Science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation must directly contribute to growth

On March 31, Mr. Trinh Xuan Truong, Secretary of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee and Head of the provincial Steering Committee for the development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, chaired the Steering Committee’s first meeting of 2026.

General view of the meeting.

According to the Steering Committee’s report, in the first quarter of 2026, the province implemented tasks in line with the Politburo’s Resolution 57. To date, telecommunications infrastructure has continued to expand, with mobile network coverage reaching nearly 100% of the population. The provincial data center has been inaugurated. Digital transformation in handling administrative procedures has achieved many positive results.

Thai Nguyen currently ranks third nationwide in the index measuring services for citizens and businesses. In the field of science and technology, the province is implementing 80 research projects, with the rate of application of accepted research outcomes reaching approximately 65%.

However, several targets related to digital infrastructure, data development, and the quality of public services have yet to meet set goals. The commercialization of research results remains slow. The innovation and startup ecosystem has not developed as expected. Digital skills among citizens are still limited, while human resources for digital transformation remain insufficient in both quantity and quality.

To ensure information security, cybersecurity, and data protection, the Steering Committee assigned relevant agencies to study and develop a provincial cybersecurity center.

In his concluding remarks, the Provincial Party Secretary required that implementation tasks be translated into clear, practical outputs closely linked to the goal of making direct contributions to the province’s economic growth. He also stressed the need to add new tasks, including improving indicators such as total factor productivity (TFP), the digital economy, innovation, and labor productivity, to support analysis and governance.

In addition, he called for the launch of emulation movements in science, technology, and innovation, and continued implementation of the “100 Days and Nights of Digitalization” and “180 Days and Nights of Land Data Digitalization” programs.