Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has called on the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to improve working conditions for the country’s scientists and ensure proper income and opportunities for promotion.

At a working session with the ministry’s leadership on June 27, the party leader has also asked the ministry to invest heavily in technology development at universities and research institutes and seek ways to attract investment in scientific-technological research from all economic sectors.

Priority should be given to the training of experts and policies to lure overseas Vietnamese and foreign scientists to work in the country, he said.

The Party General Secretary added that the national strategy on sci-tech development being mapped out by the ministry should include detailed policies for sci-tech intellectuals.

He praised achievements made by MoST, saying the ministry has created and perfected a legal foundation for scientific operations and efficiently performed tasks under a government action programme and a sci-tech development strategy.

The ministry has also contributed to the formation of a technology market through the organisation of numerous national and regional tech-marts as well as the distribution of scientific products, he said.

Manh, however, noted that the slow implementation of relevant regulations and low efficiency in scientific research are hindering sci-tech development.