Vietnamese science and technology projects have the opportunity to receive funding from Europe
Vietnamese science and technology projects can access nearly 100 billion euros in investment from Europe under the Horizon Europe program, especially in the fields of AI and quantum.
At the EU-Vietnam Research and Innovation Day 2025, held on the afternoon of October 28 within the framework of Digital Week 2025, Mr. Neville Reeve, representative of the European Commission, shared about the Horizon Europe program, in which he assessed Vietnam as one of the countries with great potential to participate in the program.
Horizon Europe is the EU's flagship funding programme for research and innovation, with a budget of €95.5 billion for 2021-2027, focusing on issues such as tackling climate change, boosting EU competitiveness and growth. One of its pillars is to promote international cooperation, increase the impact of research and innovation, and support the creation and sharing of excellent knowledge and technology.
Mr. Neville Reeve speaks at the event. Photo: Luu Quy
According to Mr. Reeve, in the period 2014-2020, Vietnam ranked third in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of projects participating in Horizon 2020. "Vietnam's position has increased a lot since 2020, and there is a lot of room for development in science, technology and engineering," said Mr. Reeve.
The European Commission representative also suggested that among the 11 strategic technology groups proposed by Vietnam, technology fields such as AI, quantum, and big data would be suitable fields for the two sides to combine.
At the event, Mr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development Nafosted, proposed a co-funding mechanism between the foundation and the Horizon Europe program. Emphasizing the view that "science only develops when knowledge and trust cross borders", Mr. Chien said that Vietnam and Europe share a common vision of science and innovation to serve sustainable and inclusive development.
According to Mr. Chien, Vietnam is the third country qualified to join Horizon Europe. A number of Vietnamese research institutes and universities have participated in projects on agriculture, materials and information technology.
However, Vietnam's participation in Horizon Europe is still mainly at the beneficiary level. "To go further, Vietnam needs to change its role from participation to co-financing, and finally co-ownership," Mr. Chien said. "The next step will be from single participation to institutional partnership, through the co-financing mechanism."
Mr. Dao Ngoc Chien speaks at the event. Photo: Luu Quy
Based on the experience of Korea, Singapore, and Japan, the Director of Nafosted Fund proposed a co-funding model between the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development and Horizon Europe, with three levels, of which level one is co-funding at the project level, piloting in the fields of AI, Health or Energy in the period 2026-2027.
The next level will be program-level co-financing, possibly in collaboration with the EU-Vietnam Cooperation Fund (EUVCF), and progress to level three – a common data and governance platform, which will help both sides track progress, results and impact in real time.
"The benefits will be bilateral," said Mr. Chien, saying that co-financing will help the EU expand its network of partners in Southeast Asia and increase the efficiency of using Horizon Europe funds, while Vietnam will have the opportunity to access world-leading resources, international governance standards, and improve the capacity of research institutes and scientific talent.
"Nafosted is always ready to cooperate closely with EU partners to build a framework where science has no boundaries," Mr. Chien affirmed.
At the event, Mr. Hoang Huu Hanh, Deputy Director of the National Digital Transformation Agency, emphasized that Vietnam considers science, technology and innovation as the driving force of national development and a bridge connecting Vietnam with the world.
Programmes like Horizon Europe, according to Mr. Hanh, provide opportunities for Vietnamese researchers, universities and businesses to access advanced knowledge, funding and international networks.
“The cooperation will help Vietnamese scientists and innovators work side by side with their European colleagues, strengthen trust, share ideas and together create solutions to global challenges,” said Mr. Hanh.
Luu Quy
According to VnExpress