Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said the expo, scheduled for January 9 and 10, 2021, is the first of its kind in Vietnam coordinated by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the ministries of Science and Technology, Information and Communications, Industry and Trade, and Education and Training.

It affirms the constructive role of the Vietnamese Government in mobilising resources and connecting members of the innovation ecosystem for development, he stated, highlighting the central role of enterprises in the ecosystem for innovation.

The exhibition shows that Vietnam is a destination of innovation in the new era, he added.

According to Vu Quoc Huy, vice director in charge of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC), VIIE 2021 will take place at a venue within the Hoa Lac High-tech Park reserved for building the NIC.

It is expected to see the participation of renowned local businesses like Viettel, Vingroup, and MoMo, foreign-funded firms including Samsung, Hyosung, Intel and Dell, startups, and several small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Cooperatives, companies, and production facilities representing vulnerable groups and sponsored by the ministry will also take part.

Also on the agenda are activities to link startups together; SMEs with investment funds and big companies; foreign-funded firms with their domestic peers; and players in the innovation ecosystem. Five workshops will be held, discussing the role of innovation in boosting the quality of economic growth, innovation in leading enterprises, and smart consumers in Industry 4.0, among others.

Visitors will be treated to an introduction and demo of impressive technological solutions and products, like a goods transport robot, offshore wind power turbines, drones serving search and rescue missions, and COVID-19 prevention and control robots.

Another highlight is a STEAM festival for students. STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.

The press conference also announced the start of construction of the NIC.

Established under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the centre aims to support and develop a startup ecosystem in Vietnam and promote innovation as well as a growth model based on scientific and technological development./.VNA