Take October 1st every year as Vietnam Innovation Day
On October 1, the Vietnam Innovation Day 2024 and the 5th anniversary of the National Innovation Center (NIC) took place.
Attending and giving a speech at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the results of innovation in our country in recent times and assessed that all levels, sectors and localities have focused on synchronously, drastically and effectively implementing tasks and solutions to promote innovation and have achieved important results in many fields.
To date, Vietnam has about 4,000 innovative startups, 208 investment funds, 84 incubators, 35 business promotion organizations, 20 innovative startup centers; Vietnam's innovative startup ecosystem is currently ranked 56/100 countries; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are in the top 200 innovative startup cities globally.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Vietnam's 2024 Global Innovation Index ranked 44/133 countries (up 2 places compared to 2023, up 4 places compared to 2022) and the United Nations' 2024 E-Government Development Index increased 15 places, from 86/193 countries to 71/193.
The Head of Government stated that innovation is an inevitable and irreversible trend, and is the common development orientation of the world today. For Vietnam, this is a particularly important factor contributing to promoting digital transformation, green transformation and sustainable development of Vietnam in the new era of development, as well as Vietnam's contribution to the development process.
“Vietnam is facing great opportunities but also many difficulties and challenges in science, technology and innovation. The biggest challenge is technological competitiveness compared to other countries in the region and the world. At the same time, Vietnamese enterprises have not been able to fully master advanced technologies, especially in important areas such as semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, etc.
“Innovation is one of the most important factors contributing to improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of each entity, each enterprise as well as the entire economy,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also shared three viewpoints on promoting and developing innovation. Firstly, innovation must be a strategic choice, an objective requirement, a key task, and a top priority to promote industrialization, modernization, and rapid, sustainable development. Secondly, innovation must take people and businesses as the center, the subject, the goal, the driving force, and the main resource, especially the young generation - the future owners of the country. Thirdly, innovation must dare to think, dare to do, dare to act, dare to accept risks, dare to surpass oneself, dare to commit for the benefit of the nation, the people, for the bright future of the country.
At the same time, the Prime Minister also pointed out 6 common tasks and solutions in the coming time. First, focus on perfecting institutions. Second, increase investment in developing infrastructure systems. Third, develop high-quality human resources. Fourth, increase attraction of financial investment sources. Fifth, strengthen and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of national governance. Sixth, strongly promote international cooperation.
“Institutions must be open, infrastructure must be smooth, governance must be smart and international cooperation and exchange must be close and effective,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister announced that October 1 every year would be Vietnam Innovation Day to honor, encourage and promote innovation, a joyful and happy day for innovators.
Step by step becoming a locomotive of innovation
The Prime Minister assessed that the establishment of NIC under Decision No. 1269/QD-TTg dated October 2, 2019 of the Prime Minister is the concretization of the Party and State's guidelines and policies on promoting science and technology and innovation; with an operating model based on specific, superior and competitive mechanisms and policies compared to the region and the world.
The main goal is to create a favorable environment for innovation, startups, investment attraction, high technology development, digital technology, green transformation...
After 5 years of establishment and 1 year of inauguration of the Centre, the National Innovation Centre has achieved important initial results in terms of facilities, institutional and policy building (continuing to perfect the mechanisms, the highest preferential policies and the most favorable administrative procedures according to legal regulations).
On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister appreciated the efforts and important contributions of NIC, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, all levels, sectors, localities and development partners, the business community, investors, experts and scientists in the past time, which have significantly contributed to raising the position and prestige of Vietnam in science and technology and innovation in the region and internationally.
In the coming time, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Planning and Investment to preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to focus on directing and further promoting the role of the Centre.
In particular, it is important to focus on researching and proposing specific mechanisms and policies to effectively support businesses, especially high-tech, innovative, start-up businesses and young people; in particular, it is important to urgently amend Decree 94/2020 regulating preferential mechanisms and policies for NICs, and submit it for promulgation before October 10, 2024.
At the same time, strengthen international cooperation, continue to expand the network of experts and scientists on innovation, international connections, in the spirit of putting the interests of the nation and people first and foremost, contributing to the goals of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
The Prime Minister believes that, with the spirit of "dare to think, dare to do, dare to act, dare to commit, dare to innovate", under the leadership of the Party and State, the solidarity, joint efforts and consensus of the business community and people nationwide, we will achieve even greater achievements in innovation and startups.
The Prime Minister hopes that with the message "Innovation to break through, surpass yourself - Creativity to reach far, fly high in the sky of the digital era and green development of humanity", Vietnam's National Innovation Day will be a day to gather the wisdom of humanity and spread strong benefits to everyone.
