As a leading research facility in the field of explosives of the Military and the country, the Institute of Explosives and Propellants, under the General Department of Defence Industry, is responsible for doing scientific and technological research and development, designing and manufacturing all kinds of propellants, explosives, rocket fuel for defence and economic purposes; ensuring production technology and tackling technical problems related to explosives in defence production. Moreover, it also conducts consultation and appraisal of investment projects; issues and appraises the designs and technologies related to explosives and carries out measurement, testing and assessment of explosives as empowered by the State and the Ministry of National Defence; provides scientific and technological services, production technology transfer for units and enterprises, etc. To meet the requirements of those heavy tasks, the Institute has deployed drastical and synchronous solutions to promote research, testing and transfer of technologies in a bid to improve all working aspects.

Leader of the Institute speaks about resolutions on Military building in the new period

First of all, the Institute focuses on building, reviewing and supplementing orientations for scientific and technological development in accordance with the actual requirements of Military building and Fatherland protection. This is the most important solution in order to keep its scientific and technological activities on the right track with high effectiveness. Thoroughly grasping the resolutions and directives on scientific and technological work, directly Resolution No. 791-NQ/QUTW, dated December 30^th, 2012 of the Central Military Commission on scientific, technological and environmental work in the Military to 2020 and beyond; Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW, dated January 26^th, 2022 of the Politburo (13^th tenure) on "Promoting the development of defence industry to 2030 and beyond" and closely following the orientation of the Ministry of National Defence, the General Department of Defence Industry, Institute focuses on building and perfecting scientific and technological orientations for both medium and long term. At the same time, it regularly reviews, adjusts and supplements those orientations for each and every 5 years in accordance with the reality of the Unit and the development goals of defence industry. To date, the Institute has developed, supplemented and completed Scientific and Technological Orientation No. 917/DH-TPTN on "Scientific and technological development of the Institute of Explosives and Propellants until 2030 and beyond".

Basing on the defined orientations, the Institute focuses on investing and developing scientific and technological potentials to meet the requirements of both short and long-term tasks with human resource being regarded as the central one. Implementing that policy, the Institute regularly reviews and make plan of human resources in the direction of "elite, compact, efficient" with appropriate structure in terms of profession, age and suitability to its operating model; pays due regard to developing the high-caliber researchers, young researchers, researcher in new fields and top experts of propellants, explosives, special chemicals, etc. Besides, it actively cooperates with military and civilian schools to recruit and supplement its research staff with preference being given to those trained abroad and graduating with excellent grades. In order to improve the all-round capability of its staff, it applies various forms of training and retraining; has incentives to encourage its staff to conduct self-study in research groups; closely links training with scientific research and technology transfer; deploys its cadres on field trips to defence industrial plants to gain practical experience. In addition, the Institute synchronously implements mechanisms and policies to attract high-quality human resources, such as: promoting young capable cadres to managerial positions; building a fair and friendly working environment with lots of promotion opportunities, etc.

Together with human resource development, the Institute actively mobilises resources for upgrading and modernising its facility in the direction of automation and synchronisation, in order to increase reliability, shorten time, and improve the capacity and efficiency of researching, testing and transferring technologies. Basing on the scientific and technological development orientation and the existing facility, it directs functional agencies and specialised research departments to actively research and propose new procurement plans; improves and upgrades the existing facility, etc. Up to now, the system of its specialised laboratories, the national Vilas-015 laboratory and the TC-VN explosives laboratory have been upgraded, modernised, and put into use effectively, directly improving its research and testing capacity. What’s more, the Institute also makes funds from its revenue for building and consolidating small-size factories and production lines (pilot lines) to serve its research and pilot production, etc. These activities have helped making a breakthrough in its capacity to research, test, and master the technology to manufacture the propellants and explosives that are not transferred by foreign countries.

In order to gain the widespread, in-depth and substantive development for scientific research, the Institute promotes innovation in the management and administration mechanism of scientific and technological activities to suit the new operating model. Thoroughly grasping and implementing Decision No. 823/QD-BQP, dated March 19^th, 2014 of the Ministry of National Defence on the organisational structure of the Institute of Explosives and Propellants, together with consolidating its structure, the Institute directs its agencies and units to supplement and complete their functions, tasks and regulations in accordance with the transformation roadmap. It promotes the application of information technology and applies the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard to innovate its operating methods, etc. In order to make its scientific research activities flexible and feasible, together with centralised and unified management, the Institute promotes autonomy to research groups and heads of the research subjects. Accordingly final product of research activity is taken as a criterion for evaluating its quality. Besides, it offers good incentives to support and encourage innovative and technical activities. As for the new, creative and feasible ideas and topics, the Institute provides both financial, equipment and human resources supports for researchers to implement their projects.

Conducting scientific research

Along with the above solutions, the Institute promotes science and technology transfer and cooperation; closely links research with production. It actively works closely with factories in the Military to conduct trial production and testing of research products and to transfer technology to them after the research products are approved successfully. In order to widen research projects, acquire new technologies, and make the most of the expertise of its units and experts, the Institute actively cooperates with military and civilian units to implement new research projects; deploys survey teams to visit and learn experience to apply to the Institute's operations.

With the spirit of initiative, creativity, right orientation in science and technology activities, from 2018 to now, the Institute has always successfully completed the tasks of scientific research, testing and technology transfer; actively and effectively participate in scientific and technological programs and projects of the Ministry of National Defense, General Department of Defense Industry and cooperation programs with Viettel Group, etc. In particular, in addition to creating products applied to national defense and security practices, the Institute's research works also create a series of new technologies that we have not owned and mastered before.

In the face of the rapid development of science and technology, the Institute has changed its motto of operation from "Scientific, practical, safe and effective" to "Innovative, creative, safe and effective”. At the same time, it switches its mindset from "Research by model" to "Research new design". It enhances innovation, creativity,  and conducts breakthrough research of new products; proactively proposes research contents relevant to the requirements and tasks in the projects under Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW; implement and effectively put into operation the items of project of investing and developing research potentials of the Institute; makes full use of the existing infrastructure and equipment in order to promote technology research, testing and transfer; continues to strengthen and further improves its position, making worthy contribution to the development of an autonomous, modern, dual-use defence industry of Vietnam, meeting the requirements and tasks of Fatherland protection and socio-economic development.

Senior Colonel, Dr. PHAM VAN TOAI, Director of the Institute