific research activities.
– The Office of Science Management and Development Cooperation shall serve as the focal point for implementation, develop detailed plans, and advise on specific methods and measures to ensure effective implementation in accordance with the objectives of the Strategy.
– Annually, based on this Strategy, the University’s units shall develop detailed plans to concretize the identified objectives and tasks. Where adjustments are necessary, the Office of Science Management and Development Cooperation shall serve as the focal point for consolidating proposals and reporting them to the President and the Vice President directly responsible for consideration and decision.
– Heads of units under the University and heads of research groups and strong research groups shall fully, comprehensively and promptly communicate the contents of the Strategy to all staff members, employees and workers within their respective units and groups.
– By the end of 2027, the University shall conduct a mid-term review of the implementation of the Strategy. On that basis, it shall evaluate implementation effectiveness, propose implementation approaches for the 2027–2030 period, with a vision to 2045, and propose amendments and supplements where necessary.