Implementing Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2019 of the Politburo on building and developing Da Nang by 2030, with a vision to 2045, for the field of innovative startups creativity, the city’s authorities have always encouraged and supported the formation of startup centers at universities and junior colleges in the city.

A view of the Innovation Space at the Dong A University. Photo: NGOC HA

Many universities in Da Nang have soon implemented startup and innovation activities for students. The Viet Nam - Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU - the University of Da Nang) has implemented the Programme for Incubating Startup Ideas in Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands (PISI) since 2015.

The programme is expertly supported by PUM Netherlands senior experts, a non-profit organisation, which has been advising businesses in developing countries and emerging markets for many years. PUM therefore promotes entrepreneurship, self-sufficiency and the sustainable development of small and medium-sized enterprise locally. Especially, PUM Netherlands senior experts is a volunteer organisation committed to the sustainable development of university business incubators in developing countries.

Participants in the PISI programme will have a chance to access entrepreneurship training, which aims to equip them with relevant knowledge and skills, as well as receive technical advice and funds to help them perfect their products and to be able to create the suitable business model for a new product commercialisation.

As reported by Ph.D. Le Ha Nhu Thao, the Deputy Head of the Department of Testing and Education Quality Assurance, Head of the Coordination Committee of the VKU Creative Idea Incubation - Startup Programme, in recent years, the PISI programme has supported 252 pre-incubation startup projects.

Notable among them, a typical Smart Mirror project received funding to implement sample products from the Lotus Fund and the sample products were displayed and used at resorts in Da Nang. In addition, more than 100 training courses on entrepreneurship have been implemented and the bilingual startup book Entrepreneurship Book of Vietnamese Cases has been published, applied to domestic and international universities. A total of 80 leading domestic and international experts have provided consultancy and professional support for local startups.

The operation of the BK Holdings - DTU Innovation Centre, a cooperation model between BK Holding and Da Nang-based private Duy Tan University; Greenwich Scientific Research and Innovation Startup Support Centre, Innovation Space at the Dong A University and ten startup clubs and startup centers at universities and colleges are also quite active.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, the Principal of the Dong A University, said that after nearly one year of operation, putting the innovation space into operation has achieved significant success and brought many values to the whole student community and society.

It has, indeed, created a realistic learning environment by combining theory and practice. Students and lecturers have the opportunity to apply knowledge into practice through participating in startup activities. At the same time, the organisation of entrepreneurship and scientific research competitions has encouraged the spirit of entrepreneurship and exploration and discovery in both students and lecturers, thereby promoting the development of the local startup community.

Besides universities, the agricultural entrepreneurship training programme of the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Da Nang has also recently become an important bridge in promoting innovation in the community.

Ph.D Nguyen Quang Nhu Quynh, Head of the Agricultural Startup Training Programme of the Institute of Advanced Science & Technology in 2022, said that the training and consulting programme on development-based agricultural startups and innovation sustainability and digital transformation for agricultural startup businesses and projects is aimed at training and consulting on agricultural startups with technology-based knowledge and tools based on three main pillars: technology, sustainability and community.

The programme is implemented with the support of resources from the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, which has created sets of lectures, consulting experiences, and an expert system for the community to use to help startup and startup projects and enterprises in fields such as tourism, high technology, processing and manufacturing.

“With the above-mentioned achievements, the programme contributes to supporting and promoting the city’s innovative startup sector; contributing to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW, which includes the content ‘developing high-tech industry, building Da Nang into a national startup and innovation centre and innovation-science-technology urban area at international level and high competitiveness", said Quynh.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by A.THU