Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology has unveiled subsidies to help companies and organizations upgrade their operations with artificial intelligence, providing up to VND3 billion (US$120,000) per project.

The National Technology Innovation Fund, known as NATIF, is now accepting applications under its 2026 AI-driven technology innovation scheme.

Officials aim to co-fund up to 15 practical Artificial Intelligence initiatives across business and industry, requiring recipient enterprises and institutions to finance the remaining investment.

A NATIF representative told VnExpress that the initiative aims to push Vietnamese businesses to tackle real-world operational bottlenecks using machine intelligence and accelerating AI deployment across factories, storefronts, and everyday services.

Under this subsidy model, the government shoulders a portion of the upfront investment risks, while businesses identify their specific challenges, commit their own resources, and take full responsibility for commercial outcomes.

Recipients can use the funds for hiring outside AI specialists, purchasing technical services, running trials, evaluating software performance, and transferring and refining algorithms for practical rollout.

A project must wrap up within 12 months.

A humanoid robot on display at a technology expo in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Bao Lam

The grant welcomes legally registered companies and organizations looking to integrate AI into their pipelines—whether to build entirely new products, roll out modern services, revamp operating workflows, or improve existing business models.

Submissions must outline clear targets, work plans, implementation roadmaps, projected deliverables, and detailed budgets along with evidence of viable real-world utility and measurable economic or social returns. Evaluators are giving priority to initiatives in processing and manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, logistics and supply chains, retail, corporate governance, and public administration.

Applicants who team up with research institutes, universities, or small and medium-sized tech enterprises supplying AI solutions will also get preferential consideration.

Key highlights of the 2026 AI technology innovation subsidy program. Information from NATIF

Interested applicants can submit digital files via the fund's online management portal at oms.natif.vn using a verified digital signature or courier physical copies directly to the NATIF headquarters at 113 Tran Duy Hung Street, Hanoi.

The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2026.

Once submissions are in, an appraisal panel will vet them and select the final list before disbursing capital in scheduled tranches.

Operating under the Ministry of Science and Technology, NATIF functions as a state financial agency that commissions research, underwrites technological innovation, subsidizes loan interest rates, issues financial vouchers, and nurtures the national startup ecosystem.

This grant cycle is one of its flagship endeavors following the implementation of Decree 77/2026, a recent government decree governing the fund's organization and activities.