Vietnam funds business AI projects up to VND 3 billion
Screenshot of the Ministry of Science and Technology portal (mst.gov.vn), article dated 16 September 2026.
Vietnam's National Technology Innovation Fund (NATIF), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is accepting applications for 2026 technology innovation tasks that apply AI. Each task can receive up to VND 3 billion from the state budget and must finish within 12 months. Applications close on 10 October, and oversubscribed calls are decided by submission order.
NATIF funds up to VND 3 billion per task for legal entities that use AI to create new products, services, processes or business models. Tasks run no longer than 12 months and need matching non-state funding. Priority goes to 6 sectors (manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, commerce and services, public administration) and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Tay Ninh. Deadline: 5pm, 10 October 2026 at oms.natif.vn; if oversubscribed, the Fund selects in order of submission.
What the programme offers
According to the original notice on NATIF's task management system and a Ministry of Science and Technology article dated 16 September 2026, this is a dedicated funding plan for AI application tasks, based on Decision 3593/QĐ-BKHCN of 26 August 2026 on 2026 task numbers and budgets.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Funding | No more than VND 3 billion per task from the state budget |
| Duration | No more than 12 months |
| Matching funds | Must show lawful funding outside the state budget |
| Eligible | Businesses and organisations with legal entity status and a relevant line of business |
| Deadline | 5pm, 10 October 2026 (the oms portal lists 00:00 on 10 October) |
| If oversubscribed | Selected in order of valid submission time |
Who gets priority
The Fund prioritises 6 sectors: manufacturing and processing; agriculture and agri-food processing; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; logistics and supply chains; commerce, services and business management; and state administrative agencies. Priority locations are Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Tay Ninh and other provinces that want to take part.
A silk reeling workshop in Vietnam, an example of the manufacturing group. Photo: Lusi Lindwurm / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Proposals with a contract, agreement or commitment with a research institute, university, or small and medium-sized AI solution company are also prioritised. A garment workshop or a farming cooperative does not need its own AI team, but it should name a signed technology partner in the application.
Rice planting on terraced fields, the agriculture group. Photo: Bara Tumova / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
What the application needs, and where it usually fails
Each applicant submits one set: a registration form (Form I.1), a task description (Form I.2), a commitment to receive only one state budget source for the same spending item (Form I.6), and other documents under Article 11 of Decree 268/2025/NĐ-CP. The forms are on the NATIF portal.
The notice does not score technology ideas in the abstract. Reviewers look at feasibility, concrete outputs, direct applicability and, above all, data: where it comes from, whether you have the right to use it, its quality and how it will be prepared. The solution must also state technical targets, Vietnamese language handling, integration with business processes and deployment cost.
The original notice on oms.natif.vn: the application window line says it closes at 00:00 on 10 October 2026, earlier than the 5pm stated in the body of the notice.
Because the same notice gives two closing times, and oversubscribed calls go by submission order, the safe move is to finish the online submission by 9 October and call the contact listed in the notice to confirm receipt.
Hai Phong International Container Terminal, the logistics and supply chain group. Photo: Nathan.cima / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chạm AI's take
The most telling part is not the VND 3 billion but how proposals are judged: detailed questions about data, Vietnamese language support and running for real within 12 months. Those are exactly where AI projects at small and medium businesses tend to stall. Many teams have a good idea but customer data scattered across Zalo, spreadsheets and a CRM, with nobody checking usage rights or quality. If you apply, start with a data inventory before writing the technology section.
Chạm AI is a small AI solutions company, the kind of partner the notice encourages applicants to sign with. If you are weighing an AI Agent for customer care or process automation and need a cost estimate for your financial plan, the team can review the data and technical sections of your task description with you. Chạm AI cannot promise anything on the Fund's behalf. For the regulatory backdrop, see Vietnam's high-risk AI list.
Sources: National Technology Innovation Fund, "Notice of the 2026 funding plan for technology innovation tasks applying artificial intelligence" on oms.natif.vn; Ministry of Science and Technology portal, article of 16 September 2026. Read and cross-checked on 27 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for the NATIF 2026 AI grant?
Businesses or organisations with legal entity status, a line of business that fits the task, and a need to use AI to create new products, services, processes or business models, or to significantly improve existing ones. Entities that still owe settlement of state funds, are suspended from science and technology tasks, have suspended operations or are under prosecution cannot apply.
How much funding and how long?
The state budget funds no more than VND 3 billion per task, and the task must be completed within 12 months. The lead organisation must show it can raise lawful funding outside the state budget.
When and where do I submit?
The notice sets the deadline at 5pm on 10 October 2026, via oms.natif.vn, by post, or in person at floor 5, 113 Tran Duy Hung, Hanoi. The oms portal's own timeline says it closes at 00:00 on 10 October, and oversubscribed calls are decided by submission order, so finishing online by 9 October is the safe choice.