Prime Minister: Building mechanisms and policies to promote innovation

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh listens to an introduction to research and production units in the National Innovation Center (NIC). (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

On March 4, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and worked with the National Innovation Center (NIC) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Military Industry-Telecoms Group (Viettel).

Accompanying him were Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang; Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and leaders of central ministries, branches and Hanoi City.

After more than 3 years of operation, the National Innovation Center has basically formed an innovation ecosystem with 3 main pillars including State-institute, school-enterprise. Related entities include support, incubation, innovation centers; networks of experts, intellectuals, consultants; investment funds, financial institutions.

The center has many large and important partners such as technology corporations Google, Meta, Amazon, Siemens, Hitachi, Viettel, FPT, CMC; research institutes, large domestic and international universities; science and technology centers, innovation in countries such as: Station F France, Brainport Netherlands, IMEC, Hub.brussels Belgium, Adlershof Germany, ... along with nearly 200 domestic and international investment funds participating in the ecosystem.

The Center has also established and developed the Vietnam Innovation Network with nearly 1,600 Vietnamese experts and intellectuals working at leading technology corporations, institutes and schools in the world. The Vietnam Innovation Network has now developed 8 member networks in Germany, Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan (China), Europe and 2 networks in the US. This is a huge intellectual resource, ready to participate and contribute to technology and innovation activities and projects in Vietnam.

The Center has implemented many activities to support innovative businesses, including support in facilities, incubation support, capacity building, support in accessing capital, support in consulting, and consulting on solutions.

The National Innovation Center has implemented many programs to support and enhance innovation capacity at institutes, schools, and localities, and has coordinated with major international universities to provide training courses on innovation, digital transformation, and commercialization of technology research. The Center also cooperated with Google to organize the Digital Talent Program with the participation of tens of thousands of Vietnamese students; coordinated with USAID to implement human resource development activities; coordinated with STEAM for Vietnam to organize training for more than 20,000 primary and secondary school students in computer programming and STEM; and organized a Robotics competition for students; and built an online training management system.

After visiting the facilities, activities and innovative products at the Center, the Prime Minister worked with the Center's staff. Representatives of the National Innovation Center and partners shared about the necessity, opportunities and possibilities for cooperation, and the great significance of innovation. In particular, delegates suggested that there should be a policy mechanism to attract and gather high-quality human resources, not only Vietnamese people abroad but also high-quality human resources from around the world to work for Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the 13th National Party Congress set the goal of "by 2025, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry, surpassing the low-middle income level; by 2030, a developing country with modern industry, high-middle income; and by 2045, it will become a developed country with high income;" developing based on science, technology and innovation. Therefore, the construction of an Innovation Center is very necessary and timely.

The Prime Minister hopes that the Vietnam National Innovation Center will be a place where intelligence from all over the world converges, regardless of borders, distances, and ages. From there, it will create resources to continue spreading benefits and values ​​to the whole society. To do this, according to the Prime Minister, there must be mechanisms, policies, investment of resources, efforts, and enthusiasm.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talks with officials and employees in research and production units of the National Innovation Center (NIC). (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with ministries, branches and agencies to draft documents, create a legal framework for the Center to operate effectively; build policy mechanisms to attract and converge intelligence; create an innovation ecosystem; and an innovation incubator.

In particular, relevant parties conduct research to build an innovation fund to promote and encourage innovation; perfect the model of the Innovation Center suitable for Vietnam's conditions; invest in facilities and equipment to ensure research and innovation activities; build a digital platform to combine ecosystem activities, digitize the operation control of the Center; digitize interactions between domestic and foreign ecosystems with the Center; build connections to the national database system to build a large database, and develop artificial intelligence.

The National Innovation Center was approved for investment by the Prime Minister in 2019, with a total capital of VND4,040 billion; it is currently in the completion stage. The center, with a total area of ​​35 hectares, is set up to support and develop the country's startup and innovation ecosystems. When completed, it will be home to domestic and international innovation enterprises, laboratories, offices of large corporations, and workplaces of leading experts and scientists.

The National Innovation Center has main functional areas, including the Integrated Service Center; workspace for large domestic and foreign technology companies; shared workspace for venture capital funds and innovative businesses; laboratory areas, prototype manufacturing workshops; event organization center, exhibition areas, and product display areas.

The Prime Minister requested the investor, design consultants, and construction contractors to coordinate to speed up the construction progress; however, they must ensure the quality, technical and aesthetic aspects of the project; ensure environmental sanitation, labor safety, etc. The planning for the construction of the Center must have innovative thinking and a long-term vision; however, the investment must be phased; and each step must be completed thoroughly.

The Prime Minister emphasized that it is necessary to build a Center with full facilities, space, landscape, green construction, and water surface; a place where elements of the domestic and foreign innovation ecosystem converge; a place worth living and working for experts, investors, founders, and personnel working in the field of innovation.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits Viettel's high-tech products. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Also on the afternoon of March 4, the Prime Minister and the working delegation also visited and worked with the Military Industry-Telecoms Group (Viettel) on high-tech research and production activities.

The Prime Minister visited typical high-tech products researched and produced by Viettel in three areas: military, telecommunications infrastructure, and civilian products. In the military field, Viettel has researched and produced more than 50 types of products in 10 high-tech weapons and equipment sectors to supply to the army.

In the field of telecommunications infrastructure, Viettel owns the entire 5G network system from radio transceiver stations, transmission equipment and core network. Up to now, Viettel has widely deployed all products in the 5G ecosystem.

Viettel is currently ranked No. 1 in terms of Vietnamese legal entities registering and being granted industrial property rights. Viettel has been recognized with 18 international patents (US), 80 domestic patents, 19 utility solutions, and 12 designs.

Visiting Viettel's product showroom, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that with the vision of "innovation for people" and the mission of "pioneering the key force in creating a digital society," Viettel is an enterprise that always attaches importance to and invests in research and development activities; contributing to the formation of the telecommunications industry, ensuring safety for the development of digital government, digital economy and digital society for the people.

The Prime Minister requested Viettel to continue to better implement its vision and mission to fulfill its assigned tasks. In particular, Viettel must focus on building and developing, being the core in building a high-tech defense industrial complex; building and developing the civil equipment manufacturing industry, contributing to the mission of making Vietnam a developed industrial country; in the immediate future, effectively serving the national digital transformation with the pillars of building a digital government and digital society; playing a leading role in the digital transformation process; building national data; strengthening security, telecommunications safety, network safety...

According to VNA