The resolution emphasizes the urgent need to revise legal regulations on science, technology, intellectual property, and taxation to lift barriers, unlock resources, to promote science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

However, bottlenecks exist in the mechanism to attract investment capital for research, innovation, product commercialization, copyright protection, and protection of manufacturing and business enterprises.

In 2016, for example, mechanical engineer Ho Viet Thang, Director of NTN Industrial Chemistry and Technology Co, with 20 years of experience in stainless steel tank manufacturing, identified a flaw: welded joints in stainless steel tanks were prone to rust, leading to rapid deterioration and short product lifespan.

Thang spent two years researching and experimenting, ultimately developing a new technique to join stainless steel tank ends without traditional welding. This invention offers huge savings by increasing the lifespan and reducing the production cost of stainless steel tanks in large-scale manufacturing.

However, lacking capital and a nationwide distribution network, he had to partner with another company to integrate his machine into a major corporation’s stainless steel tank production line. In May 2019, the partner company filed for a utility solution patent, granted by the National Intellectual Property Office (NOIP) in March 2023. However, the certified inventor was the partner company’s director, not Thang.

“If there were mechanisms which allowed easier access to loans for production and business expansion, my invention could benefit hundreds of businesses, factories, and plants, helping them make stainless steel tanks at lower costs. If intellectual property protection regulations were stricter, my research could have been widely adopted, delivering significant benefits to the country and society,” Thang said.

Thang believes that Resolution 57, with its bold approach, shifting from merely protecting intellectual property to promoting assetization, marketization, and commercialization of research results, will be crucial in turning hundreds of thousand of inventions and patents into valuable assets, driving national development. 

Currently, beyond the commercialization challenges, businesses using innovative solutions also face legal risks in disputes. 

“Protecting intellectual property isn’t just about safeguarding researchers by speeding up patent grants. It also requires protecting the rights and obligations of businesses that make and distribute products from these innovations. This is a key issue to address when implementing Resolution 57,” said Vu Van Tam, Director of Viet  TamPhat.

Investment attraction and IP protection 

At a recent meeting with NOIP late last week, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung stressed that intellectual property is integral to the research-investment-production ecosystem, so it is necessary to focus on protecting this ecosystem.

To turn intellectual property into assets, robust protection and exploitation mechanisms are essential. For science, technology, and innovation to thrive sustainably, investment in research and commercialization of research results must be prioritized.

“Intellectual property protection is the foundation for commercialization and attracting investment in science and technology. Research results must become assets that can be valued, transferred, leased, or used as collateral to access capital, forming a market for research outcomes. Only a market can sustain long-term growth in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation,” Hung said.

Alongside with the intellectual property asset development, Hung highlighted the importance of protection. “If a scientist publishes a result today, but the next day someone else commercializes it, the scientist will lose motivation to continue conducting research,” Hung said.

“Without intellectual property, no one will pursue research. Without protection, there’s no fair playground for market growth,” he added.

NOIP reported that in 2024, it handled over 140,000 industrial property applications, a 13.9 percent increase from 2023, the highest ever. For 2025, the target of handling over 163,000 applications poses significant pressure.

Experts note that global commercialization success rates for patents are about 10-15 percent, and achieving this requires a high volume of patents. Therefore, policies should be designed in a way to encourage individuals, businesses and organizations to produce high-quality research eligible for patent registration.

Thai Khang