Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Trần Duy Đông speaks at the press conference. — VNS Photo Mai Hương

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) on Tuesday announced the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023 (VIIE 2023) and inauguration of the National Innovation Centre's (NIC)’s new operational headquarters at Hòa Lạc Hi-Tech Park, scheduled for October 2023.

MPI’s Deputy Minister Trần Duy Đông emphasised that the inauguration marked a significant stride for NIC in the realm of innovation infrastructure. This achievement was the culmination of over two years of construction and resilience throughout challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event anticipates the presence of the Prime Minister, central and local agency leaders, representatives from embassies and international organisations, along with major domestic and foreign enterprises.

Operating under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the NIC nurtures innovation and start-up ecosystems, enhancing growth through technology and novel business models.

The National Innovation Centre at Hòa Lạc stands as Việt Nam's largest innovation hub. It employs special mechanisms to attract global technology giants, renowned incubators and intellectual luminaries from both domestic and international spheres. The 20,000sq.m campus boasts advanced infrastructure, facilitating innovation-driven activities, seminars, and exchanges between domestic and foreign enterprises, researchers, and experts, fostering research, development and technology transfer.

Coinciding with this, the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023 (VIIE 2023) will be held at NIC Hòa Lạc from October 28 to November 1. This event is set to welcome 300 domestic and foreign enterprises, and 40,000 attendees, including delegates from agencies, technology corporations, enterprises, research institutions, universities and innovation support entities.

Over five days, the expo will showcase cutting-edge products and technologies in eight pivotal NIC sectors: Smart Factory, Smart City, Digital Media, Environmental Technology, Cybersecurity, Semiconductor Industry, Hydrogen and Healthtech. In tandem, ancillary activities are planned, including international seminars on the semiconductor and hydrogen industries, a game industry symposium, the Vietnam Venture Summit (VVS), a STEAM Festival and the Better Choice Award.

Multi-stakeholder cooperation

NIC Hòa Lạc has forged collaborative ties with numerous domestic foreign corporations, including industry giants like Samsung, Meta, Visa, VC Corp, ADT and Vietnam National University.

Kim Yong Sub, Deputy General Director of Samsung Vietnam, has pledged a sustained investment in Việt Nam, standing as a steadfast partner to the National Innovation Centre. Samsung's experts have showcased successful collaborations between the company and the Korean Government, shedding light on C-Lab - an exemplary start-up support initiative from Samsung.

"I personally think that if it is possible to apply and refer to this programme, NIC will definitely become the 'cradle' of innovation, the leading agency in training and fostering top-tier startups in Việt Nam,” Kim said.

Samsung is also planning to establish a dedicated Lab within the NIC Hoà Lạc campus for the Samsung Innovation Campus programme. Launched in partnership with educational institutions across the nation in 2019, the Samsung Innovation Campus programme is tailored to offer technological development courses for young minds, encompassing domains such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data.

Deputy Minister Trần Duy Đông stated that NIC Hòa Lạc will provide optimal incentives encompassing taxes, administrative procedures, patents, visas, work permits, and initial setup costs for businesses intending to establish offices, research centres, and lab spaces, with the aim of further cement Việt Nam's status as an innovation hotspot.

Việt Nam's fledgling startup ecosystem is in its initial phases of growth, and Đông highlighted the necessity for stronger collaboration between universities and businesses to effectively transform research outcomes into technological products. — VNS