At 10:00 a.m. today, August 31th, 2021, the Launching Ceremony for Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021 officially took place virtually. This is the FIRST and MOST HOLISTIC report on Open Innovation in Vietnam by the National Startup Support Center (NSSC), under the National Agency For Technology Entrepreneurship And Commercialization Development (NATEC), Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with BambuUP Innovation Platform to produce and issue. According to the General Statistics Office, there were nearly 135,000 newly registered businesses and approximately 3,000 startups in Vietnam in 2020. Vietnam is considered to be among the top 3 most dynamic creative startup ecosystems in Southeast Asia with a captivating and flourishing entrepreneurship ecosystem. Along with the development of start-up companies, a supportive and interactive ecosystem is gradually forming among the economic stakeholders to collectively develop,  heading towards an Open Innovation Ecosystem in Vietnam. Thus, the demand for comprehensive and up-to-date information about Vietnam's Open Innovation Ecosystem, helping innovative startups, businesses, domestic and foreign investors, etc., timely grasp the new trends and directions of innovation, as well as opportunities for cooperation and investment, has become greater than ever. Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021 serves the purpose of:  1. Providing comprehensive, multi-dimensional and up-to-date information for government agencies, organizations, startups, enterprises, corporations and investors, helping everyone to catch the newest market trends in the most timely manner;  2. Providing entrepreneurship & innovation trends in Vietnam and the world with detailed trend analysis in some key industries, as well as surveys on the needs and challenges from startups. Accordingly, the report will provide start-up mapping and listing across 10+ prominent economic sectors, including: Retail, Fintech, Edtech, Healthtech, Martech & Salestech, Sustainability, Logistics, AgTech & Foodtech, Travel & Tourism. The report content has been researched and gathered by the project team from reputable sources such as NSSC, National Program 844 Office  - Ministry of Science and Technology, statistics, desk research, information from startup registration documents, as well as expert reviews and online surveys. In particular, the report content will include the contribution of more than 50 experts and 30 members of the Advisory Board in the fields, start-up support organizations, startup community, Vietnamese and international partners. The report is expected to be a trustful source of information to promote and expand potential cooperation and investment opportunities among startups, businesses and investors in Vietnam and globally. Thereby, it will create a stronger innovation boost among economic sectors, contributing to the active recovery and growth in the new normal era. Information from the report will also become a tool for the Government, policy makers to consult and plan for the development direction of the startup ecosystem and long-term open innovation. Presented at the Launching Ceremony, Mr. Pham Dung Nam, Director of the National Startup Support Center (NSSC) said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has placed the whole country, the economy, and the ecosystem in the face of unprecedented difficulties and challenges that requires more than ever the consensus, determination and concentration of resources to overcome this difficult period. Furthermore, the urgent need for innovation, cooperation, and application of science and technology has become not only a new method, but also a new way of thinking, a new philosophy for development. That is why we call for your companion and support in the process of building and developing an open innovation ecosystem in which the most important goal is to promote creativity, openness and connectivity. We also hope that the Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021, compiled by BambuUP Innovation Platform with the support of NSSC as well as experts’ consultation and synthesized information from reputable sources, does not stop at the level of information, but also creates knowledge bases for innovation and promotes mutual development.” He emphasized three keywords of innovative thinking: "innovation", "open" and "collaboration". Ms. Nguyễn Hương Quỳnh, CEO of BambuUP Platform, the project organizer shared that: “In the process of consulting and connecting innovation for many businesses, investors and startups, BambuUP realized that there are many promising innovative solutions in Vietnam. As long as startups are given the opportunity to try to solve the big problems of the business, getting financial support at the right time will be beneficial for every stakeholder and become the driving force for the economy's development. We hope that this report will contribute to making the Vietnam Startup Ecosystem development map more intricate and widely promoting Vietnamese startups to foreign partners.”
The press conference also welcomed sharings from several international partners. Professor John Kojiro Moriwaka, CEO of Silicon Valley Ventures and Director at Startup Grind Fukuoka commented: “The most important thing for 'Open Innovation' is to share the same vision and goals. Reading the Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape Report would be really helpful for Japanese and US investors and corporates to understand key startups in Vietnam. I will accelerate my collaboration with BambuUP for providing 'Open Innovation'”. Ms. Michelle Ng - Senior Associate, Quest Ventures, Singapore shared that: “Open innovation is a way to access ideas and resources, and develop workable solutions in a shorter time frame. Both the public and private sectors are embracing open innovation. Underpinning all these open innovation activities is Southeast Asia’s location at the crossroads of the world’s economic growth engines—US, China and India. With the commitment to grow the open innovation, the region is well-positioned to perform well despite the pandemic. We support the vision of the Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape report and look forward to contributing our observations and sharing the report with our network.”. The report is expected to be released in December 2021 in two forms: hard copy and soft copy. The report will also be distributed to senior enterprises leaders and accessible to foreign businesses and investors through BambuUP's global partner network.