Research universities are derived from European university models in the Middle Ages, and originated in Germany with the establishment of Berlin University in 1810. The spirit of German research university, following Humboldt s school of thoughts, has spread to many other countries in the world, including developed countries such as the UK, France, the US, Australia and other emerging countries including Vietnam. At the National Economics University, the 26th School party conference (2010-2015) already identified the vision in 2020 "National Economics University will become the research-oriented university with high quality of training and scientific research. Some majors will be reviewed and accredited by some famous university education accreditation organizations in the world". This paper will clarify the Research University concept, features and criteria of a Research University. Through the survey of 691 lecturers of National Economics University, the author analyses and compares with criteria and requirements of a research university to propose a set of recommendations of how to develop the university s human resources so that it can be qualified as a research university in the near future.