Decree 77/2026/ND-CP: Organization and Operation of the National Technology Innovation Fund (NATIF)
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Based on:77/2026/NĐ-CP - Government Official Gazette
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Decree No. 77/2026/ND-CP, effective from March 17, 2026, re-establishes the entire organizational and operational framework for the National Technology Innovation Fund (NATIF), a public non-business unit under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Fund has independent legal status, its own seal and bank accounts, and is responsible for granting, commissioning, and financially supporting technology innovation tasks, intellectual property development, productivity and quality improvement, and innovative startup support. For businesses, especially SMEs and tech startups, the Decree opens four funding channels: direct non-refundable grants, commissioned tasks, bank loan interest subsidies, and financial support vouchers. Applications are reviewed publicly and transparently; businesses self-declare and are responsible for the accuracy of their information, and may be exempt from administrative and civil liability if a task fails to meet its targets despite full compliance with procedures and absent any fraud. Financially, the state budget disburses funds to NATIF in up to 3 installments per year, with the first tranche of at least 50 percent of the annual plan due before December 31 of the prior year and the final tranche before September 1. NATIF's management costs are calculated on a progressive scale based on disbursement volume, from 5 to 7 percent. The Decree repeals the corresponding provisions of Decree No. 265/2025/ND-CP and carries over all assets, personnel, rights, and obligations of the former Fund established under Decision No. 04/2021/QD-TTg.
Scope and Legal Status
Decree No. 77/2026/ND-CP (issued March 17, 2026) governs the organization, functions, tasks, powers, and operations of the National Technology Innovation Fund (NATIF). The Fund is a public non-business unit under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with independent legal status, its own seal and accounts at the State Treasury and licensed commercial banks, headquartered in Hanoi.
Operating Principles
The Fund must publicly post its procedures, evaluation criteria, and funding results on its website, and review applications democratically, transparently, and objectively. A business that qualifies for multiple support forms simultaneously may receive all of them if it meets each form's conditions, but cannot receive duplicate state funding for the same content - violations trigger clawback and penalties. The Fund is directed to apply digital technology and AI in its management and does not cap the number of businesses it may fund.
Functions and Tasks
The Fund grants and commissions: technology innovation tasks; intellectual property development and productivity/quality improvement tasks; innovative startup support; loan interest subsidies; and support via financial vouchers. It also funds national innovation programs issued by the Minister of Science and Technology, and special science-technology-innovation tasks assigned by competent authorities. The Fund's Director (appointed by the Minister) is its legal representative and directly approves funding and commissioning tasks.
Four Financing Channels for Businesses
- Grants and commissioned technology-innovation tasks - from announcement, application review, and contract signing through inspection and contract liquidation, referencing Decree No. 268/2025/ND-CP.
- Loan interest subsidies - the Fund signs cooperation agreements with credit institutions (template attached as an Appendix), transfers funds to a dedicated account before each debt due date, suspends support if a business falls into overdue debt, and terminates support if the business fails to resolve it.
- Financial support vouchers - the Fund designs the program, selection criteria, and support levels; settlement is done per contract item, not as a single lump-sum settlement.
- Special science-technology-innovation tasks and other national programs under specialized law.
Financial Sources and Budget Disbursement
The state budget disburses to the Fund up to 3 times per year: the first tranche, at least 50 percent of the annual plan, must be allocated before December 31 of the prior year; subsequent tranches follow disbursement progress; the final tranche is due before September 1 each year. Beyond the budget, the Fund also draws on service revenue, voluntary and lawful donations, deposit interest, and in-kind support - non-budget sources are accounted for separately and are not subject to state-budget spending norms.
Progressive Management Fee
The Fund's annual management budget is calculated on a progressive scale of its total annual grant/commission/support funding: 7 percent on the portion up to VND 3,000 billion/year; 6 percent on the portion from VND 3,000 to 5,000 billion/year; 5 percent on the portion above VND 5,000 billion/year. If this is insufficient to cover actual payroll and operating costs, the state budget guarantees the shortfall.
Oversight, Evaluation, and Risk Handling
The Fund maintains an internal oversight system with periodic and ad hoc reviews plus independent post-task audits, publishing results and reporting to the Ministry of Science and Technology. For financial risk (a task missing its target despite full procedural compliance, force-majeure losses, a business's dissolution or bankruptcy, etc.), the business and involved individuals are exempt from administrative and civil liability provided there was no fraud or misuse of funds; properly used funds are not clawed back or penalized.
Effective Date and Transitional Provisions
The Decree takes effect March 17, 2026, and repeals Articles 26 through 33 and Clause 2 of Article 35 of Decree No. 265/2025/ND-CP. All staff, assets, and lawful rights and obligations of the former Fund (under Decision No. 04/2021/QD-TTg) transfer intact to the Fund under the new rules; ongoing projects continue under their existing contracts until completion. The Decree's Appendix provides a template Cooperation Agreement between the Fund and banks for delivering loan interest subsidies, specifying the dedicated account, a unified debt-collection date, and each party's rights and obligations.