HANOI, 10 March 2022 – The ASEAN – Republic of Korea (ROK) virtual workshop on “Corporate Innovation, Open Innovation to Support National Innovation Ecosystem: the Roles of Big Corporation, University, Vocational College – to Support Start-ups and SMEs’ Innovation” took place today.
The workshop was hosted by the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development, in Viet Nam (NATEC) along with ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI), Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), Ministry of Science and ICT in ROK.
The workshop was initiated under the cooperation framework between ASEAN and ROK. It is a part of the workshop series themed “Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in the Post-Pandemic Economies” in 2021 – 2022, following two previous workshops hosted by ROK and Cambodia last year.
At the introduction, NATEC Director General Dr. Pham Hong Quat presented the Outlook of Startup and Innovation Ecosystem in Viet Nam. Meanwhile, Martin Kim from Shinhan Future’s Lab in Viet Nam presented the Redefining of “Open Innovation” for co-prosperity of startup and corporate ecosystem.
Moreover, the workshop included presentations from three guest speakers, notably; Corporation case-study by Vinacert President Nguyen Huu Dung; Open Innovation Platform for Corporate Innovation by CEO of BambuUp Quynh Nguyen; and a presentation on Technology Entrepreneurship and Lab-based Startup: COVID-19 Cases and Implication by Dr. Jong-in Choi – Professor and Vice President, Hanbat National University. Dr. Choi mentioned that they addressed the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic and also stated that: “Open Innovation is the key factor in promoting the development of the startup ecosystem”.
The presentations were followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session moderated by Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh, Manager and Co-Founder at KisStartup, an innovation support and startup mentoring company. As an expert in Digital Business Administration, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, she pointed out the milestones of the startup ecosystem in Viet Nam and also delivered the aims and reasons of the panel session.
The first topic discussed during the session was Corporate Innovation and Startup Ecosystem. Dr. Pham Hong Quat discussed the government’s role in policy implementation, meanwhile Nguyen Huu Dung shared experiences on open innovation. On this part, Martin Kim emphasised that “We need to put customers into the center of the corporation”.
The second topic of the panel discussion was Platform approach and role of stakeholders in the ecosystem. Representatives from Enterprise Singapore, and Startup Viet Nam Foundation, took turns to describe their expectations on the development of Vietnamese startups. Afterward, opinions from the Chair of ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM), Rath Saravuth, were also heard and taken into consideration.
This session highlighted Dr. Pham Hong Quat’s idea that “It is essential to create a more open network as much as possible to increase interaction between the public sector and startups.” Meanwhile, Rath Saravuth noted that the “full entry into force of the RCEP agreement will attract multinational corporates to foster an ecosystem for new starts up and MSMEs.”
The workshop is expected to continue the success of previous events by Korea and Cambodia, to share a new perspective on the innovation route map and create foundation for the next workshops throughout the remainder of the series.
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About ASEAN – ROK STI Workshop:
As a Full Dialogue Partner, ROK has cooperated closely with ASEAN. During the ASEAN-ROK Consultation on Science and Technology in 2011, the meeting welcomed the proposal for the 1st ASEAN-ROK STI dialogue, with the aim of identifying the purpose and modality of ASEAN-ROK cooperation. The ASEAN-ROK STI dialogues which were renamed as ‘ASEAN-ROK STI Workshop’ in 2019 is hosted by STEPI in auspices of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Republic of Korea.
About ASEAN COSTI:
ASEAN COSTI is an entity responsible for setting directions, coordinating activities of subsidiary groups, creating public awareness of regional S&T activities and their contribution to economic development, and reviewing overall progress of collaboration, including the progress of its relations with the ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners as well as other external collaborators.
At the national level, the leading official in the ASEAN COSTI is generally represented by the highest-ranking administrative officer in charge of S&T in the respective Member Countries.
About NATEC:
The National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC) is an organisation directly under the Ministry of Science and Technology with the task of developing the technology market, supporting the formation of technology, establishing and developing science and technology enterprises.
Established on June 8, 2011, so far, NATEC has supported and organized many events and projects to promote the development of the science and technology market in Viet Nam.
About STEPI:
Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) is a government-funded research institute affiliated with the National Research Council under the Prime Minister’s Office. STEPI is devoted to the research and development of S&T policy and policy alternatives. Established in 1987, the institute aims to contribute to the development of national policy and the advancement of science and technology through researching and analyzing related issues.
