TTLA: Provincial science and technology management model towards expanding community participation (Case study of Ha Nam province)

DOCTORAL THESIS SUMMARY

Author name:Nguyen Manh Tien

Thesis title:“Provincial science and technology management model towards expanding community participation (Case study of Ha Nam province)”

Dissertation field: Management

Major: Science and Technology Management Code: Pilot

Name of the postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

Clarify theoretical and practical basis and propose a model to expand community participation in science and technology management activities.

Research object: Local Science and Technology Management Model

2. Research methods used

Research documents

The synthesis method combined with analysis is carried out on the basis of analysis, evaluation and synthesis of documents related to community experience in participating in science and technology management activities abroad and some localities in the country that are being and have been effectively implemented.

Study documents of the Government, Ministry of Science and Technology; People's Committee of Ha Nam province and Department of Science and Technology of Ha Nam province on mechanisms and policies to support science and technology development.

Questionnaire interview

To collect quantitative information, the thesis conducted interviews using questionnaires with clustered, stratified, and purely random sampling methods. Each questionnaire aimed to collect information related to the following contents:

Individuals participating in science and technology activities (150 votes)

Individuals at state management agencies of science and technology (50 votes)

Individuals at businesses (50 votes)

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- The authors' overall research can be seen that: In theory, in science and technology management, the relationship between state management and community management is the decisive factor for the effectiveness of management activities. The science and technology management model is only effective in each stage on the basis of resolving the appropriateness in the relationship between the two extremes of the following two forms of management:

+ Managing science and technology activities to serve the decision-making needs of the technocratic classes

+ Management of S&T activities supports the development of political decentralization, participatory democracy, and self-reliance.

The models are still too focused and far from reality. This is the problem that the researcher wants to solve in his research.

- The author has systematized the theoretical basis of the S&T management model in the direction of expanding community participation. Through analyzing and studying the concepts of community, S&T management, community participation,... the author has learned more deeply about S&T management models with many types and distinct characteristics:

Community participation model in management in the province (including: Science and technology management model - purely vertical; Science and technology management model - adaptive; Science and technology management model - co-creation; Science and technology management model - S&T institutions; Science and technology management model - combining multiple sources);

The models have emerged one after another according to the requirements of production and life practices. The later ones are more complete and supplement the previous ones, forming the objective law of increasing community participation.

- According to the author's survey results, in the process of expanding community participation in science and technology activities, Ha Nam province encountered the following difficulties:

Regarding investment policy for science and technology activities:

Regarding policies in training and developing human resources in science and technology:

For policies on dissemination, access, updating and use of information:

- To promote effective management, it is necessary to creatively apply models for 3 communities to participate in science and technology management, including:

Science and Technology Professional Community: Participation Model (By Expertise; By Industry; By Objective; By Chain Objective; Multi-Source Integration)

Citizen Science Community: Participation: (Contract Model; Participation Model; Collaboration Model; Co-creation Model; Collaborative Model)

Geographical S&T community: participation (Providing information; Providing technical infrastructure; Participating in innovation; Endogenous motivation; Endogenous integration)

- One of the solutions that needs to be implemented in the coming time is to develop policies to promote the formation of two types of funds including: Ha Nam Province Science and Technology Development Fund and Science and Technology Development Fund in enterprises...

3.2. Conclusion

Expanding community participation in science and technology management is an inevitable path to develop science and technology and to best exploit the effectiveness of science and technology in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country.

To assess the practical process of community participation in S&T activities in Ha Nam province, the researcher conducted a survey of 250 questionnaires including 3 groups of subjects: individuals participating in S&T activities; individuals working in enterprises and individuals in state management agencies of S&T. These are the three main groups of subjects directly affected by support policies aimed at socializing S&T activities in Ha Nam province.

The survey results show that Ha Nam province has initially developed policies for community participation in science and technology management with the aim of diversifying investment capital sources for science and technology development; expanding the subjects participating in science and technology activities; disseminating information on science and technology... thereby developing the science and technology potential of Ha Nam province. Policies that are little known and have a "weak" impact are often policies related to financial support. Moreover, local enterprises are mainly small enterprises with low charter capital, so they cannot have the "potential" to participate in investing in science and technology activities. Policies that are assessed to have a "high" impact are groups of policies related to dissemination, access, updating and use of information. This is because thanks to the development of science and technology, the dissemination of information on science and technology is more convenient. General policies related to participation in science and technology management in Ha Nam province have not been widely disseminated and effectively implemented.

According to the author's survey results, in the process of implementing the process of participating in the management of science and technology of the community in Ha Nam province, there have been some difficulties in mobilizing investment capital for science and technology activities, mobilizing investment in infrastructure for science and technology activities, mobilizing capital sources outside the state budget such as foreign investment capital, no venture capital funds have been formed, the science and technology market has not been formed, the products of science and technology activities have not been commercially exploited, so they have not brought in revolving investment capital, lack of appropriate legal framework to ensure democracy for creative activities in the field of science and technology, lack of a real trading environment for labor to move between regions, between organizations, between sectors, lack of mechanisms to link the performance of science and technology human resources with the needs of production and social life, habits and needs of information exploitation of organizations and individuals, and have not built a database on technology and information data connecting units.

Therefore, one of the solutions that needs to be implemented in the coming time is to apply the theory of community participation to build special innovative management models formed by two types of funds including: Ha Nam Provincial Science and Technology Development Fund and Science and Technology Development Fund in enterprises.

From theoretical and practical arguments, the author has proven that the initial hypothesis is completely correct, or in other words, the hypothesis has been proven.

Some limitations of the thesis and recommendations for further research

It can be said that research on the model of science and technology management is a difficult problem, requiring researchers to have a comprehensive scope and a complete and clear understanding of the science and technology system. Moreover, research on community participation in science and technology activities is a difficult problem when having to solicit and survey a large number of samples while research resources are limited. For that reason, the author has researched some main contents through resource factors (financial resources, material resources, human resources, information resources) in a specific case study of Ha Nam province. Therefore, it is possible that other factors in a complex science and technology organization and system as well as community participation in each field of science and technology have not been specifically and fully assessed. Thus, in the next research period, under the conditions of permitted resources, the author recommends some research issues:

Promoting community participation in local science and technology management

The role of state management and community participation in science and technology management in Vietnam

Participating in community resources in investment to develop science and technology activities in Vietnam

The role of enterprises in science and technology management in Vietnam

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name: Nguyen Manh Tien

Thesis title: Provincial Science and Technology Management Model Towards Extending Community Participation (Case Study in Ha Nam Province)

Scientific branch of the thesis: Management

Major: Science and Technology Management Code:

The name of postgraduate training institution: The University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Thesis's purpose and objective

- Clarify the theoretical and practical basis and propose a model to extend community participation in science and technology management.

- Research subjects: Local science and technology management model.

2. Research methods

Library research

- Analyze, evaluate and combine a wide range of documents related to successful practices of community participation in S&T management activities in foreign countries and some Vietnamese localities.

- Analyze legal documents of the Government, Ministry of Science and Technology; People's Committee of Ha Nam province and Department of Science and Technology of Ha Nam province on mechanisms and policies to support the development of science and technology.

Questionnaire interview

In order to collect quantitative information, the author conducted a questionnaire with cluster sampling, stratified sampling, and simple random sampling. Each questionnaire aims to collect information related to the following contents:

- Individuals participating in S&T activities (150 respondents);

- Individuals in state agencies on science and technology management (50 respondents);

- Individuals in enterprises (50 respondents).

3. Major results conclusions

3.1. Major results:

- Through literature review, it can be seen that: In theory, in science and technology management, the relationship between state administration and community management is the determinant of the effectiveness of management activities. The S&T management model can only be effective in each phase if it is able to have solution for the appropriacy of relations between two extremes of management:

+ Managing S&T activities to meet the decision-making demands of the technocrats;

+ Managing S&T activities to support the development of political decentralization, participatory democracy, and self-reliant development.

The concentrated and impractical models is the research problem that the author wants to address in his research.

- The author has systematized theoretical basis of the science and technology management model towards extending community participation. By analyzing and exploring the concepts of community, S&T management, community participation, ... the authors have studied in depth different S&T management models with their own characteristics:

The provincial models of community participation in S&T management include vertical model, adaptation model, co-creation model, S&T institution model, multi-sources model;

The appearances of these models, meet the requirements of production and life, have complemented and supplemented to former models and establish the objective law of increasing community participation

- According to the survey results, the process of extending community participation in S&T activities of Ha Nam province has encountered the following difficulties:

Regarding investment policy for S&T activities:

Regarding policies in training and developing human resources for science and technology:

Regarding policies in information dissemination, access, update and use of information:

- In order to promote the management effectiveness, it is necessary to apply different models to enhance S&T management participation of 03 communities, including:

S&T career community: Participation model (by specialty; by major; by objectives; by objective chain; multi-source integration)

Science citizen: Participation (contract model; participation model; cooperation model; co-creation model, colleague model)

S&T regional community : Participation (providing information; providing technical infrastructure, creation participatingy, internal motivation, internal integration

- One of the essential solution in the near future is to formulate policies to promote the formation of two types of funds, which are the Ha Nam Science and Technology Development Fund and the Science and Technology Development Fund for Enterprises.

3.2 . Conclusion

Extension of community participation in science and technology management is an indispensable way to develop S&T and to make the best use of S&T effectiveness in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country.

To evaluate the current status of community participation in S&T activities in Ha Nam, the author conducted a survey of 250 participants including 03 groups: individuals participating in S&T activities; individuals working in enterprises and individuals working in state management agencies in science and technology. These are the three most important groups directly affected by the supporting policies aimed at socializing S&T activities in Ha Nam.

The survey results show that Ha Nam province has initially developed policies for community participation in S&T management in order to diversify sources of investment capital for S&T development; expanding the subjects involved in S&T activities; disseminated information on science and technology, etc. From there, the S&T potentials of Ha Nam province will be developed. The less well-known and "weak" policies are often those that relate to financial support. Moreover, local businesses are mainly small enterprises with limited charter capital so they cannot have the "potential" to invest in S&T activities. Policies with "high" impact are often related to information dissemination, access, updating and use of information. The reason is that thanks to the development of science and technology, the dissemination of information on science and technology is taking place more conveniently. General policies related to participation in S&T management in Ha Nam province have not been widely disseminated and promoted effectively.

According to the survey results, the implementation process of community participation in science and technology management in Ha Nam province has encountered some difficulties in:

- Mobilizing capital investment for science and technology, investment in infrastructures for S&T activities, non-state capital investment such as foreign investment;

- Unestablished venture funds;

- Unready science and technology markets;

- S&T results have not yet exploited commercially, so they have not brought capital turnover;

- Lack of proper legal framework to ensure democracy for innovative activities in S&T;

- Lack of real trading environment for human mobilities between regions, between organizations, and between sectors;

- Lack of mechanisms to coordinate science and technology results with the demands of production and social life, the habits and demands of information exploitation from organizations and individuals;

- Lack of database technology and data connection between units.

Therefore, one of the essential solution in the near future is to use the theory of community participation to build innovative management models, especially promoting the formation of two types of funds: The Ha Nam Science and Technology Development Fund and The Science and Technology Development Fund for Enterprises.

From theoretical and practical arguments, the author has proven that the initial hypothesis is completely correct or in other words the hypothesis has been proven.

Some limitations of the thesis and further research recommendations

It can be said that research on S&T management model is a difficult issue, requiring researchers to have a broad and comprehensive understanding of S&T system. Moreover, the study of community participation in S&T activities is a difficult issue since it requires survey with large sample size while research resources are limited. For that reason, regarding the available resources (financial resources, material resources, human resources, information resources), the author has studied some of the main contents in a case study of Henan province. Therefore, it may not yet be possible to evaluate deeply and adequately the other elements within a complex S&T organization/system as well as to assess community participation in each S&T sector. Thus, in future researches, with sufficient resources, the author recommends some research issues:

Promoting community participation in local S&T management

The role of state management and community participation in S&T management in Vietnam

Using community resources to invest for development of S&T activities in Vietnam

The role of enterprises in S&T management in Vietnam