What NAFOSTED does

NAFOSTED (Quỹ Phát triển Khoa học và Công nghệ Quốc gia / National Foundation for Science and Technology Development) is Vietnam's national funding agency for science and technology research, established in 2008 by Vietnamese government decree and operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). The foundation's core function is to disburse public funds supporting basic and applied research across natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities, serving Vietnamese individual researchers, scientists, academic institutions, and research institutes. Its principal funding programmes include the Basic Research Funding Programme (covering exploratory projects at 1,200–1,800 million VND and development projects at 3,000–4,500 million VND per project in natural sciences and engineering, plus 3,500 million VND for social sciences and humanities, with project durations of 36–60 months), the Applied Research Funding Programme, the International Cooperation Programme (operating bilateral frameworks with Australia via AVSTICI, Switzerland via SNSF, Belarus, and Cuba), and a Rural Mountain Science and Technology Application Programme covering 2016–2025. It also administers the prestigious Tạ Quang Bửu Prize, a triennial national award recognizing outstanding basic research achievements, which attracted 97 applications in its 2024 cycle.

The foundation operates a digital Online Management System (Hệ thống Quản lý trực tuyến các nhiệm vụ KH,CN&ĐMST) accessible via e-services.nafosted.gov.vn, providing end-to-end workflow for funded science missions from proposal submission through peer review, contract execution, progress tracking, and acceptance evaluation. NAFOSTED is currently leading the Programme for Excellent Basic Research (PEBR), a 9–10 year national initiative targeting establishment of 30 strong research groups by 2030 and 50 by 2035, with at least 300 international collaborative research projects targeted by 2035. Headquartered at 113 Trần Duy Hưng, Yên Hoà Ward, Hanoi, the organization employs 501–1000 staff and is led by Director Đào Ngọc Chiến with departmental heads overseeing technology development management, digital transformation, and program administration.

As a government state entity wholly funded by Vietnamese state budget appropriations through MoST, NAFOSTED is not a commercial revenue-generating enterprise; its operational budget consists of annual government allocations rather than fees or commercial contracts. The foundation's strategic posture in 2025–2026 reflects significant institutional modernization, including issuance of Decree 229/2026/NĐ-CP (June 25, 2026) replacing prior organizational regulations and aligning NAFOSTED with the 2025 Science, Technology and Innovation Law, plus the launch of multiple new international cooperation frameworks expanding Vietnam's research partnerships globally.

Name

NAFOSTED

Legal name

Quỹ Phát triển Khoa học và Công nghệ Quốc gia

Website

https://nafosted.gov.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NAFOSTED is Vietnam's national government science funding agency operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Established in 2008, it disburses public research grants to Vietnamese researchers, universities, and institutions while administering the Tạ Quang Bửu Prize and bilateral international cooperation programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government research funding administration

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

Keywords

• National science foundation
• Research grant administration
• Basic research funding
• Applied research grants
• International research cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanoi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: NAFOSTED receives annual funding from the Vietnamese government through the Ministry of Science and Technology to support basic research, applied research, and international scientific cooperation programs. The foundation operates as a non-profit government agency distributing public funds for national science and technology development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NAFOSTED is Vietnam's national foundation for science and technology development, operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology. It administers competitive research grants for basic and applied science, runs bilateral international research cooperation programs (e.g., SNSF Switzerland, AVSTICI Australia, Belarus, Cuba), and manages the triennial Ta Quang Buu Prize for outstanding basic research. Funding is disbursed directly to Vietnamese researchers, research groups, and institutions through a national online management system covering proposal, review, contracting, and acceptance.

Product overview

NAFOSTED (National Foundation for Science and Technology Development) is Vietnam's national funding organization for science and technology, not a typical software product company. It operates multiple funding programmes: the core Basic Research Funding Programme supporting natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities (exploratory and development projects); Applied Research Funding for practical outcomes; International Cooperation Programme with bilateral partners including Australia (AVSTICI), Switzerland (SNSF), Belarus and Cuba; and the Rural Science & Technology Application Programme. The organization administers the online management system (OMS) at e-services.nafosted.gov.vn for the full lifecycle of funded missions from proposal to acceptance. NAFOSTED also administers the prestigious Tạ Quang Bửu Prize, a triennial award for outstanding basic research achievements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Giải thưởng Tạ Quang Bửu (Ta Quang Buu Prize): prestigious national award for outstanding basic research achievements, organized triennially by the Ministry of Science and Technology with NAFOSTED as secretariat

Products and services

• Chương trình tài trợ nghiên cứu cơ bản (Basic Research Funding Programme) Competitive grant programme supporting basic scientific research in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities, with project durations of 36–60 months. Funding amounts for natural sciences/engineering: 1,200–1,800 million VND for exploratory projects; 3,000–4,500 million VND for development projects. Designed for Vietnamese researchers, research groups, and institutions.
• Chương trình tài trợ nghiên cứu ứng dụng (Applied Research Funding Programme) Funding programme for applied research tasks targeting practical applications and technology development outcomes, provided to Vietnamese researchers and institutions.
• Chương trình hợp tác quốc tế (International Cooperation Programme) International research cooperation funding programme operating bilateral joint calls with partner countries including Australia (AVSTICI), Switzerland (SNSF), Belarus, and Cuba. Supports joint research projects between Vietnamese and foreign scientists across agriculture, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, social sciences, new energy technology, sustainable marine economy, and waste recycling management.
• Chương trình hỗ trợ ứng dụng, chuyển giao KH&CN nông thôn miền núi (Rural Mountain Science & Technology Application Programme) Programme supporting application and transfer of scientific and technological advances for socio-economic development in rural, mountainous, and ethnic minority areas of Vietnam, covering the period 2016–2025.
• Giải thưởng Tạ Quang Bửu (Ta Quang Buu Prize) Prestigious triennial national science award honouring Vietnamese scientists with outstanding basic research achievements, administered by NAFOSTED on behalf of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Award categories include up to 5 main prizes plus 2 young scientist prizes per cycle, across natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities.
• Chương trình hỗ trợ nâng cao năng lực KH&CN Quốc gia (National Science & Technology Capacity Enhancement Support) Support programmes to enhance national science and technology capabilities, including scientific integrity, research standards, and infrastructure development across Vietnamese research institutions and universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established approximately 30 strong research groups by 2030 and 50 by 2035 under PEBR programme
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Belarus - State Science and Technology CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026NAFOSTED signed a co-funding mechanism agreement with Belarus State Science and Technology Committee as part of the 12th Vietnam-Belarus Joint Committee meeting on science and technology cooperation (June 29 - July 3, 2026).
• Cuba - Republic of CubacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2026Bilateral science and technology cooperation framework with Cuba, including joint research task funding in 2026 within the framework of scientific cooperation agreements between the two governments.
• Australia - Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Vietnam-Australia Joint Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Initiative (AVSTICI) with focus on new energy technology, sustainable marine economy, and waste recycling management. Vietnam Vietnam assigned NAFOSTED as focal point for program implementation.
• VINIF (Vingroup Innovation Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026Co-organized 'Homecoming for Vietnamese Scientists 2026' conference with NAFOSTED and VinUni to create forum for attracting and developing high-quality scientific human resources for Vietnam.
• VinUni (Vingroup University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2025Strategic cooperation in scientific research, technology development, innovation and high-quality human resource training. Four focus areas: (1) Co-funding mechanisms for joint research projects, (2) Joint scientific conferences, (3) Research management platform development, (4) Technology transfer and application support.
• Switzerland - Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Bilateral research funding program (NAFOSTED-SNSF) supporting joint research projects between Vietnamese and Swiss scientists. 10 approved projects in 2025 covering agriculture, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, and social sciences.
• Vietnam Ministry of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAFOSTED operates under the Ministry of Science and Technology as the executing agency for national science funding programs and international cooperation in science and technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central public funding organization for academic research, supporting projects across all disciplines through competitive grants. Comparable to NAFOSTED in mission (basic research funding), governance structure (self-governing research organization), and international cooperation focus.
• National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF): South Korea's central government agency for funding basic and applied research across all academic fields. Directly comparable to NAFOSTED as a national research funding foundation in an Asian emerging-economy context, with similar international cooperation priorities.
• National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC): China's primary government agency for funding basic and applied research across natural sciences and engineering. Closest emerging-market peer to NAFOSTED in mission, scale, and government-mandated structure; both fund national research groups and prioritize strategic technology areas.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Switzerland's federal agency for scientific research funding, explicitly a current bilateral partner of NAFOSTED (NAFOSTED-SNSF programme, 10 joint projects approved in 2025). Directly comparable as a government-mandated basic-research grantmaking foundation with active international co-funding.
• National Science Foundation (NSF): The United States' primary federal agency for supporting basic research across non-medical fields, funded by congressional appropriation. Directly comparable to NAFOSTED as a government-mandated national basic-research funding foundation with competitive grant programmes and international cooperation.
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS): Japan's core national funding body for scientific research, doctoral fellowship programmes, and international scientific cooperation. Comparable to NAFOSTED in operating government-mandated research funding programmes and bilateral international partnerships across Asia and beyond.

Broad incumbents

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): The United Kingdom's main public funder of research and innovation, formed by merging seven research councils. Broader than NAFOSTED in scope (includes innovation and applied research) but shares the same model of government-mandated competitive basic-research funding with international bilateral programmes.
• Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): India's premier government scientific R&D organization, funding and conducting research across a broad spectrum of science and technology. Broader than NAFOSTED (combines funding with in-house labs) but the closest South Asian peer in scale and emerging-economy R&D priorities.

Emerging players

• National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa: South Africa's government agency for promoting and supporting research across all fields of science and humanities. Comparable to NAFOSTED as an emerging-market national research funder, though operating at smaller scale and with different priority areas.

Regional players

• Russian Science Foundation (RSF): Russia's government-funded foundation supporting basic and exploratory research across all fields. Comparable in mission and grantmaking model to NAFOSTED, though currently operating in a restricted international environment that has curtailed bilateral cooperation — a relevant contrast for assessing international-program risk.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@QuyPTKHCNQG
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61563646987839
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-foundation-for-science-and-technology-development-nafosted

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NAFOSTED